Creativity Collaborative Launched in Silicon Valley
CEO-backed effort links engagement in arts and culture with innovation
December 6, 2004 San Jose, Calif. – Silicon Valley business and civic leaders today announced the launch of First ACT (Arts, Creativity & Technology), a cross-sector collaborative that promotes engagement and investment in the arts and the creative and cultural infrastructure of the region as a key component in maintaining its livability, economic health and competitive advantage.
To jumpstart the work of the collaborative, Adobe Systems Incorporated will donate $100,000 in seed funding to First ACT, signifying the company’s commitment to supporting arts, education and the cultivation of creativity in its local communities. Adobe President and CEO Bruce Chizen will help lead the collaborative as a founding member of the First ACT Leadership Advisory Council.
“There is a growing body of international research connecting creativity with innovation,” said Chizen. “At Adobe, we believe that fostering creativity in our community will support innovation both in our company and throughout Silicon Valley.”
Four other Valley visionaries have added their support as founding members of the First ACT Leadership Advisory Council: Greg Avis, Managing Partner, Summit Partners; Ned Barnholt, President and CEO, Agilent Technologies; Hsing Kung, Senior Vice President, Opnext, and Chairman of the Monte Jade Science and Technology Association; and Tony Ridder, Chairman and CEO of Knight Ridder.
First ACT is developing initiatives identified at the May, 2004 Silicon Valley Arts Summit, which sought to highlight the role arts and cultural organizations play both in Silicon Valley and in communities around the world, and build broader consensus and collaboration among arts organizations of all sizes and disciplines in the region.
Specifically, First ACT will:
- Engage leaders around the value of linking arts and cultural organizations and experiences with increased creativity and capacity for innovation;
- Build audience support and highlight the Valley’s rich, multi-cultural identity; and
- Strengthen and position existing arts and cultural hubs as part of the larger, regional landscape.
“The creation of First ACT is as innovative and forward thinking as the Silicon Valley community itself,” said Moy Eng, Program Director, Performing Arts, for The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a funder of the Arts Summit. “These business leaders understand that investing in the arts is an investment in this community's cultural, creative and economic vitality.”
First ACT is chaired by Rich Braugh, Senior Vice President, Investments, UBS; Bruce Davis, Executive Director, Arts Council Silicon Valley; Laura Esparza, Principal, Esparza & Associates Arts Consultants and co-chair of First Voice-South Bay Arts Forum; Connie Martinez, Executive Director, Children’s Discovery Museum; and Ann Skeet, CEO, American Leadership Forum – Silicon Valley.
“It takes forward-thinking leaders like Greg Avis, Ned Barnholt, Bruce Chizen, Hsing Kung and Tony Ridder to recognize the value of arts and cultural organizations in fostering creativity,” said First ACT co-chair and American Leadership Forum-Silicon Valley Chief Executive Officer Ann Skeet. “Adobe’s generous support enables First ACT to put a stake in the ground toward establishing our region as the most creative, livable community to work and play in the world.”
For information, contact Debbie Ford-Scriba at 408.554.2002 or dfordscriba@alfsv.org.
About First ACT
First ACT (Arts, Creativity & Technology) was founded in 2004 to connect the viability of Silicon Valley arts and cultural organizations with the economic health and well-being of the community. First ACT is a collaborative of regional nonprofit groups and leaders dedicated to fueling the innovative spirit of Silicon Valley by unleashing the creative potential of its residents.
