Arts Connection & Art Leaders Represent San Bernardino County During Arts Advocacy Week in Sacramento!
(Left to Right: Ulises Rodriguez - Arts Connection Associate Director, Dyami Ruiz - Arts Connection Board Member, Brandon Allen - SB Poet, Kristen Dolan - California Desert Arts Council Executive Director, Rachel Dzikonski - Riverside Arts Council Executive Director, Heidi Schwegler - Yucca Valley Material Lab Executive Director, Michael Segura - The Garcia Center for the Arts Executive Director, Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez - Arts Connection Executive Director)
Arts Connection is proud to share that we recently met with elected officials, arts leaders, and community advocates to uplift the priorities of San Bernardino County’s creative sector. This advocacy effort was made possible through collaboration with CA for the Arts, CA Art Advocates, the California Arts Council, and many dedicated SLPs and artists who organized to ensure that our region’s voices were not just heard — but recognized as essential to California’s cultural future. It’s through these collective efforts that we continue to affirm the importance of creativity, cultural heritage, and access to the arts across all communities.
At the CA for the Arts, Culture, and Creativity Summit, we stood alongside incredible leaders from The Garcia Center for the Arts, Yucca Valley Material Lab, and poet Brandon Allen, representing the diverse creative spirit of San Bernardino County. We were joined by our neighbors Riverside Arts Council and the California Desert Arts Council, reinforcing the deep ties between our regional and statewide partners. These conversations, panels, and meetings created powerful opportunities to advocate directly for the needs and dreams of artists, organizations, and communities across Inland Southern California.
Together, we are pushing for the restoration of critical arts funding that supports the cultural health and resilience of our region. Our shared advocacy focuses on securing $5 million for the California Arts Council, $5 million to strengthen Cultural Districts aligned with the People’s Plan (created by Just San Bernardino), continued investment in arts job programs like Creative Corps and Arts in the Park, and the restoration of $27.9 million to the Museum Grant Program — ensuring that vital institutions like Humanities California can continue their mission. We’re proud to stand with our community and statewide partners to help safeguard the future of the arts in California.
(Picture 1 Left to Right: Dyami Ruiz - Arts Connection Board Member, Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez - Arts Connection Executive Director, Dr. Maria Rosario Jackson - Former Chair for the National Endowment for the Arts, Ulises Rodriguez - Arts Connection Associate Director)
(Picture 2 Left to Right: Dyami Ruiz - Arts Connection Board Member, Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez - Arts Connection Executive Director, Danielle Brazell - California Arts Council Executive Director, Ulises Rodriguez - Arts Connection Associate Director)
