Rising costs in the Bay Area have forced many artists to pack up and leave town to find more affordable places to live. Tom DeCaigny is the Director of Cultural Affairs at the San Francisco Arts Commission, and it’s his job to understand the issues that artists and non-profits are facing in this city.
He started in 2011, hoping to turn Mid-Market into a robust arts district, protect the city’s art collection, and champion arts education for youth. Decaigny sat down with Ben Trefny to talk about the state of the arts here in San Francisco.
TOM DECAIGNY: I think we have an obligation as a city to ensure that... artists remain in our city and that we’re investing to make sure that as costs of living go up (whether that’s housing or a cup of coffee) that artists are able to stay live and work in San Francisco.
Click the player above to listen to the full interview.