Arts Council for Monterey County

10/19/2026

Thank you for being part of the inaugural Pinnacles Film Festival! 🎬🍿

Presented by Sol Treasures in partnership with our team at Arts4MC, the festival welcomed emerging and established filmmakers, community members, and film lovers to King City Cinemas for a full day of screenings, conversations, red carpet moments, and awards. As the first film festival of its kind in South Monterey County, it created a new space for creative expression and shared cultural experiences.

We are grateful to every filmmaker, attendee, volunteer, sponsor, and supporter who helped make this first year possible. More moments from the inaugural festival are still to come, so stay connected! 🎥

10/16/2026

🎨 Grantee Spotlight: Art Abilities 🎨

Grant funds support Creative Pathways, an adaptive arts program expanding access to ceramics for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. ✨ This will help purchase an electric kiln, ceramic tools, clay, and glaze supplies, allowing participants to transform their creations into lasting works of art they can display, keep, or sell.

Through hands-on ceramics, participants develop fine motor skills, creative confidence, and opportunities for self-expression. This investment will help Art Abilities serve more than 200 participants while creating lasting opportunities for inclusive arts education in Monterey County!🏺

Is your organization making an impact through the arts? Apply for Arts4MC’s Fall Community Arts Grant to help bring your next creative project to life!

Learn more and apply at arts4mc.org/communityartsgrants

10/16/2026

We are looking forward to this great community event! 🧡

Calling all little ghosts, goblins, superheroes, and princesses! 🎃👻🍬

Downtown Trick-or-Treat is back, and Main Street is the place to be for a spook-tacular Halloween celebration!

Grab your candy bags and explore Downtown Salinas for:

🍬 Trick-or-treating at participating businesses
🎨 Face painting
📸 Halloween photo opportunities
🎭 Local mascots from around Monterey County
👻 Family-friendly fun and activities

BONUS: Register for your FREE digital Trick-or-Treat Passport and check in during the event for a chance to win $100 in Lettuce Cash to spend at participating Downtown Salinas businesses! 🥬💚

📅 Saturday, October 31st - Halloween
📍 Main Street | Downtown Salinas

🎟️ Register for your passport through the Downtown Trick-or-Treat link in our bio!

A big thank you to Arts Council for Monterey County (Arts Council for Monterey County) and other generous event sponsors for helping make this community celebration possible!

10/15/2026

¡Ya está abierta oficialmente la convocatoria para las Becas de Artes Comunitarias del otoño de 2026! 🎊

Ofrecemos becas de hasta 7,500 dólares a organizaciones sin fines de lucro que cumplan con los requisitos y que lleven a cabo proyectos y programas de arte y cultura para el público en las comunidades de todo el condado de Monterey. El plazo de presentación de solicitudes está abierto desde ahora hasta el 2 de noviembre a las 5 PM ⏰

¿Necesitas ayuda para presentar tu solicitud? 💻 Hay horarios de atención virtual los miércoles de 2 PM a 3 PM los días 21 y 28 de octubre, además de una última sesión en el lunes 2 de noviembre de 2 PM a 3 PM. Los solicitantes del sur del condado también pueden programar una cita para recibir apoyo en nuestra oficina de King City.

Revisa las pautas, el ejemplo de solicitud y presenta tu solicitud aquí: arts4mc.org/communityartsgrants

10/15/2026

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, we’re highlighting muralist Natalia Corazza, an artist of Colombian heritage, and the importance of Hispanic representation in the arts. 💛

Her mural, “Lo que vale / Días de descanso,” honors the joy, comfort, and livelihood of the Salinas community. While murals often recognize the hard work of people in the fields, Natalia also brings focus to what that work makes possible: home, family, rest, and joy. Seeing artists and community stories represented in public art helps create a more inclusive arts landscape. 🎨

The Arts Council for Monterey County commissioned the mural in collaboration with United Way Monterey County, with support from the County of Monterey. It was unveiled during First Friday Salinas. Visit the mural during First Friday and experience more of what Salinas City Center has to offer.

📍 United Way Monterey County Building, Midtown Lane, Salinas

10/14/2026

🎶 Grantee Spotlight: Monterey Peninsula Voices🎶

Grant funds support Gloria: Raise Your Voice in Joy, a holiday concert featuring two performances on December 5 and 6, 2026, at First United Methodist Church of Pacific Grove. ✨ Under the direction of Dr. Seán Boulware, the program will feature holiday classics and a full performance of John Rutter’s Gloria, accompanied by brass, percussion, and organ.

Support will help cover professional musicians, production costs, community outreach, and member scholarships, while providing complimentary tickets for seniors and families in need. Through this musical experience, Monterey Peninsula Voices continues to expand access to live choral music and bring the community together through the arts. 🎼

🌟 Is your organization bringing arts and culture to Monterey County? Apply for Arts4MC’s Fall Community Arts Grant and help bring your next creative project to life!

Learn more and apply at arts4mc.org/communityartsgrants

10/14/2026

We’re happy to be featured by Noticias Costa Central and Noticias Nacionales, which covered the first Pinnacles Film Festival in Spanish. 🎉

We partnered with Sol Treasures to bring 37 short films to King City and create a space for independent filmmakers and stories from our region. 💛

10/12/2026

Arts4MC is closed today in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. We honor the histories, cultures, and ongoing contributions of Indigenous peoples, including Indigenous communities throughout Monterey County.

You can support Indigenous artists by following their work, sharing their opportunities, and attending exhibitions and cultural events. Explore local arts events at arts4mc.org/events/ 🎨

10/11/2026

Open Call for Art: October 10 – November 10, 2026 🎨

The Ground Beneath Us / La Tierra Bajo Nosotros invites artists to reflect on land – as place, memory, labor, migration, ecology, culture, and home – through a four-county exhibition presented across gallery spaces in Salinas, Watsonville, Hollister, and Gilroy. Together, we aim to lift up stories from across the region that explore how land shapes our communities, cultures, histories, and futures.

Artists from Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, and Santa Clara Counties are invited to apply, with a focus on artists living and working in the region around Gilroy, Salinas, Hollister, and Watsonville.

The exhibition will be presented across four gallery spaces in Salinas, Watsonville, Hollister, and Gilroy from January 22 – March 1, 2027.

A regional collaboration between Arts Council for Monterey County, Arts Council Santa Cruz County, San Benito County Arts Council, and SVCreates.

Apply at bit.ly/thegroundbeneathus by November 10.

Learn more through the link in bio and on each participating arts council's website.