Arts Council Santa Cruz County

Arts Council Santa Cruz County We nurture and invest in artists, culture, and the arts throughout Santa Cruz County.✨

Our June newsletter has gone out and it’s full of valuable resources, opportunities and events! If you’re not already si...
06/05/2026

Our June newsletter has gone out and it’s full of valuable resources, opportunities and events! If you’re not already signed up, head to the link in our bio to stay up to date on all things Arts Council Santa Cruz County 💫

📣 We’re hiring!Arts Council Santa Cruz County is seeking a Communications Coordinator to help tell the story of the arts...
06/04/2026

📣 We’re hiring!

Arts Council Santa Cruz County is seeking a Communications Coordinator to help tell the story of the arts across our region.

This role supports content creation, website management, project coordination, and community-centered communications that connect artists, cultural organizations, and creative programs throughout Santa Cruz County.

If you’re an organized communicator who loves storytelling, collaboration, and making an impact through the arts, we’d love to hear from you.

🔗 in bio



The Arts Council Annual Party is tomorrow and you’re invited! Join us from 5-7PM for an evening of arts appreciation, po...
06/02/2026

The Arts Council Annual Party is tomorrow and you’re invited! Join us from 5-7PM for an evening of arts appreciation, poetry, music, making and connection. We look forward to seeing you!

🎤 Poetry reading from Vicky Báñales
🎨 Hands on Art with Kassandra Vasquez
🎶 Live music by guitarist Derian Diaz
🥤 Complimentary nibbles & soft drinks
🍷 No-host beer & wine bar

1070 River St., Santa Cruz CA

06/01/2026

Tomorrow’s the last day to drop off your ballots. If you haven’t yet casted your vote, and you’re interested in how the mayor will approach their term regarding the arts - we highly encourage you to watch the mayoral forum we had last week.

Link in bio to learn more 🔗

Presented in partnership by Arts Council Santa Cruz County , Visit Santa Cruz County , Santa Cruz Public Libraries , and All About Theatre

05/21/2026

Artists and culture bearers of the Central Coast — this is your invitation. ✨Thank You Brooke Smiley for sharing your story!

The Individual Artists Fellowship program supports creatives working across disciplines with unrestricted funding to deepen their practice, develop new work, and invest in their artistic future. Whether you’re experimenting, preserving cultural traditions, building community, or pushing your craft forward, your work matters.

Support. Unlimited Creativity.

Application link in bio
Deadline: June 1

💻 Santa Cruz County Weekly Zoom Office Hours
Mondays, 4–5pm
• additional regional support available (see website for hours and links)

Open to artists and culture bearers living in:
📍 Monterey 
📍 San Benito 
📍 San Luis Obispo 
📍 Santa Barbara 
📍 Santa Cruz 
📍 Ventura

A program of the California Arts Council, — administered on the Central Coast by Arts Council Santa Cruz County in partnership with regional arts agencies.

Opening today and running through July 17, the Santa Cruz County Government Building is exhibiting the breathtaking work...
05/19/2026

Opening today and running through July 17, the Santa Cruz County Government Building is exhibiting the breathtaking work of 5 local artists.

🎨 FJ Anderson () - sky and seascape oil paintings

🎨 Beth Purcell () - vibrant mosaics created out of ceramic, glass and tile

🎨 Jason Cohen () - impressionistic oil paintings, painted with palette knives

🎨 Donna Maurillo () - photographic images that become visual music

🎨 Paul Smith - handmade exotic and domestic hardwood items

These exhibits take place on the first and fifth floors, and rotate every 3 months. Visit them during their open hours: Monday through Friday 8AM - 5PM or during June First Friday!

This project is a collaboration with the County of Santa Cruz Parks Department.

05/15/2026

Last Saturday was such a blast, we’re still in awe at the beautiful energy that filled the campus ❤️

Huge thank you to .karpavage & for leading another successful event. To .otra.banda & for setting the vibes, to all of the wonderful vendors, to the studios, to those leading activities, and to YOU for taking time out of your weekend to celebrate local art!

If you missed us, the Arts Council annual party is June 3rd and everyone’s invited! We hope to see you there 🌱

🎞️

05/15/2026

Following last week’s guest essay by Thomas Sage Pedersen, we’re opening the next chapter of How the Arts Activate a Cultural Ecosystem with the first in a three-part podcast series.

In this episode, Arts Education Director Sarah Brothers offers a grounded look at how creative pathways actually form—from early classroom experiences to paid teen teaching roles, working artists in schools, and movement programs for older adults.

What emerges is a clear throughline: arts education isn’t supplemental. It’s structural. It builds the conditions for empathy, resilience, and connection across generations.

This conversation traces how programs like Spectra and Mariposa are designed, how teaching artists are supported, and how families, schools, and artists stay meaningfully connected over time. It also names what’s at stake—especially when it comes to funding and long-term advocacy.

This is the first of three conversations exploring how the arts function not just as expression, but as infrastructure—a living system shaping cultural life across Santa Cruz County.

🔗 Link in bio to listen + read the essay



05/15/2026

Next up in our guest series - How the Arts Activate a Cultural Ecosystem with Thomas Sage Pedersen: how the work gets funded—and who gets access.

In this episode Thomas sits down with Grants Manager Tamara Liu to look closely at how artists and arts organizations sustain their practice, and how public funding is distributed across the region.

The conversation is both practical and structural. What a grant actually is, where re-granted funds come from, how eligibility works—and why public benefit sits at the center of it all. Tamara also shares clear guidance on navigating applications, preparing work samples, and understanding how review panels make decisions in a landscape where demand far exceeds available funding.

They also talk about what’s shifting. How equity efforts are changing who receives support across South County and among communities of color and q***r artists—and how grants connect to a larger ecosystem that includes arts education, Open Studios, and long-term cultural investment.

Underneath it is a simple idea: funding isn’t separate from the work. It shapes what gets made, who gets to participate, and what a creative community can sustain.

Part two of our three-part series exploring the arts as infrastructure across Santa Cruz County.

🔗 Link in bio to listen

(And if you missed it, the essay + first episode are up now.)

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Santa Cruz, CA

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18314759600

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