Current Grantees

Current Grantees

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Spring 2023 Create Grantees

Funding for artists and organizations for an arts and/or cultural project taking place in Santa Cruz County

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Monterey Bay Horsemanship & Therapeutic Center

Gallery Exhibits and Art Market Access for Ethnically Diverse Artist's with Disabilities ($800).

Vivien Bassouamina

Kikulu Kia Nza 12th Annual African Dance and Drum Conference in Santa Cruz. ($3,000) dancecongo.com

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Community Music School of Santa Cruz

Free after-school music classes in Live Oak. ($2,475) communitymusicschool.org

Museo Eduardo Carrillo

Mestizáje / Multiracial indigenous online exhibit. ($3,000) museoeduardocarrillo.org

Loubayi Arnaud

Ha Mbongui African dance and drum conference in Santa Cruz at the Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center. ($2,400) gatabantudance.com

Jingtian Zong

Cracks: Investigating infrastructure public art in the City of Santa Cruz. ($2,700) jingtianz.com

Santa Cruz Barrios Unidos

Formerly incarcerated artist works with youth-at-risk to paint Mayan Calendar murals on Soquel Avenue window panels surrounding Barrios Unidos, indicating a safe space and a path to peace. ($2,400) barriosunidos.net

Elisangela D. Sousa

Building community through Afro-Brazilian music and dance. ($2,475)

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Melissa Marzan

Filipino Cultural Mural in Watsonville. ($900) thelettermermaid.com

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Esperanza Community Farms

A writing, poetry, and painting workshop for Watsonville families to make multimedia cards of their favorite food/vegetable with creative stamping using paint, yarn, and the natural items on the farm. ($2,700) esperanzacommunityfarms.org

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Estrellas de Esperanza

La Rama- A Mexican Winter Tradition from Veracruz. ($2,475) facebook.com/EstrellasDeEsperanza

Spring 2023 Develop Grantees

Professional development funding for artists and arts organizations

Gabriela Preciado

Music recording tools & equipment to record debut EP. ($800)

Stephanie Michelet

Weaving materials to teach workshops. ($590) seabrightcrafts.com

Hannah Andrews

Photography equipment to pursue my wildlife photography. ($1,200) instagram.com/hannah_andrews_art

Lynne Todaro

"Arm Chair" outdoor sculpture project. ($1,200) lynnetodaro.com

Olivia Ronan

Macbook Pro 13-inch laptop for editing video projects and advancing performance work. ($1,200) orolives.wixsite.com/oliviaronan

Sarah Bianco

Portable solar generator for outdoor mural & art production. ($1,500) instagram.com/paintingbybianco

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Rebeca Escobedo

Sewing classes and equipment to extend my knowledge and build my brand. ($1,500) instagram.com/soulbextion

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Carrin Olsen

Fine jewelry development inclusive of many disciplines into one pendant. ($800) carrinwear.com

Biagio Scarpello

Glassblowing furnace to support local art glass business. ($1,200) biagio-scarpello.com

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Vincent Waring

To purchase a laptop computer to create art, edit imagery, manage opportunities, document work, correspond with galleries, and further professionalize my art career. ($1,200) vinwaring.com

Michael Alman

To attend the San Francisco Writer's Conference 2024 and pitch my middle-grade novel. ($584) ariotothebook.com

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Kelly Murray

A quality quilting sewing machine to replace an outdated old one. ($800) kellyforniaaaa.com

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Beth Shields

To create a large-scale wall painting on raw canvas, and subsequently stretch it on 5ft square stretcher bars so it can be moved to other venues (including Gallery 125 at the Tannery). ($725) bethshields.com

Jennifer Gonzalez Huerta

Tecnología para ampliar la calidad de mi trabajo y tener más oportunidades de venta. (Technology to expand the quality of my work and have more sales opportunities.) ($800)

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Karina North

Participar en Open Studios (Participate in Open Studios) ($600)

Jan 2023 Create Grantees

Funding for artists and organizations for an arts and/or cultural project taking place in Santa Cruz County

Francisco Alonso ($3,000) – Publicación de 40 libros de arte con 20 de mis obras originales y una breve narración por cada una en español e inglés. 20 de ellos los donaré a bibliotecas, “juvenile hall centers,” cárceles de adultos y a escuelas. (Publication of 40 books of art with 20 of my original work and a brief narrative for each in English and Spanish. 20 will be donated to libraries, juvenile hall centers, prisons, and schools).

Loubayi Arnaud ($2,400) – Ha Mbongui African dance and drum conference at Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center in May 2023, including dance and drum classes, African vendors (clothes, jewelry, food, art), and a performance.

Pablo Calderaro ($3,000) – Huitzil-Ollin: Autonomous Music & Arts Collective Supporting Grassroots Land Defense & Agriculture through a 4 song EP and a free culminating performance event. The event will be based around creating solidarity, lifting up community voices, & addressing community issues, and potentially take place on agricultural land.

Julia Chiapella ($1,000) – The Hive Poetry Collective is collaborating with Bookshop Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History to present The Hive Live!, a series of bi-monthly poetry readings free to the public beginning in January 2023 and continuing through November. At least two poets will be featured at each reading with a focus on BIPOC, queer, and disabled poets.

Brenda Leach ($2,400) – Bodypainting art to foster body acceptance for 13 people processing physical changes. Projects may include people dealing with cancer, mastectomy, eating disorders, effects of dialysis, pregnancy, gender issues, etc. The art will be artistically photographed, and some images will be printed on canvas for future exhibition along with quotes and words about the person’s experience.

Andrew Purchin ($3,000) – What’s Home? An Evening of Creative Listening Across Differences will present new music, theater & dance performances with documentary screenings about each artist’s collaboration with housed and unhoused individuals that informed these new artworks.

Genevieve Rico ($800) – Writing and developing a short film within Santa Cruz County (Watsonville focus), exploring the stigma behind grief within the Latinx/e family culture.

Lauren Seales – String Theory ($2,400) - A new musical piece for lyricist and violin, approximately 5-7 minutes in length, to be created, recorded and performed in a collaboration between Isaac Collins (hip hop lyricist) and Edwin Huizinga (violinist and composer), stemming from a calling to address white supremacy in classical music.

Shared Adventures ($2,200) – Weekly art class for individuals with physical and developmental challenges, covering a range of art media and styles, starting with pastel sketching, pencil drawing, water colors, acrylic paints, various 3D media, and photography. Experiences with life models and plein air painting will be included. A goal is to have a group project in the Santa Cruz County Fair as well as any opportunity for a mural or public art and at least one First Friday event.

All About Theatre ($3,000) – Building a resilient future: Capturing the Youth Pandemic Experience with Theater Arts – Youth from all over the county will participate in a creative writing, composing, performance piece as a series of workshops. The project will explore how youth experienced the lockdown, record their concerns, fears, and dreams during this time of great change.

Jan 2023 Develop Grantees

Professional development funding for artists and arts organizations

Samantha Bounkeua ($1,000) – To purchase studio audio equipment to expand the range of production possibilities for the release of 2023 music catalog for synch licensing.

Sarah Buckius ($1,500) – To pay for large-scale printing of illustrations/designs for exhibition at The University of Michigan, The Institute for Research on Women and Gender and the Women’s and Gender Studies Department, Lane Hall Exhibit Space, in May 2023

Denise Chasin ($750) – To attend an advanced painting weekend with artist Laureen Mantecon in New Mexico. This is a continuation of the past 10 month “Deep Dive Program.”

Crystal Contreras* ($1,000) – To take a papermaking workshop and a block printing course, and to purchase linoprinting equipment to further my lino art creations

Farnaz Fatemi ($875) –To develop freelance writing opportunities through website development and professional coursework

Elhadji Faye* ($1,000) – To purchase African Djembe Drums for teaching

Melody Overstreet ($1,500) – To attend a series of workshops on Natural Dyeing to further my skills in Textile Arts.

Krista Pollock* ($1,500)– To purchase a good computer that will further accommodate Digital Media work.

Josefina Rocha Vega ($750) – To purchase painting materials to further expand my presence as a local artist via website, art markets/fairs, open studios, and gallery showings.

Royal Eagle Bear Productions ($1,200) – To relocate the de la Riva Herstory archive to Santa Cruz County.

Virginia Sajan ($1,500) – Updated equipment (three lenses and a backup camera body) for my art/photography business.

Jackson Sales ($1,000) – Fresco Painting Intensive at the Muralism School of Oaxaca

Santa Cruz Art League ($1,200) – National Association of Latino Arts & Culture (NALAC) Advocacy Leadership Institute

Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center* ($1,500) – To hire an HR consultant to assist with establishing staff pay rates and create an employee handbook.

Marissa Walker ($1,500) – To attend metal fabrication workshop with Nicole Ringhold.

Bev Zerbib-Berda* ($684.20) – Corelite Kiln Shelves, for studio 120 at the Tannery, to be used by four women ceramic artists.

April Zilber ($1,395) – To purchase cold-working equipment to tune fused glass bell plates by grinding.

*Tannery loft/studio tenant, funded by the Tannery Program

Jan 2023 Support Grantees

General operating support for nonprofit arts organizations and fiscally-sponsored arts groups

Actors’ Theater of Santa Cruz ($3,000)

Arte Del Corazón ($6,000)

Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music ($7,000)

Distinguished Artists ($4,500)

Indexical ($5,000)

Kuumbwa Jazz Society ($4,000)

Motion Pacific ($6,000)

Natural Bridges Media ($5,000)

Pajaro Valley Arts* ($7,000)

Royal Eagle Bear Productions* ($7,000)

Santa Cruz Art League ($4,000)

Santa Cruz County Youth Symphony ($4,000)

Santa Cruz Juneteenth ($3,500)

Santa Cruz Museum of Art & History (MAH) ($4,000)

Santa Cruz Shakespeare ($7,000)

Santa Cruz Symphony ($4,000)

Scotts Valley Community Theater Guild ($3,000)

Senderos* ($7,000)

Tandy Beal ($4,000)

Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center ($5,000)

The 418 Project ($3,000)

The Beat Within ($3,000)

West Creative Performing Arts ($4,500)

William James Association ($2,500)

*Two-year grant awarded as pilot multi-year funding strategy for the Support Grant program

2021-2024 Elevate Grantees

Funding to “elevate” a cohort of arts organizations to the next level of success over a three-year period.

Fall 2022 SPECTRA Grantees

Matching grants to bring arts education opportunities into schools and organizations across Santa Cruz County to enhance their arts education programs. .

Green Acres Elementary ($1,450) - Michael Katz, storytelling performance

Live Oak Elementary ($2,000) - Travis Adams, ceramics workshop

Shoreline Middle ($2,000) - after-school mural project

Pacific Elementary ($1,500) - Terri Steinmann, theater residency

Calabasas Elementary ($2,000) - Mural residency

Lakeview Middle ($2,000) - Augusto Alvarez, dance residency

Watsonville Charter School for the Arts ($2,000) - Debbie Wu, visual Arts residency

Bayview ($1,050) - Nora Sarkkissian, after-school ceramics residency

Brook Knoll Elementary ($1,000)- Tandy Beal and Co, dance residency

Soquel Elementary ($1,000) - West Theatre, theater residency

Community dance classes ($2,000) - Folklorico Estrellas 

Community music classes ($2,000) - Activities 4 All