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Ardent advocate on cultural scene in Silicon Valley

Cultural connoisseurs can thank Bruce Davis for helping tech-obsessed Silicon Valley begin to blossom into an artistic playground over the past decade.

As executive director of the non-profit Arts Council Silicon Valley, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, he has helped people give their money as grants to small and midsize arts groups throughout Santa Clara County.

By Nerissa Pacio
Mercury News

http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/performing_arts/7581173.htm

“Ten years ago, it might have been true that you’d have to go to San Francisco for quality arts and entertainment,” says Davis, 54. “Not true anymore.”

The council’s thriving online guide to Silicon Valley’s arts and culture scene, http://www.artsopolis.com, gives a snapshot of the progress. A joint effort with the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau, it lists more than 1,000 events at various venues, including theater, dance, literature and ethnic festivals.

Since Davis took the reins, the council has increased its funding by about 10 percent every year — giving about $408,600 in grants last year — even as state budget woes have caused legislators to cut arts funding. The number of individuals and arts groups that receive grants from the council has doubled to 130 in the past 10 years.

At the heart of the organization is Davis, whose passion is art and supporting fellow artists.

“Bruce is simply a lover and leader of the arts and a great collaborator,” says Connie Martinez, executive director of the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose.

Davis attributes his creative nature to his father, who was a potter and painter, and his upbringing in Brooklyn, N.Y., where there was a vibrant music scene in the 1960s. He began reading music and playing the trumpet in the fourth grade, and pursued singing and songwriting professionally through adulthood, traveling the country and writing songs that have been included in film and television soundtracks and in commercials.

His career as an artist evolved into that of an arts administrator when he moved to San Francisco in 1976 for the “climate, youthfulness, energy, artistry and the music.”

“I was looking for a performing-arts roster in San Francisco, so I could make the kind of money as a singer-songwriter that I was making in New York, and realized that none existed,” Davis says. “So I decided, damn it, I’m going to create one myself.”

He helped found the San Francisco non-profit City Celebration, which raised money for artists, and served as its executive director for 12 years. Before working in the South Bay, he stayed active in the San Francisco arts circle as producer of that city’s Ethnic Dance Festival and Drum Festival for many years, and as publisher of City Arts magazine.

“Bruce has developed a great reputation as a resource who is knowledgeable about the arts, both the cultural part of the equation and the business side of it,” says Larry Stone, Santa Clara County assessor and one of the founders of the Arts Council. “A lot of arts advocates don’t always understand the marketplace, but they’re passionate about their discipline. Bruce understands both.”

Through it all, Davis’ pursuit has stayed pure: to help rising artists who need it the most.

“I’m a strong believer that if you go about your passion,” Davis says, “people will believe in your passion — and then give you money to realize your passion.”

Bruce Davis

Age: 54

Residence: Palo Alto

Job: Executive director of Arts Council Silicon Valley since 1993

Other accomplishments: Singer-songwriter; coordinator of the Northern California People for the American Way; executive director of City Celebration in San Francisco; producer of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival and Drum Festival; co-executive producer of the documentary film, “And Still We Dance — a Portrait of the Ethnic Dance Festival”
Contact Nerissa Pacio at [email protected] or (408) 920-5827.

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