Ann Sheffer, Board member of the Inland Empire Community Foundation (IECF) as well as Board member of Dezart Performs, joined IECF’s board in 2021 while also serving as chair of the Palm Springs Public Arts Commission. As an IECF board member, she shares her passion for the arts by chairing the Arts for the IE Fund.
“While the arts bring culture, education, and inspiration to our communities,” she says, “they are also a key segment of the economy. In our region, the latest study – about five years ago – showed there were more than 6,000 arts-related businesses, employing 25,000 people.” One of the first projects the Arts for IE Fund will be to assist IE organizations and communities in participating in the upcoming national Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 Study. This will provide the data to advocate for the entire Inland Empire arts community.
Ann is quick to point out the economic value of the arts in our region. “While the arts bring culture, education, and inspiration to our communities,” she says, “they are also a key segment of the economy. In our region, the latest study – about five years ago – showed there were more than 6,000 arts-related businesses, employing 25,000 people. One of the first projects the Arts for IE Fund will be to assist IE organizations and communities in participating in the upcoming national Arts and Economic Prosperity 6 Study. This will provide the data to advocate for the entire Inland Empire arts community.
Ann sees the Inland Empire as a rich resource of the arts. “We have everything from large performing arts centers and museums, to children’s theatre companies and neighborhood arts centers” she notes, “and, importantly, our arts offerings serve a cultural purpose. The Cheech Center for Chicano Art & Culture is a great example of that. Art is a way to tell the story of a community, its history and its people.”
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