Join Long Island Arts Alliance Executive Director Lauren Wagner for a data-driven overview of the current state of the arts and culture sector on Long Island. Drawing on recent economic impact research, workforce data, and public funding trends, Lauren will unpack what the numbers reveal about who is creating, who is employed, and how arts and cultural organizations contribute to community life across the region. The presentation will also explore where gaps and inequities exist, why the arts are often undervalued in public systems, and how libraries and other civic institutions intersect with and support the broader cultural ecosystem
Lauren Wagner is Executive Director of Long Island Arts Alliance (LIAA), the regional arts service organization representing Long Island’s arts and culture sector at regional and statewide levels. She leads advocacy, research, and professional development initiatives, including coordinating Long Island’s participation in Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (AEP6) by leading the region’s first-ever AEP6 survey effort. Lauren also convenes monthly community huddles for arts and culture leaders and regularly presents on the state of the arts to educators, nonprofit leaders, and public officials, translating both data and lived sector experience into actionable insight.