Utah Cultural Advocacy Alliance Grade: A+ (100%)

  • Candidate Name: Brian Fukushima
  • Your Municipality: Salt Lake City
  • Elected office for which you are running: City Council District 3

Question 1: Should government be involved in funding the arts and humanities?
Yes

Question 2: Have you had a personal experience with arts, culture, or humanities that have had an impact on your life?
Yes

3b // Optional, explain your experience.
I am a strong advocate for arts and the humanities with an emphasis on the diverse cultures and immigrant groups who have contributed to the social fabric of our state. As a member of the Salt Lake Buddhist Temple, I am proud of our contribution to the city including the Nihon Matsuri (spring Japanese festival), Fall food festival, and Obon Festival (summer festival held in rememberance of our ancestors).

Question 3: Do you support public funding for city and county arts councils who then re-grant that money to local arts and humanities organizations?
Yes

3b // Optional, explain why or why not.
Public funding for the arts and humanities is an integral part of our society. Local arts and humanities organizations help our community and add diversity to our understanding of elements that are not often discussed or taught through formal educational endeavors.

Question 4: Do you support Percent for Art programs, which designate 1% of public building costs for public art that are included within that building? Currently, only 8 Utah municipalities have such a program.
Yes

4b // Optional, explain why or why not.
Public art spaces are wonderful. Often, local artists or amateur artists (through schools or local art programs) may wish to display their work free of charge. This relationship would benefit the community and the artist and be of low or no cost to the building owner.

Question 5: Do you support having a Percent-for-Art program in your own municipality?
Yes

5b // Optional, explain why or why not.
As mentioned above, the Percent for Art Program is a worthy project and should be included in our municipality. However, there are other options for public display of art other than a financial mandate such that the artist, community and building owner may all benefit.

Question 6: Do you consider the arts and cultural sector an economic driver in Utah?
Yes

6b // Optional, explain why or why not.
I love living in Utah because of all the cultural and art festivals and activities. As a family, we try to attend as many as possible and I clearly see the local economic benefit. The recognition of our city and state as friendly to art and the humanities will only broaden our economic appeal.

Question 7: 32 municipalities have a RAP (recreation, arts, and parks) type tax to help support cultural organizations in their communities. Would you support a RAP type tax such as this in your own municipality? If your municipality already has such a local option sales RAP-type sales tax and you support it, answer yes.
Yes

7b // Optional, explain your experience. 
Again, I am a supporter of municipal funding for local art programs since so many members of the local community benefit from such programs.

Question 8: Municipalities can facilitate partnerships between cultural organizations and the local tourism sector to boost the local economy. Do you support this? Optional, explain why or why not. 

Yes

8b // Optional, explain why or why not. 
Public (government) and private partnerships have been shown on multiple occasions to provide both a cultural and economic boost to the community. Salt Lake City and Utah is already a tourist destination and the strong support for arts and humanities would only enhance that reputation.

Question 9: Municipal governments can create Cultural Districts - with or without tax incentives. Governments sometimes fund these via bed or tourism taxes within the Cultural District boundaries, but it can be done within municipal budgets fairly cheaply. Is this something you would support?
Yes

9b // Optional, explain why or why not. 

Cultral districts work well in multiple cosmopolitan cities in the United States and abroad. I am in favor of looking at all funding options including tourism taxes.