The Los Angeles Times’s Diane Haithman reports that Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villairagosa, department of cultural affairs manager Olga Garay, art collector Cheech Marin, and a host of other arts leaders announced yesterday morning that January is LA Arts Month, a regional campaign to encourage Angelenos to take advantage of the myriad arts and cultural programs the city has to offer. Calling LA “the Venice of the twenty-first century” and the “creative capital of America,” the mayor pointed out that some nine hundred thousand are employed in creative jobs. He added that the creative arts generate “one hundred billion dollars in revenue for the area each year.”

Organizers of LA Arts Month include Arts for LA, the J. Paul Getty Trust, and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Sponsors of the arts month are offering not just nifty new logos and promotional materials but also financial incentive for the public to explore the city's arts options: Clear Channel plans to promote LA Arts Month on its eight regional radio stations and will give away fourteen hundred free tickets to various performances and museums. Wells Fargo will offer discounts to its customers for the same, while Univision will conduct ticket giveaways for viewers.