*(Photo Caption): Community members of the East LA Community Service Center at a visioning workshop led by Creative Strategist Carol Zou (right). Photo by Monica Almeida.

In 2018, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture launched the Creative Strategist-Artist in Residence program, as part of the Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative. The program places artists, arts administrators, or other creative workers in LA County departments to work alongside staff and community members in a collaborative process to develop, strategize, and implement artist-driven solutions to complex social challenges.

Five years, 10 creative strategists, and 10 County agencies later, what have we learned? How does an artist embedded in a government agency shift culture and change perspectives? What are the tangible and intangible results? What is socially engaged art and civic practice and why does it work in this context? Join us for an engaging conversation as we explore these topics and more.

To explore what we learned from the first six residencies, read the Creative Strategist Program Evaluation.