Las Cafeteras and community members following their performance at Guadalupe City Hall in August 2015. Courtesy photo by Beatrice Martino.
SANTA BARBARA — The California Arts Council announced it plans to award ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! $8,040 as part of its Local Impact program, the organization reported in a media release.
The Local Impact program fosters equity, access, and opportunity by providing project and partnership support for small arts organizations reaching underserved communities, extending the reach of the arts to populations that have limited access to the arts. The grant coincides with Viva’s tenth anniversary and will support free family concerts, school visits and community workshops for audiences throughout Santa Barbara County, from Carpinteria to New Cuyama.
A collaboration between UCSB Arts & Lectures, The Marjorie Luke Theatre, Isla Vista School and the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, Viva presents multi-day residences with performing artists from the U.S. and Latin America that represent important traditions and innovations.
Free family concerts at Isla Vista School, Guadalupe City Hall, and The Marjorie Luke highlight the engagements, which include many opportunities for cultural sharing including free workshops, school visits, and meet-the-artist sessions.
“The goal of the CAC Local Impact program is ‘fostering equity, access, and opportunity’ for underserved populations, and that’s exactly what ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! provides for our community. We’re gratified that the California Arts Council understands the enormous value Viva brings to Santa Barbara County, and UCSB Arts & Lectures is proud to be a partner in making it happen,” Arts & Lectures Miller McCune executive director Celesta M. Billeci stated in a media release.
“California Arts Council grants support a wide range of projects that are crafted by each community to reflect their values and needs,” said Donn K. Harris, Chair of the California Arts Council. “It is always exciting to see what creative minds attempt to do when working collaboratively. With an increased state investment, we are able to further spark the powerful growth and prosperity that result from the deep arts engagement provided by our grant programs.”
The mission of the California Arts Council, a state agency, is to advance California through the arts and creativity. The Council is committed to building public will and resources for the arts; fostering accessible arts initiatives that reflect contributions from all of California’s diverse populations; serving as a thought leader and champion for the arts; and providing effective and relevant programs and services. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.
Viva’s news season will be announced in August. For up-to-date information look for Viva on Facebook. www.facebook.com/VivaelArteSB
¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! is funded by the McCune Foundation, the UCSB Office of Educational Partnerships, the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission, the Wells Fargo Foundation, The Marjorie Luke Theatre’s Dreier Family Rent Subsidy Fund, the Stone Family Foundation, The Roddick Foundation, William E. Weiss Foundation, Mary and Gary Becker, Patricia and Jim Selbert, and Eric Kronvall. The program is sponsored in part by the Santa Barbara Independent, the Santa Maria SUN, Radio Bronco, Univisión, KPFK, KCSB, the Best Western South Coast Inn and Ramada Limited. Additional support from the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and California Arts Council, Community Arts Grant Program using funds provided by the City of Santa Barbara, in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission. Co-presented by The Marjorie Luke Theatre, the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center and UCSB Arts and Lectures, in collaboration with the Isla Vista School After School Grant.