Voice of the
ARTS
November 2020 | Issue 2
Adapting and Supporting the Arts Community in Unprecendented Times
"Mother" by Dyan Berk, from our VCAC Showcase.
As our world remains turned upside down by a global pandemic, so too do we remain unable to gather to experience art together in the usual ways. But of course, artists are a creative bunch, and many in our community are finding new ways to provide and enjoy inspiration through art.

In this edition of our newsletter, we have a few new things to inspire you, including a new show in our online gallery, a public art exibition that you can enjoy while observing social distancing, a new episode of our radio show, TEEN CENTRIC, and video poetry from Ventura County Poet Laureate Luzmaria Espinosa. We also have an important COVID-19 impact survey that we hope you will take a few minutes to fill out.

Finally, we are delighted to include a brief spotlight on two of our dedicated teaching artists. These artists are part of a group of highly talented, experienced and passionate individuals who play a vital role in delivering VCAC's programming to kids and adults throughout our county, and we look forward to introducing you to more of them in future editions of the newsletter.
COVID-19 has hit the arts community hard. Will you take a 5-minute survey so that we may advocate for state and local relief programs?

Californians for the Arts is conducting the survey and will be sharing Ventura County responses with us to assist us in creating local support and programs. There are surveys in English and Spanish for artists and cultural workers, and for creative organizations and businesses.

We encourage everyone to please take the survey and share with your friends and colleagues! The survey closes this Friday, November 27 at 5:00 p.m.
JUST OPENED:
Visit Our Newest Showcase of Local Artists' Work Safely in Person!
Check out our new exhibit from the sidewalk or from your car. Located in the windows at 1985 S. Victoria Ave. in Ventura, it features work by Dyan Berk, Kathy Copsey, Pamela Grau and Richard Peterson now through December 2020.
"The Usual Suspects" by Pamela Grau
TEEN CENTRIC: Sleep Runner
This episode of TEEN CENTRIC discusses Oaxacan immigrant culture, indigenous pride and the struggles of farm workers.
Luzmaria Espinosa: Life is a Sacred Hoop
Watch Ventura County Poet Laureate, Luzmaria Espinosa, recite her poem, Life is a Sacred Hoop.
View Our Latest Online Show: Origin
Reflecting on source, motive, beginnings and histories.
"Self Discovery Journey" by J. Martin
Upcoming Grant Opportunity for
Ventura County Arts Organizations
We will be opening a new grant application window on December 1 for qualifying local arts organizations to receive grants from CARES Act funds that we will receive from the California Arts Council. Check the home page of our website next week to learn more about the grant requirements and application process.
Artists in the Classroom Online
Ask your school or PTA about hiring our teaching artists as part of their distance learning curriculum.
TEACHING ARTIST SPOTLIGHTS
Online & Outdoors: Teaching During a Pandemic
JOE GALARZA
Instagram: @geneticwindsongs

Joe is a muralist, painter, scupltor musician and arts educator. He teaches at community centers and correctional facilities with youth and strives to bring resources through the arts that can serve for a better alternative. His goal is to share with them that they can change and endeavor toward self-determination for a better future despite any odds they face.

With VCAC, Joe has taught mural painting through hands-on projects for our Arts & Youth Justice program, and he is currently teaching a Logo Art Project Zoom Series for the Ventura County Indian Education Consortium, which provides lessons to Native American students in Ventura County to increase knowledge of cultural identity while increasing academic achievement. VCAC has partnered to provide art supplies for students to use at home for this series.
JACQUELINE MOORE
Instagram: @jacquelinefmoore

Jacqueline is working on her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the Pacifica Institute, and she has a BFA from the Academy of Art University. She has co-facilitated VCAC poetry workshops at the Big Brothers, Big Sisters ERC (Evening Reporting Center) in Simi Valley as part of VCAC's Arts & Youth Justice Program.

Also as part of that program, she currently incorporates a trauma-informed sensitivity into outdoor art workshops that include writing, drawing and painting at Trinity House in Oxnard, a community based group home for at-risk adolescent males under court supervision. Trinity House provides a continuum of residential care, from crisis intervention to family reunification.
Support Arts in Ventura County
Your tax-deductible donation will help to provide crucial, sustaining support to our long-running programs which serve students, artists and cultural organizations.
Ventura County Arts Council | vcartscouncil.org