SACRAMENTO, Calif. The Sacramento Region Community Foundation today announced more than $72,000 in grants to support six community arts organizations, the first part of a $450,000 effort to create experiential arts in the community and to foster increased giving to the arts.
The grant recipients provide a range of arts experiences and services to the community, including arts rooted in music, history, and culture, and appealing to audiences spanning all generations. The grants are part of the Foundation’s Advancing Sacramento Arts initiative, which is funded by the James Irvine Foundation.
‘In these challenging economic times community art needs support more than ever,’ said Ruth Blank, chief executive officer of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation. ‘These grants will help the organizations continue to develop their exceptional work, already started in their communities, and further enrich the lives of people throughout the greater Sacramento area.’
The six grant recipients were chosen following a competitive process.
- Asian Cultural Exchange, Meeting state school history curriculum standards for 4th, 5th, and 8th grades, the Noh Noh Educational Ensemble series will share the Asian American immigrant experience through traditional Asian arts in school settings: taiko drumming, odori dance, noh theater, and origami paper folding. [Grant amount: $7,820]
- Camellia Symphony Association, Using the ‘Instrumental Petting Zoo’ as a vehicle, the symphony will introduce classical music to children and families through a fun, hands-on experience. Children can visit sections of the ‘instrumental zoo’ and touch and play woodwinds, percussion, or brass and talk with the musicians. A one-hour fast-paced and exciting concert follows which encourages children to get up and move to the music or express themselves. [Grant amount: $12,350]
- La Raza Galeria Posada, through vibrant colors and use of natural and man-made materials, “The Hoover Collection of Mexican Masks” will feature the beauty and artistry of traditional masks from the diverse regions of Mexico. Sacramento’s own traditional art collector Larry Hoover with master mask maker Armando Cid will combine forces to share this rich experience of visual art and hands-on mask making workshops with Sacramento’s diverse communities and young people. [Grant amount: $15,000]
- Sacramento Master Singers, Duke Ellington’s ‘Sacred Concerts’ will be performed for the first time in Sacramento. Combining elements of jazz, classical, choral, spirituals, gospel, blues and dance, this concert will both advance the art and lift the soul. Working in partnership with Celebration Arts, this experience will include original choreography as well as dramatic readings. [Grant amount: $14,950]
- 40 Acres Art Gallery, Amazing Wonders: Quilts by African Americans of the Northern California Region, will bring the private collections of over 30 quilts by artists in the area. This experience will preserve the cultural craft of quiltmaking and bridge the generational divide with today’s youth by creating a digital photo self-portrait quilt. Capping the exhibit is an all-day community quilt-making session with community residents. [Grant amount: $15,000.]
- Very Special Arts of California, I CAN DO THAT! Community Artshows & Performances unites children with disabilities with art to transform them as creators and consumers of art, develop a life-long appreciation of art, join the community of artists, and be recognized as quality artists. Artists are matched with 60 school sites to produce and to create art performances at schools and throughout the community. [Grant amount: $7,500]
‘This is a tremendous boost to the Sacramento area arts community,’ said Linda Goodrich, who participated in the selection panel and serves as the chair of the Department of Theater and Dance at California State University Sacramento. ‘In difficult economic times, arts often go unfunded and put many organizations out of business. These grants give a much-needed boost at this time.’
The Sacramento Region Community Foundation was able to make the grants because of a special grant from the James Irvine Foundation, which provided the grant to encourage the growth of the art culture already thriving in the greater Sacramento area.
‘With this grant, we will be able to reach out to a greater range of audiences and deliver quality arts programs to the community,’ said Kathy Ossman, president of the Sacramento Master Singers Board of Directors. ‘We appreciate the partnership with the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.’
‘The support from the Sacramento Region Community Foundation is important to community, arts-based programs like our own,’ said Marie Acosta, Executive Director of La Raza Posada Galeria. ‘Supporting the community arts culture provides an underlying service of uniting cultures and encouraging a deep appreciation of the beauty around us every day. It inspires artists to create, viewers to reflect and supporters to give all of which creates a self-perpetuating circle continually enhancing the environments in which we live our everyday lives.’
The Sacramento Region Community Foundation expects to make a second round of grants in the fall.
To find out more about the Sacramento Region Community Foundation’s involvement in being an advocate for quality of life since its inception in 1983, or its work to expand philanthropic activity and enhance its impact for the betterment of our communities, visit www.sacregcf.org