Every month, the Arts Council funds wonderful community art projects and professional development opportunities up to $1,000. Here are the five diverse projects that received funding last month:
• Sewing Rebellion is a group created by artist and past Arts Council Professional Artist Fellow, Carole Frances Lung. This edition of Sewing Rebellion takes place at the LGBTQ Center of Long Beach. The project includes a sewing cart with three sewing machines, drop-in hours and weekly sewing classes. The program serves people experiencing homelessness, LGBTQ Center clients looking to create clothing they feel comfortable in and Center clients interested in fiber arts and learning to sew.
• Figurative Sculpture Workshop is a free, 10-week sculpture workshop with a live model taught by artist Lek Borja. The classes are open to anyone interested in learning traditional figurative art and sculpting the human figure. Stay tuned for workshop dates and location.
• The Don Gibbs Mural is a collaboration between the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association, local architect Don Gibbs and local artists. The mural will be located at Atlantic Avenue and San Antonio in Bixby Knolls. In addition to the mural, the group plans to host monthly artist talks at the site to engage the local community and local artists.
• Local Artist Bruna Massadas has accepted a residency at the Vermont Studio Center. This professional development microgrant will support Massadas by covering part of the fees for the residency.
• An Art Against Dementia is a 12-week program for seniors that aims to prevent the onset of dementia through a unique combination of conceptual art and brain science. The project is the brainchild of local artist and psychology graduate Colette Brown. The workshops take place at the California State University, Long Beach Centro Salud es Cultura in downtown Long Beach and will provide critical research data on the effectiveness of preventing dementia through art.
Microgrants are due on the 15th of every month. The Arts Council recently revised microgrant guidelines to streamline the process and make it easier to apply and receive funding. For more information on the Arts Council’s microgrant program and other grants, please visit www.artslb.org/services/grants.