Prolonged applause, standing ovations, and loud cheers from the audience greeted five individuals who were honored last fall by the Arts and Culture Commission of Contra Costa County for their contributions to the arts and cultural life of the region.

In a ceremony that marked the eighth year that the commission has honored deserving individuals, the 2003 recipients of Arts Recognition Awards were:

• Bob Athayde, of Orinda, musician, jazz guru, longtime visionary music director at Stanley Intermediate School in Lafayette, and founder and instructor of a thriving summer jazz camp in Lafayette.
• Max Horn, of Martinez, who for more than 50 years has worked to teach, promote, and preserve the art of cultural folk dancing, where it is performed throughout the year as a community outreach program at "down on the farm," his small ranch in Martinez.
• Fred Davis Jackson, of Richmond, a writer, playwright, composer, director of Neighborhood House of North Richmond, and a community activist who uses the arts as a tool for healing, violence prevention, and education.
• Diane Kamrin, of Pleasant Hill, performer, producer, director, choreographer, music director and founder of Stars 2000, a young performers' workshop affiliated with the Diablo Light Opera Company.
• Helen Means, of Pleasant Hill, actress, producer, director and founder of the Onstage Theatre Company in the Old School House in Pleasant Hill, where it has flourished for 25 years as a highly respected community theater.

Each of the honorees received a glass trophy as well as resolutions and certificates from the Board of Supervisors, State Sen. Tom Torlakson, Assemblyman Joseph Canciamilla, and Supervisor John Gioia. Representing the Board of Supervisors was Millie Greenberg, supervisor from District 3.

The event was taped and aired multiple times on CCTV, the county television network. In addition, the Contra Costa Times provided extraordinary advance coverage -- the entire front page of its Sunday Arts & Entertainment section, which featured a four-color photo of all the honorees. Another page was devoted to individual photos and profiles of each honoree.

Honorees were also featured in a full-page cover and full-page photo spread and story on an inside page of the Arts and Entertainment section of the Contra Costa Times following the event.

This year's honorees brings to more than 40 the number of individuals honored by AC5 since the Arts Recognition Awards program was initiated in 1996.

The newsletter you're reading is a first for AC5. It's the first time ArtBeat, official publication of the commission, is produced in a format that is suitable for distribution via the Internet rather than in print form by mail. Recipients include individuals and organizations that have previously indicated that they welcome e-mail messages of importance and significance. The electronic format allows for more timely information. The newsletter will be published monthly or as events warrant. The commission will accept new "subscriptions" at ac5@.ac5.org once an individual or organization provides an e-mail address. The commission's web site -- www.ac5.org -- also has been overhauled and updated to make it easier for readers to locate information. The current and back issues of ArtBeat are posted for downloading. AC5 invites comments on the newsletter (story ideas, too) and the web site.

"In the commission's Cultural Plan, based on input from citizens throughout the county, ongoing communications is listed by constituents as a top priority for AC5," said Bob Rezak, commission chair. "We think our streamlined newsletter and web site are consistent with that priority."

In behalf of Contra Costa County arts organizations and supporters, AC5 has expressed appreciation for a Board of Supervisors Decision last fall to continue funding for the commission for the 2003-04 fiscal year.

Although county staff had recommended eliminating funding for AC5 along with a number of other budget cuts, the supervisors authorized a $46,000 allocation to the commission to continue its operations. The vote came after testimony from AC5 leaders supporters.

Although the $46,000 allows AC5 to continue operations, the commission's overall budget has been sharply reduced.

Mark DeSaulnier, who was chair of the board at the time it voted on the issue, noted that in the past, AC5 derived financial support, matched by the county, from the California Arts Council under a state/local partner agreement in effect for eight years. However, the council's budget has been severely reduced due to the state's budget crisis and the agency is not able to provide funding for AC5 and other commissions. De Saulnier commented that it may not always be possible for the county to make up the difference.

The commission is seeking additional funding through grants and donations. Sheriff Warren Rupf, present at the supervisors' meeting on another matter, pledged his support in the form of office space, if needed, and some money from one of his community outreach programs.

Marble corridors on the main floor of the County Administration Building have been made over into public galleries that are presenting a wide range of art--including paintings and ceramics--on an ongoing basis under a collaborative program developed by the Arts & Culture Commission of Contra Costa County (AC5) and County officials called art passages: collections of art from contra costa county. The building is located at located at 651 Pine Street in Martinez. Each show will be on display for approximately two months and will celebrate the diverse forms of creative expression of artists from one of Contra Costa County's five supervisorial districts.

The second art passages exhibition in a series of shows highlighting works from Contra Costa County Supervisorial Districts is comprised of two different exhibitions, which are hung in the County Administration Building's main foyer and the board chambers. Atmospheres: The Lamorinda Arts Alliance (LAA) features 16 LAA artists' work in a variety of media including painting, photography, sculpture and mixed media. Plein Inspiration: Scene On The Strait and Throughout Contra Costa County looks at the work of five artists who have been, or will be, a part of Scene On The Strait festival of plein air work. Plein air means "out-of-doors" in French.

Scene On The Strait is held each summer at the Martinez Regional Park as a benefit for CREEC-the Carquinez Regional Environmental Education Center. CREEC is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that works with students and disadvantaged youth in the communities that line the Carquinez Strait. CREEC's mission is to help restore the native plants and animals that lived there, while gaining real life skills and a new sense of community ownership. For more information about CREEC, or this year's Scene On The Strait event, please contact CREEC at (510) 787-9772.

For more information, please contact the AC5 office, (925) 646-2278.

"Without the experiences of art and its profound ways of anthologizing human consciousness, we are only partially developed as enlightened individuals. It is heartwarming to know that California citizens, by purchasing the California Arts License Plate, have proven their commitment to furthering the arts in our educational environment."   Wayne Thiebaud, Northern California artist and educator

If there is one immutable rule living about in the Golden State, it is that Californians love their cars. People spend hours detailing their cars, designing the vehicle's identity, and creating the ideal artistic statement on wheels. Clearly, Californians are proud of their creativity and how the arts play an important role in their daily lives. So, it is not surprising that a specialty arts license that supports arts programs is the most popular plate, according the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Depicting a brilliant orange sun over a coastline lined with palm trees, the Arts License Plate was the first license plate in the nation solely designed to benefit the arts. Designed by noted California artist Wayne Thiebaud, the Arts License Plate has sold more than 112,000 plates since 1994 and generated more than $6 million in revenue for arts education efforts and other local programs. Currently, revenue from plate sales funds the programs of the California Arts Council including arts education efforts for schoolchildren. At $30 for standard and $70 for personalized ("vanity plates"), thousand of Californians are branding their vehicles with an attractive, functional license plate as well as making an investment in the arts. (The CAC realizes $14.63 on each plate order and $15 on each plate renewal). It is with this commitment to supporting the arts that Californians are purchasing Arts License Plates.

"Without the experiences of art and its profound ways of anthologizing human consciousness, we are only partially developed as enlightened individuals. It is heartwarming to know that California citizens, by purchasing the California Arts License Plate, have proven their commitment to furthering the arts in our educational environment," says artist and Arts License Plate creator Wayne Thiebaud.

Unfortunately, when fiscal year 2003-04 budget cuts slashed the Arts Council's funding by 94%, the importance of purchasing an arts plate took on greater significance. In 2003, the California Legislature provided $18 million for CAC programs; this year that amount dropped to $1 million. As the 28-year old agency continues to meet its mission of advancing California through the arts and creativity, revenue from the sales of arts plates bulwarked the agency. Perhaps as a statement to the stark climate of arts funding, sales of arts plates have increased as more California motorists become "licensed art lovers."

In these difficult times, you can make a difference and help support the arts, by purchasing the Arts License Plate you will be supporting arts programs in schools, neighborhoods, and communities. Your investment in the Arts License Plate is crucial to supporting programs for at-risk kids, seniors, and thousands of Californians. Order the plate online at https://vrir.dmv.ca.gov/ipp/ippMain.jsp.

Orders take between 6-8 weeks for processing, however, ordering online speeds processing time. For ordering information and Frequently Asked Questions, go to the Arts License Plate section of the CAC Web site. (www.cac.ca.gov).