Artists are integral to healthy communities, and the arts are a societal cornerstone that bring people together, build community, and foster social progress. The Artists Activating Communities program supports artistic residencies by centralizing artists and their artistic processes as vehicles for community vitality. Funded projects are artist-driven, and engage community members as active participants.

This grant, along with matching funds from the San Bernardino Fine Arts Commission of $10,000 dollars, will support the creation of a living artwork by the artist collective, Fallen Fruit. The project will take place at The Garcia Center for the Arts in the City of San Bernardino, with satellite locations in the surrounding neighborhood. It will include a variety of citrus trees, hand-crafted wooden picnic tables etched with community quotes, and be accompanied by a suite of public participatory projects, culminating in a zine and an exhibition. Printmaker Bob Hurton (aka Uncle Bacon), and Inlandia’s Poet Laureate, Nikia Chaney, will work with Fallen Fruit and community participants on the creation of the Zine.

“We had such a positive response to Fallen Fruit’s keynote at our annual conference last October, we had to bring them back to do a project. Their work really brings the community together!” said Danielle Giudici Wallis, the Executive Director of Arts Connection, the arts council for San Bernardino County.

The California Arts Council’s Artists Activating Communities grant program is now in its second year. Arts Connection is one of just 62 grantees chosen for this highly competitive program, which received applications from 99 organizations statewide. The news of Arts Connection’s grant was featured as part of a larger announcement from the California Arts Council, which can be viewed online at http://arts.ca.gov/news/pressreleases.php.

“The value of artists to their respective communities cannot be understated,” said Donn K. Harris, Chair of the California Arts Council. “They are an essential part of the framework that defines the area in which they live, preserving its past, examining its present, and cultivating its future. The California Arts Council looks forward to witnessing the impact of this collaboration between Arts Connection and Fallen Fruit and The Garcia Center for the Arts through this Artists Activating Communities project.”

To view a complete listing of all Artists Activating Communities grantees, visit http://arts.ca.gov/programs/files/AAC_Grantees_2016-17_FINAL.pdf.

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Arts Connection is dedicated to stimulating creative and economic vitality and enriching lives throughout the communities we serve by providing support, promotion, education, and advocacy for the arts.

Arts Connection was created to share knowledge and resources, supporting initiatives that engage, encourage and advocate community building through the arts.

The mission of the California Arts Council, a state agency, is to advance California through the arts and creativity. The Council is committed to building public will and resources for the arts; fostering accessible arts initiatives that reflect contributions from all of California’s diverse populations; serving as a thought leader and champion for the arts; and providing effective and relevant programs and services.

Members of the California Arts Council include: Chair Donn K. Harris, Vice Chair Nashormeh Lindo, Larry Baza, Phoebe Beasley, Christopher Coppola, Juan Devis, Kathleen Gallegos, Jaime Galli, Louise McGuinness, Steven Oliver, and Rosalind Wyman. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.