Open Studios 2024

A FREE, self-guided, countywide art tour the first three weekends in October.

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About Us

About Us

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Serving the Arts Community

We serve as a connector between artists, arts networks, government leaders, arts advocates, arts educators, and arts education organizations. 
Through grants to artists and arts organizations, arts education programs that serve more than 20,000 youth across Santa Cruz County, and community initiatives such as Open Studios, the Tannery Arts Center, and the Watsonville Center for the Arts, we help Santa Cruz County thrive. 

Our Mission

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

Our Vision

We envision a Santa Cruz County where all artists have access to the resources they need to thrive; where a full range of creative expression is accessible to everyone; and the arts are recognized for their essential contributions to a healthy, vibrant, and representative community.

Our Values

Equity

Through our programs, partnerships, and community investments, we actively dismantle social and racial barriers to the resources artists need to thrive.

Interdependence

We value the individual and the whole, acknowledging that integrated, collaborative approaches foster trust, belonging, and shared progress.

Creativity

Our collective capacity to imagine, create, and inspire, connects us and guides our vision for the future.

Love

We approach our work with courage and passion. We seek to listen deeply, integrate feedback, and act with compassion.

Integrity

We are committed to quality work, to actions that reflect our values, and to showing up and being accountable.

Our Commitment to Equity

We seek to deliberately and continuously address systemic racism and other barriers to opportunity and are committed to promoting equity and inclusion for all Santa Cruz County residents. We know our impact is greater when people from different backgrounds with unique perspectives are included meaningfully in our activities and decision-making processes. We strive to increase equitable opportunities and outcomes by building a board and staff that reflect the communities we serve.

We acknowledge that institutions and systems of power grant privilege and access unequally, especially on the basis of race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status, socioeconomic status, and disability status. The more that these barriers converge, greater limitations to opportunity exist. We recognize our role in supporting large and pervasive disparities in access to the arts and are committed to taking actions to eliminate these disparities and advance equity in our organization and in our community.

Our Team

Learn about the artists, educators, and organizers who make up the dedicated Arts Council Santa Cruz County staff.

Meet Our Team
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Jobs

Join the Arts Council Santa Cruz County team and be part of our mission to nurture and invest in artists, culture, and the arts throughout Santa Cruz County.

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Ways to Give

Support artists, culture, the arts, arts education, and more through the giving method that is best for you.

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Arts Council Santa Cruz County is like a support team that guides and provides you with opportunities to make your creative endeavors into reality.

Josefina RochaGrantee, Teaching Artist & Open Studios Artist
Contact Us to Get Up to Date

Connect with us to get the latest information on our programs, grants, open studios, and more.

Join Our Team of Teaching Artists

Learn about how you can use your talents and energy to turn classrooms into creative educational spaces across the county.