State funds will support sustained artistic residency for Ana M. Carrillo at Dr. Rodolfo F. Acuña Art Gallery & Cultural Center at Cafe on A.
OXNARD – The California Arts Council, a state agency, announced it plans to award $12,000 to Dr. Rodolfo F. Acuña Art Gallery & Cultural Center at Cafe on A with lead artist Ana M. Carrillo as part of its new Artists Activating Communities program.
A new pilot grant program, Artists Activating Communities supports sustained artistic residencies in community settings, demonstrating the arts to be a central component of civic life, and artists to be vital in shaping society. Artists Activating Communities projects are artist-driven, engage community members as active participants, and activate participants to develop and express their own creativity.
This is the first time the Artists Activating Communities program has been offered. Dr. Rodolfo F. Acuña Art Gallery & Cultural Center at Cafe on A with lead artist, Ana M. Carrillo, is one of only forty-seven grantees for this highly-competitive statewide program.
With support from the California Arts Council, Acuña Gallery & Cultural Center at Cafe on A with artist Ana M. Carrillo, will continue to promote wellness through the Oxnard Multicultural Movement/Movimiento de Hechos! “Promotora” model (OMMH); the “Promotora” model uses community-defined practices to encourage participation in culturally-specific art forms to create a healthier vibrant environment. The grant will provide funds for resident artist, Ana M. Carrillo, to create a new body of work that will weave together the stories, journeys and lives of the immigrant community into visual representations; and she will engage the community in art lectures, workshops and community gatherings.
It has been two decades now since the Acuna Art Gallery and Community Center at Café on A opened its doors to the community of Oxnard and the greater Ventura County area. Debbie and I have worked with literally hundreds of artists, community activists, educators and politicians and no one that we have worked with has ever embraced the arts and culture as our own unique and at the same time universal healing and empowering energy like Ana Carrillo, no one comes close. She is a unique and powerful advocate for the disable, the homeless, the poor, the youth; those folks in our community that have not yet found their voice. When these folks meet Ana they not only find their voice they also find their heart and mind. Ana’s work is that powerful in our community. We love Ana!!! No one is more deserving of this great honor and recognition than our own master artist Ana Carrillo!
“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 thrilling to see what artists can accomplish when working collaboratively with their communities. An increased state investment in the arts allows us to further spark powerful growth and prosperity in our communities, such as the outstanding work that will result from the deep arts engagement provided by Rodolfo F. Acuña Art Gallery & Cultural Center at Cafe on A and Ana M. Carrillo’s Artists Activating Communities project.”
To view a complete listing of all Artists Activating Communities grantees, visit http://arts.ca.gov/programs/files/CAC-AAC-2015-16Grantees.pdf.
The Foundation for Educational and Employment Resources Development, Inc., known locally as the Acuña Art Gallery & Cultural Center at Cafe on A, has been effectively providing cultural arts program for the Oxnard Plains community and the greater Ventura County area for over twenty years. We serve the at-risk youth, factory and agricultural working families, newly immigrant community, homeless, disabled, and low income families that are generally excluded from arts and cultural affairs of this community due to economic, cultural and diversity barriers that we have work hard to overcome. Learn more on cafeona.org.
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.
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation. Learn more at www.arts.gov.