How L.A.'s Dept. of Cultural Affairs Manager Is "Catalyzing Creativity" to Address City Challenges

Dept. of Cultural Affairs Manager, Danielle Brazell Spoke at the UCLA Arts Commencement Jun. 11

June 13, 2016

Danielle Brazell is the General Manager of the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), reporting directly to the Mayor. Brazell directs and works with the progressive arts agency’s Public Art, Grants Administration, Community Arts, and Marketing and Development Division Directors to oversee a $36 million portfolio of facilities, programming, and initiatives providing arts and cultural services in Los Angeles.  

Danielle Brazell, who was appointed by Mayor Eric Garcetti and is most passionate about advancing arts education in the 81 school districts within the city boundaries, tells THR: "We need to be sure that every teacher that is getting their credential has an arts class and they actually have to know the power of the arts so they know that they can influence that."

This Saturday, the students graduating from the School of Art and Architecture at UCLA will be welcomed into their new professional lives by a woman who is currently at the helm of the most powerful cultural organization in greater Los Angeles.

Danielle Brazell is the Manager of the Department of Cultural Affairs for the city and she is perhaps the most passionate champion of the arts this city has seen. Brazell was appointed by Mayor Garcetti to lead the DCA in 2014 after she spent nine years as the executive director of arts for L.A., an advocacy organization promoting cultural programs throughout Los Angeles. 

Brazell is a self proclaimed "Valley Girl" who was raised by a single mother in Reseda and claims that "the arts completely saved my life." She started out as an apprentice at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, CA 25 years ago. Brazell then succeeded Tim Miller as the artistic director of Highways Performance Space before taking the position of director of special projects for the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. She now oversees a staff of over 120 people with an annual budget of $36 million dollars. And she herself has never worn a cap and gown. — Christopher Wyrick, Jun. 10, 2016

Read the full article at the Hollywood Reporter website.