OC Arts Awards Honorees Announced

Newsletter

June 26, 2021

News about and for Orange County's arts community

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21st OC Arts Awards Honorees Announced

Multi-award-winning Broadway, TV and film actress Jonelle Allen, a 42-year long Orange County resident; longtime Daily Pilot theatre writer and critic Tom Titus; and the 100+ year old Laguna Playhouse will be honored with the Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award by Arts Orange County at its 21st OC Arts Awards on October 19th at Segerstrom Center for the Arts' Samueli Theater. Achievement awards will be given for Outstanding Public Art to FLIGHT at Tustin Legacy Murals and to Emerging Arts Leader Maurizzio Hector Pineda. A special award will be given to the Orange County Board of Supervisors to recognize their generous allocation of federal COVID relief funding to the Orange County arts community. More details about this year's event may be found here. Information about past honorees and the 2019 event may be found here.

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ArtsOC Board Meets In Person First Time Since February 2020!

On Wednesday, Arts Orange County held its first live, in person, on site meeting of its Board of Directors since February 2020. During that time, we had elected ten new members with whom not all of our incumbents were well-acquainted (except from our Zoom meetings!). Our lunch meeting consisted almost entirely of introductions and learning about each others’ lives and work, after which we popped open champagne (and Martinelli’s) and toasted the return to normal! Later this year, we look forward to undergoing a fresh strategic planning process with our Board and staff. Meet our Board and Staff here. (Photos: Kim Le)

COUNTY ARTS RELIEF FUNDING

Following ArtsOC's successful advocacy with the Orange County Board of Supervisors that resulted in $5 million in arts relief funds being designated from its American Rescue Plan Act allocation, the first two County Districts have announced their funding programs--each of the five districts received $1M and be custom designed by that Supervisor's office.

If your nonprofit arts organization or arts related business is located in District 4, details are here.

If you are in District 5, you will find the information here.

When Districts 1, 2 and 3 announce their programs, we will share that information with you.

NEA's ARTS RELIEF GRANT PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

NEA’s ARP (American Rescue Plan Act) Direct Grants to Arts and Culture Organizations Guidelines are now available and the Application Deadline is Thursday, August 12, 2021. Approximately $60 million will be available for this category for grant amounts of $50,000, $100,00, or $150,000.

OTHER NEA GRANT DEADLINES APPROACH

The next round of Grants for Arts Projects, offering grants of $10,000 to $100,000 for project support, have a deadline of July 8.

"Our Town" Grants of $25,000 to $150,000 for creative placemaking have a deadline of August 5.

Important reminder: applicants must have a DUNS number and must be registered with SAM.gov and grants.gov. Those registrations can take 2-3 weeks to process

NEWPORT BEACH ARTS FOUNDATION HONORS LILA CRESPIN

On Thursday, June 10, Dr. Lila Crespin, Ph.D., (above center in pink), was honored for her arts activism and advocacy by the Newport Beach Arts Commissioners on behalf of Mayor Avery and the City Council. The city’s esteemed art matriarch was presented with an emeritus award for her prominent role on the Newport Beach Arts Foundation board.

For 22 years, the Newport Beach Arts Foundation has worked together with the Newport Beach Arts Commission to keep art and cultural events at the forefront of city program offerings. Crespin has played an integral role in art advocacy, first as an arts commissioner, then as a leader of the Arts Foundation.

Read more about her in StuNews here.

BOWERS MUSEUM RECOGNIZES LONGTIME PRESIDENT PETER C. KELLER

Peter C. Keller was honored by the Bowers Museum for his 30 years as its President when its Board revealed at its annual dinner that it has named one of its entrances for him. Pictured above are Keller (right), Anne Shih, Chair, and John H. Lee, Vice Chair.

Read more about Keller's tenure in this recent Orange Coast magazine article.

DÍA DEL NIÑO FESTIVAL CONTINUES FREE STREAMING THROUGH JULY 31

ArtsOC & Media Arts Santa Ana's 2021 Día del Niño Festival took place virtually in April, but arrangements were made with the participating artists to continue free streaming of the 15 performances and 28 workshops through July 31st. You may access all the videos here.

UPDATE: CITY COUNCIL WILL NOW PROVIDE LIMITED FUNDS TO RE-OPEN MUSEUM

"Following months of uncertainty about its future, the Fullerton Museum Center has received enough funding to operate on a reduced schedule through the rest of 2021. The City will also reimburse the Fullerton Museum Center Association over $ 51,770 for expenses incurred while the facility has been closed. Rather than allocate any funding in its annual budget, passed on June 1, the Council chose to award the Museum $100,000 from the City’s General Fund, enough for the Museum to operate three days per week for about six months." Read more in the Fullerton Observer article here.

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