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DO NOT DONATE ON CHANGE.ORG: If you want to make a donation to Stay Gallery, please donate on our website ONLY – https://staygallery.org/donate

When you sign the petition, change.org directs you to a "donation" page, however these donations DO NOT benefit Stay Gallery. Instead, it goes to change.org to advertise our petition.

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Please help us by signing and sharing our petition to reach 1,000 signatures by Tuesday, November 14!

 

THE PROBLEM

Our beloved community art space, Stay Gallery, faces an imminent threat of closure without continued funding from the City of Downey for the lease of our building.

Our team has actively pursued discussions with city council members and staff regarding continued funding, submitting several proposals for consideration. Despite our efforts, our operating agreement lapsed in May of this year. As a result, our organization has been solely responsible for lease payments, which were previously made through the city's Art in Public Places fund. This sudden loss of funding leaves us with a budget gap of $40,000, jeopardizing the future of Stay Gallery.

 

THE SOLUTION

Secure continued funding for Stay Gallery's lease from the City of Downey's Art in Public Places fund.

Since 2012, our lease has been covered by the city’s Art in Public Places fund. These funds have been essential in securing our building and offsetting operating costs, ensuring that grants and donations we receive are allocated towards our programs. To secure continued funding, our proposal for a renewed operating agreement needs to be placed on the agenda of a future city council meeting and put to a vote by council members.

 

WHY SHOULD STAY BE FUNDED?

Arts access is essential to enhancing community engagement and quality of life.

For over a decade, Stay Gallery has met this need in the City of Downey and Southeast Los Angeles by providing residents with a community arts space and high-quality programming.

In a region historically underserved in the arts, our space has served as a central gathering place and resource for the community. Our programs address the needs we have identified over the past decade of serving Downey and Southeast Los Angeles, including representation and professional development support for working artists, as well as arts access for local youth and families through free and low-cost programming and opportunities.

 

THE POTENTIAL CLOSURE OF STAY GALLERY WOULD DISRUPT A DECADES-WORTH OF ARTS AND CULTURAL PROGRESS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND HAVE FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES:

1. The only visual arts space and gallery in the City of Downey dedicated to serving the community through arts and cultural programming would be eliminated.
2. Employment and resources for artists, arts educators, and creative professionals in Downey and Southeast LA would be reduced.
3. Access to spaces and programs that attract and engage youth, families and visitors would be significantly decreased, impacting community development, economic growth and tourism in Downtown Downey.
4. Stay Gallery would join the list of arts organizations and assets that have been lost in the city, following the closure of the Downey Museum of Art, Downey Children’s Theatre, Downey Civic Light Opera, and more.

For more information and resources regarding, please visit staygallery.org/heretostay