Culver City's Artist Laureate Program Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Artist Laureate Program?

The City of Culver City’s Artist Laureate recognizes the importance of the arts and the artists who enrich our community with their exhibitions, performances, presentations, and services. The program is a collaboration between the City of Culver City (which includes the City Council, Cultural Affairs Commission, and Cultural Affairs Division) and the Culver City Arts Foundation. The Artist Laureate shall be considered an honorary, civic appointment. Funding is made possible by the City’s Art in Public Places Program and a grant from the Culver City Arts Foundation.

What are the Program goals?

• Collaborate with City staff, the Cultural Affairs Commission’s Artist Laureate Subcommittee, and project partners,
• Inspire diverse residents to foster a greater appreciation of the arts,
• Represent the City through engaging and conceptually driven, original works stimulated by and in response to the local communities,
• Cultivate critical thinking from and connections to the arts through public displays, in-person workshops and programs, and civic events,
• Increase the accessibility of your art form to residents in their everyday lives,
• Explore the diversity of the City and get to know the local communities,
• Create original art that celebrates the City’s geography, cultures, and/or histories.

What disciplines are eligible for the Artist Laureate Program?

Artists working in one of the three disciplines are eligible:

• Fine and Visual Arts: 2-Dimensional, 3-Dimensional, and New Genre/New Media
• Performing Arts: Music, Dance, Theater, Spoken Word, and Performance Art
• Literary Arts: Poetry, Novels, Essays, Short Stories, Stage Plays, and Screenplays

What are other requirements?

The applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Live or work in Culver City, neighboring cities and/or districts including Mar Vista, Baldwin Hills, Palms, Crenshaw, Baldwin Vista, Leimert Park, Hyde Park, Ladera Heights, Del Rey, Marina del Rey, and unincorporated areas bordering Culver City. Interested applicants who live adjacent to Culver City, but do not reside in any of the regions listed above, should email cultural.affairs@culvercity.org to inquire about applying.
• At least 18 years old at the time of application deadline,
• Available to attend and participate in various city events as designated,
• Have publicly exhibited, performed, presented, or published artistic work within the last three years,
• Not be enrolled as an undergraduate student or graduate student in a degree program related to the arts discipline of the application,
• Be authorized to work in the United States.

Any eligibility restrictions?

• Individuals with conflicts of interest are not eligible.
• An Artist Laureate may not serve more than one full-term, although the City may choose to extend the term beyond the first two years.

How long is the Artist Laureate’s term?

The full term consists of two consecutive years. The term will commence on July 1, 2025, and end on June 30, 2027.

What are the expectations of the City’s Artist Laureate?

• Serve as a cultural ambassador for the arts across disciplines to a wide demographic of audiences within the City,
• Nurture equitable accessibility of the arts to the public,
• Create an artistic legacy through public exhibitions and civic interactions,
• Advocate for artistic equity and cultural diversity,
• Plan goals and implement creative practice to impact the community,
• Create original artwork to be shared within the community,
• Develop opportunities for arts learning through workshops and public engagement events,
• Seek out opportunities for collaboration with the city-departments, as well as the City’s educational, non-profit, and business communities,
• Collaborate with City staff and the Cultural Affairs Commission’s Artist Laureate Subcommittee to establish in-person opportunities to encourage interest and excitement about the arts,
• Submit and present reports on their work to City staff, the Cultural Affairs Commission, and Program partners,
• The City may request and encourage the artist display their project at city events or otherwise engage in city-sponsored community outreach.

Who reviews the applications? And who decides on the appointment of the Artist Laureate?

Applications will be reviewed by an independent peer panel comprising of distinguished professionals in the relevant artistic disciplines and may include the previous Artist Laureate. Based on the peer panel’s comments, the Artist Laureate Subcommittee will make a recommendation to the Cultural Affairs Commission, who will then forward a recommendation to the City Council. The City Council appoints the Artist Laureate.

Will the Artist Laureate be compensated?

• Yes. The appointed Artist Laureate will receive a stipend of $15,000 per year for a two-year term ($30,000 total), and
• Up to an additional $10,000 per year for supplies and expenses, which will be reimbursed based on receipts, related to the appointment ($20,000 maximum).