Three local arts organizations receive more than $163,000 in funding

Jul. 8—Last month, the California Arts Council awarded more than $31 million for more than 1,100 grants supporting nonprofits throughout the state, including $163,600 divided among three in Kern County — Kern Dance Alliance, Arts Council of Kern and Creative Crossing Co-Create — in the first cycle of its grants awards season.

This marks the largest annual investment in the 46-year history of the state agency committed to "strengthening arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all."

Through grants, initiatives and services, it supports arts statewide, positing that people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts.

The three local arts organizations that just received CAC grants are also committed to bringing the arts to underserved areas of Kern County.

For Creative Crossing, its $47,500 JUMP StArts grant is a renewal of one received last year for Re-Create, a program to bring art education to the residents of Juvenile Hall.

"It's been the pilot program," said Creative Crossing co-founder Sarah Nobles. "We've been building it out."

Nobles said co-founder Kei Deragon has been heading up the effort, which has been volunteer-based, with students working on a 200-foot mural inside the facility as well as art pieces for community projects that students submitted anonymously to protect their identities.

Nobles said the program has been well-received in part because it was developed in the heart of the pandemic, when many in-person services were on hold.

"In working on it considering social distancing, we presented the program that we would be able to adapt with that, to problem-solve on how to navigate through the pandemic," Nobles said.

Nobles said the grant will allow Re-Create to continue its current offerings as well as bring in additional artists and expand to work with youth on probation.

And the education also includes some valuable real-life skills that participants can take with them.

"Part of this program is not only to discuss art fundamentals but really introduce art as a way to look at it as a trade," Nobles said. "Down the road, art could open their path to create income for themselves or market themselves in a business sense."

In addition to the JUMP StArts grant, Creative Crossing received a $19,000 impact projects grant that will bring public art to a new area in Bakersfield.

"We've partnered with Community Action Partnership (of) Kern and Friendship House (Community Center) and are working with artists to revitalize the Friendship House to do mural artwork inside the building."

The culturally inclusive design will incorporate the history from the Friendship House as well as southeast Bakersfield, the community that the center has served since it started in 1957.

Planning begins in September for the project, which the group has a year to complete. A community committee is being formed to work on the design.

"We want this project to be community-based, to hear and include the voices of other community stakeholders," Nobles said. "It's going to be exciting to see what the community wants ... see the art community show up for southeast Bakersfield."

The Arts Council of Kern is also looking to reach art lovers throughout the community with its CAC grants. The $18,000 allotted for impact projects will go to fund Artists Seeking Knowledge (ASK) classes led by Deidre Hathor and Brandon Thompson.

"During the pandemic, they've been running biweekly arts classes out of their home studio," said Elizabeth Spavento, ACK executive director. "They're serving primarily BIPOC students as well as students with disabilities, teaching to young kids as well."

Along with teaching students from various racial backgrounds, the pair have also held free public art sessions outside Locale Farm to Table on some Second Saturdays. They and their students have also contributed to the restaurant's mural alley, a space for rotating public art that is refreshed biannually.

ASK students also work on an annual haunted house that incorporates their design work and props.

"This is funding for a year's worth of free arts program, which they had been doing without any additional support for the last two years," Spavento said. "It feels really good to support them through their creative practice. The mission of the Arts Council is arts advocacy, education and accessibility, and all three are encapsulated in this project."

Another $62,000 was awarded to the local nonprofit by CAC for state-local partnership, which Spavento said will fund ACK legacy programs as well as some operational costs, including new computers and software as part of an office upgrade.

The arts community should be excited to know one program gaining funds is the First Friday Art Walk, which is due to return this summer. The event, which was last held along 19th Street, will move to a yet-to-be-disclosed open space in downtown Bakersfield that won't require any street closures.

Spavento said the more farmers market-style setup will be better for vendors with ACK providing tables and chairs, access to electricity at night and restrooms.

Another program is Poetry Out Loud, a national arts education program that operates first at the local level with a poetry recitation competition for high school students where winners advance to state then national contests.

In addition to CAC grants, Spavento said she is excited that the Arts Council of Kern has also received additional funding including a $2,000 grant from Kern Family Health Care for this year's Plein Air Painting Festival and another that will allow its Arts in Corrections program to expand to Corcoran State Prison. (More details will be announced about the bounty of grants in the next week.)

Kern Dance Alliance, the final local recipient of CAC funding this year, will receive a $17,100 grant under the category of general operating relief.

Andrea Hansen, KDA president, said funds are earmarked for "daily operations that support our programs and services," as well as marketing for events like Books in Motion, which began its programming that will run until Aug. 12.

"All of the marketing and advertising, and it helps us to pay for bookkeepers and accountants, things that people don't think about that nonprofits need to operate daily," she said.

Hansen said the grant application cycle is nonstop for local, state and national organizations. Although not approved for all, she said it is an exciting day when one comes in.

"When you get that email and know all that work paid off, it's a wonderful feeling — bringing arts funding into Kern County, which isn't necessarily known for arts."

She said she coordinates with other local nonprofits to make sure they're not all competing for the same ones. And along with promoting arts awareness and appreciation, a major goal is supporting the local creators themselves.

"That's what we're doing. We want our artists to feel valued and the way they feel valued is to be paid. There are people advocating on your behalf."

Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.