Community Arts Stabilization Trust

06/03/2026

Tomorrow, we’re headed to Trinidad, CO for the 2026 Colorado Creative Industries Summit 🏔️

Over the next two days, artists, cultural workers, community leaders, and creative thinkers from across Colorado will come together to share ideas, build connections, and explore what it takes to support thriving creative communities.

We are excited to be part of the conversation 🎤 Louise Martorano, our Managing Director of National Programs, and Jevon Taylor, our Director of Special Projects, Denver Metro, will join sessions on collective approaches to affordability and the legacy of creative experimentation and counterculture in the American West. We’ll also be opening the doors to East Street School for summit tours and artist studio visits, giving attendees a chance to experience the building and meet some of the artists who call it home.

Couldn’t get a ticket? You’re not alone, the summit is officially full. We’ll be sharing photos, highlights, and lessons from the summit, so keep an eye out for a behind-the-scenes look at the conversations shaping the future of Colorado’s creative economy.

More info: https://oedit.colorado.gov/colorado-creative-industries-summit

05/06/2026

Do you know an artist whose work explores immigration, arrival, or belonging?

Our friends at ArtSpan are accepting applications for "Arrivals: Stories of Welcome and Belonging" — a free public exhibition at San Francisco's historic Ferry Building, July 19–August 2, 2026.

Selected artists receive a $500 stipend and Premier SF Open Studios registration (Weekend 5 at the Ferry Building!).

The Ferry Building has been SF's port of entry since 1898. ArtSpan wants artists from immigrant and arrival communities to claim that history and put their work on those walls.

📅 Deadline: May 11, 2026 @ 11:59PM
✏️ Apply here: https://artspan.submittable.com/submit/353826/artspan-call-for-art-arrivals-at-the-ferry-building-2026

🏃🏽Hurry and apply!

ArtSpan is accepting applications for "Arrivals: Stories of Welcome and Belonging." The selected artworks will be on display to the public at San Francisco's historic Ferry Building from July 19 – August 2, 2026.

Selected artists will receive:
💸 $500 stipend
🎨 Premier SF Open Studios registration (Weekend 5 at the Ferry Building!)

📅 Deadline: May 11, 2026 @ 11:59PM
🔗 Link in bio

04/29/2026

Nothing like a 125th birthday to remind us how much history lives in San Francisco’s spaces 🌇

On April 22, we spent the evening celebrating 125 years of the Geneva Car Barn and Powerhouse. Hosted by San Francisco Heritage, the night featured Woody LaBounty sharing the story of the site’s past, preservation, and future, now captured in his new book, “Geneva Car Barn: The Past and Future of San Francisco’s Geneva Office Building and Powerhouse.”

From surviving the 1906 San Francisco earthquake to ongoing community-led efforts to reimagine the space, it stands as a powerful reminder: preservation means both protecting buildings and making room for what comes next. Today, that future is already taking shape. The Powerhouse has been reactivated as a family-centered arts and culture hub by Performing Arts Workshop, which offers free classes and creative programming to thousands of young people each year.

As steward and asset manager of the space since 2017, we are proud to be a part of this chapter of the building’s storied history. A historic space, still doing what it’s always done: serving the city.

Check out Friends of the Geneva Office Building & Powerhouse to purchase your copy of “Geneva Car Barn: The Past and Future of San Francisco’s Geneva Office Building and Powerhouse” 📖 https://www.fgobp.com/

04/24/2026

Congratulations to the 2026 Rainin Arts Fellows! 🎉

It’s inspiring to see artists across disciplines recognized for the ways they’re shaping and sustaining the Bay Area’s creative ecosystem through collaboration, mentorship, and work that reaches across communities.

And a big thank you to the Kenneth Rainin Foundation for their continued commitment to supporting artists and investing in the region’s cultural landscape ❤️

04/20/2026

Over the weekend, our Director of Operations Matthew McTire joined the San Francisco Art Fair panel “Professionalizing your Network: Artist Residencies in the Bay”, joining a thoughtful group of peers in conversation.

A key thread throughout the discussion was that, even amid reduced federal funding, there are still meaningful and varied forms of support for artists in the Bay Area, each shaped by different structures, access points, and goals.

Matthew shared how CAST’s approach emphasizes accessibility and openness, with fewer barriers in the residency and intake process. That flexibility is designed to better serve emerging artists while remaining open to practitioners at other stages of their careers. Accessibility, in both process and relationship, continues to guide how we think about space and support.

Residencies play a critical role for artists, offering both time and space for creative reflection and rest. Whether it’s finding refuge in a pastoral setting or gaining prime exposure at a central intersection downtown, there is shared recognition that the impact of residencies extends beyond exhibitions; it’s the ongoing relationships, community building, and long-term artistic network that is invaluable.

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04/16/2026

During our recent visit to Seattle, the CAST team spent time at the historic Columbia City Theateralongside our partners at Cultural Space Agency and community steward Tony Benton.

A key part of CAST’s work is building relationships within the local cultural landscape, grounding our approach in the people, histories, and spaces that shape a city’s creative life.

At Columbia City Theater, we learned about its long history as a cultural pillar for Seattle’s Black and broader BIPOC communities. It has existed as a home to jazz performances, a recording space for artists, and one of the few venues that regularly screened Black films. Today, it continues to host emerging artists and community programming, and now includes Rainier Avenue Radio as part of its evolving ecosystem.

The visit was a meaningful reminder that cultural spaces endure through long-term care, stewardship, and deep community relationships.

Images:

1. Columbia City Theater
2. Tony Benton at Columbia City Theater
3. [L:R] The Rhapsody Project Co-Founder Joe Seamons, CAST Managing Director of National Programs Louise Martorano, The Rhapsody Project Communications and Administrative Support Liz Castillo, and The Rhapsody Project Instructor Mariah Roberson
4. Ranier Avenue Radio station recording space

04/14/2026

San Francisco Art Fair is approaching, and we’re happy to share that our Director of Operations, Matthew McTire, will be speaking on the panel:

🎤 Professionalizing your Network: Artist Residencies in the Bay
📅 Sunday, April 19, 2026 | 🕓 4:00–5:00 PM
📍 San Francisco Art Fair Theater

This panel brings together representatives from Bay Area residency programs to discuss how residencies support artists across all stages of their careers, from applications and professional development to community building, equity, and sustainability in the arts ecosystem.

Matthew will be speaking alongside an incredible group of panelists: Kelly Sicat, Louisa Gloger, Jonathan Carver Moore, Mushi Wooseong James, and Christine Wang as moderator.

Looking forward to this important conversation on strengthening support systems for artists in the Bay Area!

More info: https://sanfranciscoartfair.com/events/professionalizing-your-network-artist-residencies-in-the-bay/

This panel brings together representatives from Bay Area residency programs to discuss how residencies support artists at every stage of their careers — from the application process to professional development, community building, and life after the residency ends. Panelists will address practical...

04/09/2026

Last month, members of the CAST team traveled to Seattle to spend time with our partners at Cultural Space Agency as we begin a new phase of collaboration.

While in Seattle, we met with community leaders, artists, and members of CSA’s Governing Council to better understand the local cultural landscape and the relationships that power this work. We also had the chance to visit a session of the Build Art Space Equitably (BASE) program— an initiative that brings together leaders from across arts, community development, and commercial real estate to build the knowledge and networks needed to create permanent cultural spaces.

Seeing the BASE cohort in action was a powerful reminder that sustaining cultural space takes people with the tools, relationships, and shared commitment to make it happen.

From touring cultural spaces to connecting directly with the community behind them, the visit was an important step in putting faces to the CAST team as we support CSA’s next chapter and continue learning alongside Seattle’s arts and culture leaders.

📸 by Osmosis Media

04/07/2026

Construction is done and 457 Minna is coming to life 🎉

Construction is complete and four incredible organizations are now settling into their new shared home: Filipino-American Development Foundation, Filipino Mental Health Initiative - San Francisco, SOMA Pilipinas Filipino Cultural Heritage District, and FEC Galing Bata Program. The Kalayaan Center, also known as the Ka Center, means Independence/Freedom in Tagalog.

Located in the heart of Filipino Cultural Heritage District, the building was envisioned as a hub for youth education, culturally rooted mental health support, and community-centered arts and cultural programming serving multiple generations of Filipino and Filipino American residents.

CAST and FADF partnered on the development of this project, with CAST helping facilitate the acquisition and improvements for this cultural hub. Now, with construction complete and these organizations beginning to move in, the Kalayaan Center is onto its next chapter as a place for gathering, healing, learning, and cultural connection in SOMA.

Images:

1. [L:R] Carolyn Sideco, Taylor Love, Gayle Romasanta, Jonny, Mauricio Castro Vargas, Charm Consolacion, Shari, Sarinas, Teresita Naval, Jennifer Navarro-Marroquin, and Christine Abiba getting the keys to 457 Minna
2. Team inside the 457 Minna space.
3. Filipino Mental Health Initiative - San Francisco’s office space.
4. Filipino Education Center Galing Bata’s program and storage space.
5. Filipino Education Center Galing Bata’s main program area.

04/06/2026

We are proud to present Next Episode, a new exhibition by artist Desi Brown at Studio 108 Arts ⭐️

Working across ceramics, photography, and found materials, Brown creates wearable sculptural works that document and celebrate the interior lives, resilience, and triumphs of Black women navigating single parenthood and social classism. Her work weaves together personal narrative and material exploration, honoring the strength and complexity of these experiences.

📅 Opening Reception: April 11, 6–9 PM

🖼️ Gallery Hours: 11 AM-4 PM Tuesday through Sunday and by appointment
📍 Studio 108 Arts, 901 Englewood Pkwy, Englewood, CO

This exhibition is part of the Englewood rotating exhibition program, where partners including Art Students League of Denver, CAST Colorado, Access Gallery, and Studio Artists each curate a quarterly show to bring new audiences and creative energy to the Englewood creative district. Join us in celebrating Desi Brown and the next chapter of creativity in Englewood 🎉