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Tempus Fugit, Calling for
Nominations by July 31 deadline
Know an individual or organization in Contra Costa or its
surrounding area that has made a significant contribution to the arts in any
one of a variety of ways? Visual or performing arts, arts administration,
fundraising-these are all fields that can earn the nominee recognition at the Contra Costa County Arts Recognition Awards
Event scheduled for Sunday, October 21 at 3:30 pm at St. Mary's College Soda
Center in Moraga.
The only hitch is that the nomination forms have to be returned to the Commission office, 1236 Escobar St., Martinez,
CA 94523, by 5 pm on July 31st. Please
help us recognize those who have made substantial contributions to the arts in
our community by nominating them.(GET FORM HERE)
Judges for Arts
Awards selected
Working with District 2 Commissioner Darwin Marable to judge
the nominees are some extremely well-qualified judges. They include Jerry Leisure, art instructor, who has taught painting, drawing and
multimedia at Diablo Valley College since 1976 and published a book, "Understanding
Three Dimensions"; Carrie Lederer,
artist and the curator at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek and a knowledgeable
resource regarding the local arts scene; and Edie Sellers (aka Edith
Alderette-Sellers), an East Bay resident,
who currently hosts a talk show on KGO radio in addition to serving as a
freelance reporter and film critic. A
fourth judge selection is pending. The
judges will meet in August to review candidates and make their selection of the
five award recipients.
Planning Underway for Award Recognition Ceremony
This year in contrast to previous years the Commission
unanimously agreed to dispense with a fee for those wishing to attend the
event. "The thought was that awardees'
family and friends and arts supporters throughout the county should feel very
welcome to participate in honoring these deserving individuals and
organizations," said Sarah Michael, Commission Chair. "The generous support of
St. Mary's College in making the Soda
Center available helps us
a great deal as we continue our planning," she adds.
Once the awardees have been identified, each individual will
be asked to participate in a video to be shown at the event highlighting some
of the key factors in their development as artists and artistic
organizations. A wine and cheese
reception will follow the ceremony.
At-Large Position open on Arts Commission
A vacancy exists on the AC5 Commission as a result of the
recent resignation of at-large commissioner Harold Beaulieu. Candidates for this position should have a
strong interest in supporting the arts and live or work in Contra Costa
County. Unlike other commissioners who represent a
specific supervisory district, at-large commissioners can reside anywhere in
the county.
Current commissioners review applications submitted and will
interview candidates and make a recommendation to the County Board
of Supervisors who will make the formal appointment. The term of office is 4 years.
Application forms are available on the Contra Costa
County web site (www.co.contra-costa.ca.us, and then
choose Board Advisory Body Information), or by calling the Arts Commission
office at 925.646.2278.
The AC5 Commission meets monthly in open session. AC5's
mission is to support artists and arts organizations in the County and to forge
strong partnerships between the arts community and its various constituencies
through its annual awards recognition event, public art activities, and
educational programming. Current commissioners include David Duer, District 1; Darwin
Marable, District 2; Joan Trezek, District 3 and at-large member and Chair, Sarah
Michael. A process for filling vacancies
for District 4 and 5 Commissioners is currently underway.
A Vote of Appreciation
Harold Beaulieu, who served as at-large commissioner for 4
years, resigned his position recently. Beaulieu made significant contributions
during his tenure with AC5. In the spring and summer of 2006, he lead five
Mural Painting Workshops which focused on giving teachers the skills necessary to
successfully spearhead mural projects at their sites. Host sites included: Murphy School in El
Sobrante, Gompers High
School in Richmond, Lincoln School in Richmond, Edna Hill Middle
School in Brentwood and the Orin Allen Youth Rehabilitation
Facility.
Beaulieu contributed
his enthusiasm and talents to many other AC5 endeavors, including the annual
Arts Recognition Awards and the annual ceremony for students accepted to the California
State Summer School for the Arts. He served as commission chair for the
2006/2007 fiscal year. Beaulieu is also the president of the Vallejo Artists
Guild.
California Arts Council
recognizes county arts organizations
The California Arts Council (CAC) recently announced
grantees in two of their programs, Artists in Schools and
Creating Public Value.
Four Contra
Costa County
organizations were among the grant recipients.
The intent of the Artists in Schools
program is to integrate community arts resources-artists and professional art
organizations-into a comprehensive, standards-based program that underscores
the critical role that the arts play in shaping a student's overall well-being
and academic achievement. The Artists in Schools
program is supported by proceeds from the sale of the Arts License Plate, a
specialty plate designed by noted California
artist Wayne Thiebaud to support arts education and local arts programming.
Artists in Schools Grantees:
The CAC's Creating Public Value program
partners with California
arts organizations in championing the fact that the arts are of benefit to all
of citizens and worthy of state and federal investment. The CAC defines
public value as making a positive contribution to the individual and
collective lives of the citizens of California
through the arts.
Creating Public Value Grantees:
AC5 applauds these deserving organizations!
Grant Opportunities:
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Alliance for California
Traditional Arts
The Alliance for California
Traditional Arts (ACTA) works to "ensure that California's
future holds California's
past" by providing programs and services to support the state's diverse living
cultural heritage. ACTA cultivates the growth of traditional arts and culture
through Stewardship in tending and nurturing California's unique cultural landscape;
Services to Artists; and Connecting people, resources and information.
Three grants programs are now accepting applications: the Traditional
Arts Development Program, the Living Cultures Grants Program and
the Apprenticeship
Program. For complete information and
applications, go to www.actaonline.org
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The Center for Cultural Innovation
The Center for Cultural Innovation
(CCI) was launched in 2001 to promote knowledge-sharing, networking and
financial independence for individual artists and creative entrepreneurs by
providing business training, grants and loans, and incubating innovative
projects that create new program knowledge, tools and practices for artists.
The Investing in Artists grants program
is designed to enhance the working lives and creative environment for California artists by
funding tools and market strategies to allow them to create their best work
more consistently, and distribute that work more broadly to new audiences.
Investing in Artists provides grants in two funding categories: 1) Grants for
Artistic Equipment and Tools, and 2) Grants for Presenting and Marketing Work.
For complete information and applications, go to www.cciarts.org
Commission prepares for more
active advocacy role
At its July meeting the AC5 Commission voted unanimously to
become a member of California Arts Advocates as part of their commitment to
play a more active role in arts advocacy.
This will allow the Commission to more easily stay abreast of legislative
activities that can impact arts education, etc.
Why is this important? California for the third consecutive year allocates 3
cents per capita for arts funding from the State's general fund, less than any other state in the country.
As reported by the national arts advocacy organization
Americans for the Arts in their report "Arts and Economic Prosperity Report III",
America's nonprofit arts and culture industry generates $166.2 billion in
economic activity yearly--$63 billion in spending by arts organizations and
$103 billion in event-related spending, primarily by arts audiences. The example cited of Walnut
Creek, one of the largest cities in Contra Costa
County, indicates that
$18,624,000 represents the total yearly arts organizations expenditures and
$37,582,000 is spent on arts events and by audiences. $56 million is hardly insignificant!
For more info, go to the Americans
for the Arts web site or to California Arts Advocates.
Contributors to ArtBeat:
Joan Trezek, Robin Moore
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