Ovation CEO Charles Segars Named Chair of the Campaign to Save Arts Education in LAUSD

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Arts for LA, the regional advocacy organization facilitating community support for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) arts education program, has named Charles Segars, CEO of Ovation, as Chair of The Campaign to Save Arts Education in LAUSD.  Eli Broad, philanthropist and founder of the Broad Art Foundation, and Maria Bell, renowned arts advocate, have been named Honorary Chairs. The announcement was made today by Arts for LA Executive Director Danielle Brazell.

Arts for LA has enlisted a broad coalition of stakeholder groups to voice support of arts education in LAUSD, the second largest school district in the nation.  The Campaign to Save Arts Education in LAUSD was developed in response to California's continuing fiscal crisis and LAUSD's subsequent proposal to eliminate 50% of Elementary Arts Teachers for the 2010-2011 school year.  The purpose of the campaign is to win board support to maintain the integrity of LAUSD's Arts Education program by retaining its elementary arts teachers.

"Now more than ever, Los Angeles needs leaders who will stand firm to ensure that every student has access to the tools they need to lead the creative life they design," said Ms. Brazell.  "At Arts for LA, we are thrilled to have the support of Charles Segars, Eli Broad and Maria Bell and feel confident that their involvement will inspire other distinguished members of our community to join our campaign to save LAUSD's arts education program."

As Chair of The Campaign to Save Arts Education in LAUSD, Mr. Segars will assist Arts for LA in recruiting other like-minded cultural leaders to serve on the Campaign Steering Committee and work with other industry leaders and CEOs of businesses based in Los Angeles on behalf of the campaign.  Mr. Segars will also be the public spokesperson for the campaign.

"I'm delighted to Chair this important campaign and look forward to recruiting some of my friends and colleagues in the entertainment industry to voice support for LAUSD to maintain its commitment to arts education," said Mr. Segars.  "I've read far too many studies on the extraordinary benefits of arts education on students' overall ability to learn and succeed in school, as well as in life, to let our arts education program get kicked to the curb."

Charles Segars is CEO of Ovation, the only television network dedicated to art and contemporary culture.  Mr. Segars was a key architect in the 2006 acquisition of the network.  Since the channel relaunched in 2007, Ovation TV has grown from 5 to 38 million subscribers.  The company has also forged numerous partnerships with museums and arts education institutions, including the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers.  Recently, Ovation announced the launch of its Ovation Education broadband arts education initiative, which is an online toolkit of arts education curriculum units and companion programs available for free to high school arts teachers across the country. Mr. Segars is also the creator of the Disney National Treasure film franchise.

Eli Broad and Maria Bell have also endorsed the Campaign and will serve as Honorary Co-Chairs.  Mr. Broad is a well-known philanthropist and long-time supporter of the arts, education and civic initiatives in Los Angeles.  The Broad Foundations are comprised of The Broad Art Foundation, which is an international lending library of contemporary art, and The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, which advances entrepreneurship for the public good in education, science and the arts.  Mr. Broad is a life trustee at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art among other arts institutions nationally.

Maria Bell was cited by Governor Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver for her impact on the Governor's decision to allocate $500 million to public school art education programs for the State of California.  As a board member of many arts-related non-profit organizations including Americans for the Arts, PS Arts, and The Education Committee of the Guggenheim, she has remained committed to seeing the arts reach as many adults and children as possible.  Ms. Bell is co-chair of Museum of Contemporary Art board of trustees.

About Arts for LA

Powered by over 15,000 subscribers and 80 organizational members, Arts for LA (www.artsforla.org) is the regional advocacy organization working to foster a healthy environment in which arts and culture may thrive and be accessible to all in Los Angeles County.

Using its new online letter writing capability, Arts for LA has created an Action Center at www.artsforla.org/groups/lausd to inform and inspire students, parents, business owners and the creative communities throughout the region to participate in this unprecedented advocacy effort.  Arts for LA has mobilized hundreds of stakeholders to send letters to their School Board representatives, and is encouraging local organizations to pass board resolutions in support of LAUSD arts education.  In addition, a forum for LAUSD students to share the impact of arts education on their lives has been established viaYouTube, Flickr and Facebook.

SOURCE Arts for LA