This is a summary of a public forum that brought together 300 arts leaders to discuss issues related to current and future collaborations between the not-for-profit and for-profit arts fields.

A new interdependence between the nonprofit and commercial arts, especially the commercial media arts, is emerging. To maintain old form of isolation would only hinder the capacity of the performing, media, and visual arts to serve the public interest.  The forum illustrated why Los Angeles, with its diverse base of commercial and not-for-profit arts producers, educators, and service organizations, will continue to be an important setting for the development and evaluation of cross-sector collaborations. 

The summary concludes with a set of outcomes and strategies:

• View each other as resources, each with our own distinct but equally important strengths and assets.
• Distinguish between real and perceived barriers between our sub-sectors, and recast our language to describe ourselves as one unified creative sector.
• Shape policies among public and private agencies and organizations that will make it easier for the two parts of the creative sector to work together.
• Establish ongoing opportunities for communication and partnership development.