In September 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed State Bill AB 5 making it more challenging for employers to classify workers as independent contractors. Have you been working as a freelancer in CA? Have you been hiring freelancers?

An excerpt from Chloe Veltman’s article below:

“The new law, which will reclassify many former freelancers as employees when it takes effect on Jan. 1 next year, will grant more benefits such as paid sick leave, overtime and expense reimbursement to workers across the state. Yet it’s still unclear how the law will affect artists and entertainers …, who do all kinds of gigs for all kinds of clients, and whose practices don’t always align with the legal requirements of an employer-employee relationship.”

It’s still unclear how artists – particularly teaching artists and dancers – will be affected by AB 5. The following documents give you some background and provide you with resources to protect and advocate for yourself. Stay engaged with the conversation! There may be opportunities to take action!

Making Teaching Artists Employees by Jean Johnstone

Gig Economy Regulations Leave Artists’ Futures Unclear by Chloe Veltman

AB5 Update and Resources by Californians for the Arts

Arts Ed Contractor or Employee? What You Need to Know webinar with Jean Johnstone, Kyle Kate, and Nancy Ng (Luna’s Director of Creativity & Policy)

California Assembly Bill 5 and Worker Misclassification: Their Effects on Nonprofit Arts and Culture Organizations by Victoria Plettner-Saunders, Principal, WolfBrown and Arlene Yang, Esq., Partner, Brown Law Group

Read Bill AB-5

Curious how our political leaders and candidates think about the arts? How might they support arts education when in office? Ben Folds leads ArtsVote 2020, a podcast series interviewing the 2020 presidential candidates. Listen to stay informed and consider who you want to support in upcoming elections.

The National Arts Action Summit is a multi-day event, March 30-31, 2020 in Washington, D.C., giving you the opportunity to receive crucial advocacy training from experts in the field and then put that training into practice on Arts Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. Hosted by Americans for the Arts in partnership with over 85 national arts organizations, Arts Advocacy Day is the largest gathering of its kind, bringing together a broad cross section of America’s cultural and civic organizations. Grassroots advocates from across the country come to Washington, DC to meet with their Members of Congress to garner support for issues like arts education policy, the charitable tax deduction, and funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.

Why should I attend the National Arts Action Summit?

1. Networking with your fellow arts advocates from across the country and go on congressional visits led by State Captains.
2. Learning the latest research facts and figures on the arts to help make your case.
3. Strategizing with experienced advocates during an interactive role play session on how to make the case for the arts and arts education to your Members of Congress.

More info & registration.

by Mary Beth Barber, reposted from Create CA

1. The Arts Framework will likely be in place past 2030. . The Arts Framework will be the leading guide for dance, media arts, music, theater and visual arts in California public schools… CDE published the last arts framework in 2004. This one will likely be in place for at least a decade, likely more. This is the time to have input.
2. How schools teach the arts shifts with the new Arts Standards. The previous Visual and Performing Arts standards had a focus on content. The newly adopted Arts Standards are grounded in arts processes with anchor standards based on these processes. This represents a significant shift…
3.  Media Arts now stands alone. Media arts was not considered its own VAPA discipline previously…. That has changed…
4. Prevent unintended consequences. While instructional frameworks are advisory, most schools abide by frameworks to the letter, and the language in a framework can have far-reaching consequences….
5. Advocate for more arts education. The Arts Framework is not just for those who teach the arts in the classroom…The document directly addresses how to implement robust arts education in schools to further educational goals and positive school climate.

Don’t miss this preview of the first big moment for year two of the Create CA Public Will Campaign! Starting on September 9, during Arts Education week, Create CA will release the 5th year of data in the Arts Ed Data Project and they’ll share all the messaging, graphics, tools you need to bring attention to this issue in your community. This interactive webinar will preview a new set of tools for partners, including:

• Big picture plan for 3 big moments this year
• An advance peek at the 5 year data trend
• New Toolkit
• New social graphics
• “How to” video
• Swag

Can’t join on August 28th at 11:00 AM? Register here anyway and Create CA will send you a recording. 

California Alliance for Arts Education just launched Building the Pipeline for Dance & Theater Credentials in California, a new series of webpages with the latest news about the dance teaching credential. Check it out here, and check it out often as news and resources will be updated regularly. See how the credential will affect you, and get your questions answered. Explore the menu at the bottom of the page for links to even more info.

Now you can have the new CA Dance Standards in the palm of your hand! The CA Department of Ed has launched a new mobile app that allows teachers to search, filter, and sort standards to isolate specific content, identify standards common across disciplines, and inform decisions around instruction and assessment. Currently available for handy access to the Arts (including Dance), Computer Science, Health Education, History–Social Science, and Mathematics content standards. Forthcoming updates will add standards from additional content areas, such as English Language Development and English Language Arts, and will provide additional features to enhance the usefulness of the application to California educators.

More information about this free mobile download here.

The California Arts Council (CAC) seeks video input from artists and artist educators from all over the state as part of their 2020 Strategic Framework Development. What’s important to you? How should the CAC focus their efforts? What do California artists need today?

This is a fun way to engage in advocacy, and share your opinion about how the CAC can serve and support you as an artist and educator. You can even involve your students!

Consider these interview questions, and choose 1-2 to answer by video:

• What do the arts, culture, and creativity mean to you?
• How is your life enriched by the arts?
• How would you like to see the arts uplifted in California?
• What are the values that the California Arts Council should aspire to?
• What is your vision for how California can be a leader when it comes to arts, culture, and creativity?

Find out more about how to film & submit here.

Create CA’s free May 15 webinar makes the case for the relationship between the arts and student success. Reach for the Stars: Arts-based Pedagogy as a Pathway to Excellence and Equity, explores the possibilities of tapping into student potential and living truths through the arts, creating a path to both excellence and equity. Get some facts & ideas that you can share with your community & administrators! The webinar features Dr. Yvette Jackson, Bryonn Bain, and Skye Walker as speakers.