AC5’s mission is addressed in a variety of ways, through programs and projects. Here are our current activities:

Ongoing Programs and Projects:

art passages

AC5’s ongoing exhibition program, art passages, highlights the work of artists from each of the five supervisorial districts within Contra Costa County. Art passages has shown work from NIAD (National Institute of Art and Disabilities), in Richmond (District 1); The Lamorinda Arts Alliance and Scene on the Strait artists (District 2); Stanley Mouse and the Brentwood Arts Commission (District 3); the California Watercolor Association and the Gallery Concord, in Walnut Creek and Concord (District 4); the Pittsburg Arts Collaborative (District 5), and many others.

Artists are encouraged to sell their work at these exhibits, and many successful sales have transpired. At the opening of each exhibit, participating artists are invited to attend a Board of Supervisors meeting, where they receive praise and a formal resolution from the Supervisor of their district. AC5’s Public Art Committee actively seeks input from the Board when planning each exhibit.

Communications

AC5 first developed its website, www.ac5.org, in 2001, in order to provide a wealth of information to the public about the County’s arts and culture past, present, and future. The site was enhanced and re-released in 2006, with more pertinent information. Sections include AC5’s Commissioners and history, publications, meeting agendas and minutes, links to relevant sites, and advocacy.

ArtBeat is AC5’s bi-monthly newsletter that chronicles news, events, and other information about AC5 and the local arts environment. In addition to being posted on the website, ArtBeat is also disseminated through a mailing list, where interested parties receive the newsletter via email.

Advocacy and Outreach

AC5 continually works to advocate for the arts by communicating with regional, state, and federal arts organizations. The California Arts Council, California Arts Advocates, and Americans for the Arts are just a few of the many groups we are involved with. AC5 has advocated for itself and for the arts in general through its website and Commission and/or staff participation in presentations and meetings.

On a local level, AC5 provides outreach to other arts agencies, arts organizations and providers, and individual artists within the County. Commissioners and staff frequently visit other arts commissions, associations and councils. AC5 uses these opportunities to communicate progress and to find out what the needs are of these artists and arts supporters.

Annual Events:

Arts Recognition Awards

2007 marked the twelfth year of AC5’s Arts Recognition Awards. This event culminates in a ceremony that honors five or six representatives (individuals or organizations) of the County’s arts community, who have been nominated by the public and selected by a jury of arts professionals. Held in autumn, this ceremony includes a video history of each honoree. The Awards are not a fund raiser for AC5; and in 2007 we were able to invite the community free of charge for the first time due in part to a generous grant from Wells Fargo Bank. The October 2007 ceremony was held at the St. Mary's College campus in Moraga, who generously donated the space to AC5 for the afternoon. The County television network, CCTV, broadcasts the "Keepers of the Flame" video throughout the year.

California Arts Scholars Awards

Like any county in California, Contra Costa is full of talented young artists. The California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA), based in Sacramento, chooses high school students with artistic talents to attend the Summer School for the Arts, held each year at the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia. These students work tirelessly to complete applications and portfolios, then compete with thousands more with the same hopes and dreams. This is a highly-esteemed program taught by professionals which provides an unforgettable - and often life-changing - opportunity for young artists. Those chosen from Contra Costa County are honored at our ceremony, where they are presented with commendations from the county (Supervisors attend and assist in the presentations).

Work in Progress:

NOTE: The items listed are contingent upon funding, which AC5 endeavors to raise by soliciting various foundations and corporations.

Arts Education

AC5 is working toward fulfilling one of the top priorities identified in the Cultural Plan, arts education. We plan to meet with each of the organizations that already provide arts education services to youth in the county, and find the best way to fill their needs.

Additionally, AC5 participates in California Arts Council programs which bring arts opportunities to Contra Costa County Students.  In 2007, Contra Costa high school students wrote short stories for the "My California Short Story Slam".  The county winner, from Deer Valley High School in Antioch, won a $1000 prize plus an additional $1000 for the Deer Valley school library.

In 2008,  AC5 is sponsoring the county's participation in a joint project of the National Endowment for the Arts, the Poetry Foundation, and the California Arts Council - POETRY OUT LOUD.  This is a national poetry recitation competition.  The county wide competition is slated for late February 2008.

Cultural Plan and Resource Directory Updates

The Cultural Plan completed in 2001 is due for an update, and AC5 would like to pursue this prospect in 2008. Consistently connecting with the arts community, and all residents of the county, is very important to us. The Commission would greatly benefit from fresh perspective and opinions about the arts environment we live in. The other piece of this update would be a new Resource Directory. Since we reach thousands of constituents through our communications vehicles, AC5 needs to obtain the most current information possible from arts organizations in the county.

A Note About Friends of AC5: Friends of AC5 is AC5’s nonprofit arm. Since the Commission is a government-linked agency, we are prohibited from fundraising. Friends helps AC5 by submitting grant proposals to foundations and corporations for assistance with our projects and programs.