4/17/09 - A quiet renaissance has been happening with the arts in Monterey County. The rejuvenation occurring right now in our region is mirrored throughout the country by communities and artists who seek to discover fresh ways to develop and sustain rich cultural environments.

This cultural emergence does not appear to be a quick-passing fashion or curiosity. The signs point to a true sea change, to a profound reassessment of the importance of arts, fueled by a passion to awaken people, groups and neighborhoods to the joys of active participation in the creative side of life.

This is not to suggest that organizations and individuals involved in the arts are uniformly thriving or that struggles to expand arts education, audience development and revenue generation, etc., have significantly lessened. For this is not the case. These issues remain poignantly urgent in the views of those who work in these arenas.

Though it is beyond the scope of this short article to examine in depth the reasons for this cultural renewal, it is possible to point to a few of its grace notes here in Monterey County.

Paulette Lynch, executive director of the Monterey County Arts Council (formerly the Cultural Council for Monterey County), and Kira Carillo Corser, art project coordinator for the Community Foundation for Monterey County, have unique perspectives on this arts renewal. They serve as coordinators of a large grant from the James Irvine Foundation, received by the Community Foundation and allocated for support of the arts.

The foundation was awarded a three-year, $400,000 grant as part of a $4.25 million initiative intended to build new, sustainable funding streams for the arts. Irvine funds were given to community foundations in seven other California communities as well.

"Communities Advancing the Arts brings together the Irvine Foundation's commitment to community foundations and our belief in the importance of the arts to all Californians," said James E. Canales, Irvine's president and chief executive officer.

Corser, a photographic artist, writer and video producer, explains that the foundations that receive the funds decide how to best build the arts in their respective regions.

"In Monterey County there is a component of the project where I work with Paulette on helping build sustainability," said Corser. "That means helping to build the future audience (and ensure) that arts people and organizations all across the county can communicate instantly with each other and the Arts Council, the Community Foundation and other organizations."

In addition, the foundation, which itself generously funds the arts, is offering a set of management development workshops to help arts organizations become stronger, based on the principal that building infrastructure is as important as building audience.

Lynch, a dedicated and experienced arts executive who founded First Night Monterey, took over the directorship of the Arts Council in 2004 and has shown herself to be a tireless and enthusiastic arts advocate and leader.

The Irvine grant has allowed the Arts Council to dramatically upgrade its Web site.

"It will become more of an arts portal," Lynch says. "We are in the process of amending the site so it includes everything from neighborhood dance classes to grant opportunities. We see the Web site as a way for the community to communicate about everything going on in the arts in this region and even a little bit beyond Monterey County. This is very exciting from our perspective and we never could have done it without that grant."

The new Web site is expected to be online by the end of this month.

"We are able to present programs like the Audience Development Network and the Arts Day Seminar we put on last year so we can share information on the latest trends, on research in arts marketing, specifically because of the support from the James Irvine monies, Lynch said.

A proud moment for the Arts Council and the Community Foundation took place last week when SpectorDance of Marina and the Alisal Center for the Fine Arts joined creative forces to present Common Ground, a dance/media project exploring California agriculture.

"It was spectacular!" said Lynch, "And very moving: a powerful encounter in which people involved who had worked in the fields felt that their perspective was fully realized and the people who had never worked in the fields were able to get a sense of it. The dancers Fran Spector was able to work with were top of the line because she had some funding. They were so strong and beautiful. I can't say enough about the Communities in the Arts fund."

The women say it has been extraordinarily rewarding for all participants to be directly involved in this rejuvenation experience.

"We got to a place where it was really scary," says Lynch, "where everything seemed to be in decline and it was just so painful. Artists don't need a lot in order to create wonderful results but they do need something to start with."

As an observer at the last FAN (Future Audiences Network) Breakfast, it was fascinating to watch more than 50 bright, spirited arts folk overflow in the conference room at Oldemyer Center in Seaside, where the event was being held last month, eagerly absorbing the excellent presentations on how to use modern media such as podcasting and Web pages to build their audiences.

This morning the FAN breakfast takes place between 8:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. on the topic of "Who Are You and Who Do They Say That You Are?: Defining and Defending our Image In a Crowded Market... with a Shoestring Budget." The meeting is co-hosted by Paper Wing Theater Company and Artistas Unidos Arts United and is held this month at the Fox Theater in Salinas.

This evening in Salinas between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., the organizations co-sponsor another event -- First Friday Art Walk.

The question is asked "Where is Art?" The answer is a resounding, "Art is Here," meaning throughout Oldtown Salinas, where more than 40 galleries and business are hosting receptions for local artists. There will be live music, food, art and plenty for kids as well as adults.

Corser says Where is Art? is "a collaborative project to promote public dialogue and increase public understanding about art as a creative way of thinking, with many layers affecting many areas of ordinary life. We hope the project will form links in the community, between the business, tourism and the arts communities to support the local economy."

The word "collaboration" comes up over and over again. Artists are gathering, communicating, sharing, developing joint creative projects and cross-cultural programs and building strong new visions in ways never seen in this county. Individual and organizational isolation in the arts appears to be a fading and a new paradigm of mutual support and creative partnership emerging.

The best part -- everyone is welcome to the arts experience; no humans left behind.

by Barbara Rose Shuler