A Betrayal of Carmel-by-the-Sea's Cultural Heritage & Legacy

Note the differences in the scopes of the “Mission Statements” of the former Community & Cultural Commission and the current Community Activities and Cultural Commission, as follows:


CITY OF CARMEL BY-THE-SEA
COMMUNITY AND CULTURAL COMMISSION

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea's Community and Cultural Commission is to:

Enrich community and cultural programs and organizations by providing and maintaining arts venues and related spaces of support in such a fashion as to provide facilities for cultural, social, recreational, and governmental activities;

Ensure program diversity through scheduling, presenting, and space renting activities, allowing broad-based community exposure to all disciplines of visual and performing art;

Maintain a high standard of support to encourage and stimulate the creative process of local, regional, national, and international artists in an atmosphere which nurtures new ideas and talent;

Recognize and maintain the unique cultural heritage of Carmel-by-the-Sea and its traditional role at the forefront of art and culture in the region;

Remain competitive and relevant in today's artistic and economic climate.



CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES & CULTURAL COMMISSION

MISSION STATEMENT

The Carmel-by-the-Sea Community Activities and Recreation Division shall be concerned with supporting park and recreational opportunities for all age groups within the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea and its adopted sphere of influence. To that end the Division will interact with individual citizens, organizations, and public and private agencies.


Conclusion:
For the City of Carmel-by-the-Sea, on the one hand, to take pride in the city being founded by artists and writers such as Mary DeNeale Morgan, Jane Gallatin Powers, William Ritschel, Armin Carl Hansen, George Sterling, Mary Austin, and Robinson Jeffers and having the Forest Theater, “a 2-acre park that houses the first outdoor theater west of the Rocky Mountains,” while on the other hand subsuming the “old” Community & Cultural Commission into the “new” Community Activities & Cultural Commission (“Cultural" in name only), is a betrayal of Carmel-by-the-Sea’s heritage and legacy.