The Cultural and Creative Arts Center of the Santa Maria Valley, Corazón del Pueblo, was recently featured in the Spring 2020 Grant Awards Celebration hosted by the Fund for Santa Barbara. The program being funded is called ART-vocacy: Raising the Immigrant Latino Voice through the Arts; it is receiving $10,000.
ART-vocacy is a term used to describe advocacy primarily driven by cultural and creative arts. Funding will support the annual 100,000 Poets for Change event in Santa Maria Valley and facilitate a community art drive featuring the work of local artists to be used for social change projects.
The 100,000 Poets for Change project, set for Saturday, Sept. 26, will virtually celebrate alongside poets, musicians and artists around the world in a demonstration/celebration to promote peace and sustainability, and call for serious social, environmental and political change. Each year, some 450 cities representing 100 countries, take part in the event.
The ART-vocacy project will educate and inform the community on the importance of the Latinx social issues including gender equity, environmental impacts, immigration rights, and the importance of art in the Santa Maria Valley. Guidance will be provided to artists interested in sharing their voices through art to advocate for social change.
It is hoped that the community, including elected officials, law-makers, and the public, will recognize that art can influence change and activate local support for movements and initiatives related to social justice. The digitally delivered celebration can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4KJwJPCX3k.
The Fund for Santa Barbara is a 501(c3) nonprofit community foundation that advances progressive change by investing in local social movements dedicated to social, political, economic, and environmental justice. Money is raised via donations of all sizes to provide grants and technical assistance to local grassroots efforts and nurture coalitions across Santa Barbara County.
The group supports community-based projects working for “Change, Not Charity” through a such strategies as community organizing, direct action, popular education, legislative advocacy, and the arts. For more visit www.fundforsantabarbara.org.
Corazón del Pueblo: The Cultural and Creative Arts Center of Santa Maria Valley promotes creative expression in the performing, visual and literary arts, preserving the heritages that empower multicultural futures. The group fosters an understanding of shared communities by validating their arts, building pride and respect for all who make up the Santa Maria Valley.
Toward these ends, the SMCC invites community partnerships with agencies and organizations such as civic and educational institutions, nonprofits, and community residents. For more, call 805-598-5344 or visit https://tinyurl.com/CorazondelPueblo.