Create CA and Friends of Sacramento Arts are expanding their partnership to
grow the regional scope of arts education advocacy. Friends of Sacramento Arts Executive
Director Allison Cagley joined the Arts Now program of Create CA in 2021. Arts Now, a program
administered by Create CA, is a statewide network of arts education advocates who participate
in professional development and local arts education coalition building. The goal is to increase
public funding for, access to, and participation in arts education, regardless of zip code, race,
gender, ethnicity, or socioeconomic status.

Allison and Friends of Sacramento Arts have contributed to the Arts Now program significantly
through their participation at virtual events, both as an attendee and speaker. Allison has
supported and coordinated with other Arts Now leaders in Sacramento County, and organized
signature gathering and an education campaign in support of Proposition 28. As a result of this
already fruitful partnership, Create CA and Friends of Sacramento Arts is launching a regional
hub model for Arts Now in the Sacramento area.

“We are proud to join Create CA to further our vision of Arts Every Day for Every Child in Every
School. Building coalitions with local and state leaders who are responsible for K-12 education
will help us ensure comprehensive and equitable arts education for all.” – Allison Cagley,
Executive Director, Friends of Sacramento Arts.

This expanded partnership between Friends of Sacramento Arts and Create CA will result in
additional artists and educators leading efforts to engage with public education decision-makers
responsible for the public education financial decisions in Sacramento, El Dorado, Placer and
Yolo counties.

“Friends of Sacramento Arts is a key partner of Create CA because of the organization’s strong
relationships with school leaders, success in bringing visibility to the arts in the county, and
Allison Cagley’s generosity in sharing her advocacy expertise with others in the statewide Arts
Now network. Partnership and coordination between local and statewide advocacy
organizations facilitates clearer messaging to decision-makers and results in more effective
advocacy.” – Tom DeCaigny, Executive Director, Create CA.

Create CA is a statewide nonprofit dedicated to advocating for high quality arts education for all
students by providing policy expertise and by mobilizing a statewide network of advocates and
allied partners. Friends of Sacramento Arts is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to
ensure equitable access to comprehensive arts education in K-12 public schools in the greater
Sacramento Region.

“Our public schools, students, and art educators in our Region will be the true beneficiaries of
our continued partnership with Create CA. Through the arts, students develop skills of
leadership, problem-solving, innovation and creativity which are critical to thriving and
succeeding in our society. We must ensure our public schools have an integrated arts education
curriculum available to every child in our region and state.” – Gerry Kamilos, President, Friends
of Sacramento Arts.

Friends of Sacramento Arts began in 2019 with the mission to ensure equitable access to
comprehensive arts education in K-12 public schools. Their vision is “Arts Every Day for Every
Child in Every School”. Research shows that providing arts education for students helps improve
academic performance. Students engaged in arts learning have higher GPAs, standardized test
scores and college-going rates, as well as lower drop-out rates. Additionally, there is increasing
recognition of the important role that arts can play in addressing mental health challenges and
providing social emotional learning opportunities.

For further information, please visit www.friendsofsacramentoarts.org and www.createca.org. You can download the full Press Release here.