Tomorrow city officials will leave their turf in order to attend an open stakeholder gathering at the Barnsdall Gallery Theater. Members of the Save Barnsdall Facebook group are hoping this will be their chance to ask the representatives about the origins of the decision to make public/private partnerships as well as what the programming requirements will be for potential partners. According to the Barnsdal Art Park Foundation's website DCA General Manager Garay will be in attendance along with Marta Segura, a representative of Council President Eric Garcetti’s office, and Councilmember Tom LaBonge, Chair of the Arts, Parks, Heath and Aging Committee.
Find out more information about the meeting here.
For the past several weeks members of the Arts, Parks, Heath and Aging Committee have heard impassioned statements from members of the Barnsdall Art Park community. Students, teachers, patrons and neighbors have appeared at Los Angeles City Hall early weekday mornings in order to speak out about the importance of public art in Los Angeles. In the wake of the city's budget shortfalls, the Department of Cultural Affairs has been charged with creating a plan to create public/private partnerships for the four organizations housed at Barnsdall Art Park as well as 11 additional public art facilities throughout the city. The Los Angeles Times originally reported that the Museum of Contemporary Art is interested in running Barnsdall's Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery. When asked about the potential partnership, a representative at MOCA said there was "no further news to report at this time."
