The Alliance for Hispanic Advancement created a program in Yuba and Sutter Counties to teach youth the art of Mariachi music and Ballet Folklórico. The Youth Mariachi Orchestra was trained by multiple culture bearers and arts educators and performed at public events to introduce all members of the community to these art forms. Performances took place at local cultural festivals, service club meetings, libraries, and museums and for other special occasions. This program will help break down social justice and cultural barriers and enable the students, who live in the lowest quartiles of the CA HPI, to rise above and take pride in these native cultural art forms.

"Personally, I had the satisfaction of instilling cultural pride to students that were unaware of this beautiful traditional genre, mariachi. Our instructional team bonded through music by having one thing in common, exposing our youth to almost forgotten traditions. The most evident impact was seeing the students' growth from shy kids to confident musicians that performed with pride while many embracing their heritage."

County: Yuba and Sutter

Program Goals: Public Health, and Social Justice

Almanor Recreation and Park Department, in partnership with a local muralist, a team of high school art students, and the Maidu Summit Consortium designed and created two public murals adjacent to a new community garden. Through cross cultural discussions and inter-generational learning opportunities these community members designed murals that promote healthy lifestyles through outdoor activity, healthy eating, social interaction, and the lasting relevance of native culture and community history. These murals were installed by and for communities in the lowest quartile as indicated by the HPI.

County: Plumas

Program Goals: Public Health, and Social Justice

Indigenous artists of Coastal & Northern Pomo (Antoinette Ascencio), Southern Pomo (Michael Racho), and Tongva-Chumash (Monique Sonoquie) descent, engaged Tribal and rural communities, bringing community awareness about the importance of conservation and climate in relation to Traditional arts and environmental sustainability to support the well-being of current and future generations.

County: Mendocino

Program Goals: Environmental Issues and Social Justice

Associated Hayfork Artists engaged community to vision a more positive future for Hayfork, using the artistic process to dismantle issues around race, poverty, and rural access. By creating an inclusive environment for conscientious art making, we celebrate identity and use artistic expression to connect contemporary manifestations of oppression to historical contexts, develop a deeper understanding of our lived experiences and a stronger cultural identity for Hayfork as a whole community.

County: Trinity

Program Goals: Civic Engagement, Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

Astrid Mendieta created a coloring book and facilitated art workshops for vulnerable communities at Kings Beach, in the lowest quartile of the California Healthy Places Index. The coloring book is bilingual in English and Spanish and tells Señor Taquito's story through his healthy lifestyle practices. Community workshops taught acrylic painting with local produce, with wild plants and plant roots as a focus, symbolizing the importance of wellbeing, ancestry, family and community.

County: Placer

Program Goals: Public Health, and Social Justice

Autie Carlisle created two episodes of Shasta Stories, a 12 part docuseries highlighting the diversity, history, and fortitude of individuals and communities in Siskiyou County. The series creates awareness about racism, ageism, and the environment; examined with the intent to create active change in the community to increase equity and environmental healing into the future. We hosted free community events and offered episodes online.

"The confidence and funds we received from this team and grant for our documentaries and events, Shasta Stories, has boosted us to actualize this project in meaningful ways to help our rural community to share their stories."

County: Siskiyou

Program Goals:Environmental Issues and Social Justice

Blue Line Arts partnered with contemporary place-based artist and culture bearer Tiffany Adams for a visual arts and curatorial residency project uplifting Indigenous artists. Adams, who is Chemehuevi/Koyoomk’awi/Nisenan, curated and interpreted a group show with, by, and for Indigenous artists, develop her own solo exhibition with a performance piece as a participating resident, and plan an Indigenous Art Market event to engage the regional community around issues of social/restorative justice, civic engagement, and environmental protection through the lens of Indigenous peoples.

"This Creative Corps grant has had a profound impact on how Blue Line Arts serves and strengthens relationships with under represented artists and community members of all ages. Having the opportunity to collaborate and support Tiffany Adams in bringing her vision to life has been inspiring, fruitful and educational for our entire team. We look forward to continuing this important work in the future."

Counties: Placer

Program Goals: Civic Engagement, Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

Brady McKay and Taylor Aglipay formed a countywide all-inclusive "upcycled" percussion/vocal ensemble. This all ages ensemble provided opportunities for intergenerational learning while addressing health equity and environmental issues. Rehearsals were held throughout the region to promote accessibility to the most underserved portions of the community. The project included live performances and culminated with a professionally produced music video distributed across social media platforms, with the cooperation of several local organizations. Filmed in various locations throughout the county, the music video features the beautiful landscape and diverse people of Trinity County.

County: Trinity

Program Goals: Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

Artist Brandon Greathouse lead a social justice awareness campaign for artists in affordable housing in the High Sierra. Through stirring podcasts and community engagement, Empowering Voices lends agency to those seeking relief from California’s workforce housing crisis, as they find creative ways to breathe life into a world of impossible odds—solving everyday problems and contributing to the social fabric of an area threatened by gentrification.

County: Nevada

Program Goals: Civic Engagement, Public Health, and Social Justice

Butte County Local Food Network lead an awareness campaign for public health, on why eating locally grown food is an essential component of wellbeing for people, animals, community, our local economy and the planet. Via inspiring visual art and education we respectfully supported building a community that grows food together to empower us during a collapsing food system and builds an insurance policy for food sovereignty now and for the future.

"This grant has enabled us to get the word out in both personal and lasting ways. It enabled us to do more outreach to the community, start some neighborhood groups and engage painters to make images for our use on our website and out in the public via murals, signs and Free The Food Stands (FTFS). These stands provide a place to be a guerilla food distribution source, while connecting gardeners with excess with those who need more food. Ultimately we are extremely grateful for the community support this generous grant made possible now and for the future of our food supply."

County: Butte

Program Goals: Civic Engagement, Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

The Story of Land, Water, and People builds on the foundation of California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project (CHIRP) ’s Visibility through Art initiative by coordinating collaborations among artists and Tribal culture bearers to increase public awareness and engage the public related to environment-related issues including water, land and social justice.

"This is the first time that CHIRP's Visibility Through Arts Program has received outside funding, which made it possible for CHIRP to compensate Tribal Members and collaborating artists for the first time. This was a very rewarding outcome for all involved. These funds helped to elevate and expand the work that CHIRP and the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe already engage in within the arts for social change movement. The immersive arts exhibit that was produced through this project has helped to educate the public around Indigenous social justice and environmental issues which directly contributes to a more equitable future for the Tribe within their ancestral homelands."

County: Nevada

Program Goals: Environmental Issues and Social Justice

Image Credit: Robert Bryant

The Center for the Study of the Force Majeure (CFM) facilitated collaborations with tribal members, artists and scientists in Nevada and Placer Counties, with a focus on plants important to Washoe culture bearers. A 50-year art/science experiment by CFM at the UC Berkeley Sagehen Creek Field Station was extended and a new Future Garden designed. The project supported three master/apprentice teams of Washoe artists and 7 Sagehen artist residencies.

"Stewarding Knowledges was designed to serve Tribal members on whose traditional homelands the project areas lie in Placer and Nevada Counties. It supports a partnership between Wà:šiw and public artists, benefiting those who use public lands at both sites: Sagehen Creek Field Station in Nevada County and the Gatekeepers Basketry Museum in Placer County. That grant has a allowed this partnership to flourish"

Counties: Nevada and Placer

Program Goals: Environmental Issues and Social Justice

https://www.centerforforcemajeure.org/

Centro del Pueblo Movimiento Indigena Migrante formed a sustainable arts and Latinx culture program, promoting diversity and community advancement in Humboldt. Artistas Santuario, a community of artists and cultural bearers, lead traditional and innovative workshops and events at Sanctuary Gardens to transform the social landscape.

"Receiving this grant has been a transformative experience for our team and the Latinx and Indigenous immigrant voices we serve. It has enabled us to support and empower local artists and cultural bearers. With this funding, we've been able to create cultural and artistic activities in Humboldt County expanding diversity and representation. This grant has validated our efforts to make a True Sanctuary in Humboldt County, inspiring us to continue advocating for and uplifting our community."

County: Humboldt

Program Goals: Civic Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

Our team of artists at Chico Creative Reuse produced and hosted a mobile creative reuse center featuring art made from upcycled materials, interactive activities and opportunities for art and makers resource exchange. Through our efforts we aim to engage the public and community leaders for increasing dialogue, advocacy and action relating climate mitigation through waste diversion and to provide a creative resource recovery model for our region.

"Receiving the Upstate CA Creative Corps grant has been transformative for our team and the Chico Creative Reuse Mobile project. The support provided validation and recognition of our efforts to engage communities about waste diversion and climate mitigation.

Over the past year artists provided contributions that have set a high standard and shown the immense value of such initiatives for the future. The team's unique approach to engagement and innovative techniques in creative reuse have truly engaged and enriched the community. We truly enjoyed seeing community members admire the art in the gallery, explore and find treasures in the resource recovery area and get creative in the makerspace. The feedback from participants have been overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the transformative nature of their work.

"This grant has empowered us to engage with the community, fostering meaningful connections and implementing effective strategies that have a tangible impact on the environment. It's more than just funding; it's about the momentum it brings, a catalyst for change and progress."

County: Butte

Program Goal: Environmental Issues

The LABELS project group created an interactive exhibition on the role of assumptions in maintaining our social divides, especially as they relate to the growing crisis of homelessness. Using written word, visual art and film, both participants and viewers were asked to name their assumptions on both sides of being homeless, in deciding how best to respond to this social, civic and humanitarian issue.

"This grant enabled our team to put our "Labels" project together with due thoughtfulness, time and with exceptional community support so that the homeless population we worked with were given a public voice. It enabled us to design and create both an exhibition and a documentary that we are continuing to show and look forward to building future collaborations based on its structure. We have learned a great deal about the issues around homelessness and the struggle to separate those from the people experiencing this. We soon realized that the two are separate entities that connect but are not the same. Our regard for the group and agencies working to resolve and offer support as people navigate out of their situations greatly increased as a result of our working on this project. We are energized by our participants' enthusiasm for their voice being heard, so much so that we continue to look for more avenues to show and utilize what we have created."

Counties: Butte, Shasta and Tehama

Program Goals: Civic Engagement, Environmental Issues, and Social Justice

Christopher LaMarr created film curriculum through the Native Elder Youth Curriculum Film Project. The Project created film curriculum by having local Native American Youth interview local Native American Elders about the history of Native Americans' impact and experience in Lassen County. This film formed a key part of the awareness campaign by the Susanville Indian Rancheria, and was shared broadly across generations, supported by Lassen Union High School District; as well as shown at film festivals.

"Working on the documentary has brought our youth and elders together to create a better understanding of the need for and importance of continuing Native American culture. Our youth became empowered and had their voice heard, while our elders rejoiced in having value of their cultural knowledge appreciated by our youth."

County: Lassen

Program Goal: Social Justice

Colectiva Seeds of Ancestral Renewal (SOAR) aims to increase wellness and health equity at the intersections between Siskiyou and Modoc Counties by offering a series of free and bilingual seasonal Wellness Gatherings in Dorris, Tulelake, and Alturas that are centered on traditional ways. Although open to all community members, our hope is to cultivate spaces that center the Spanish-speaking, Latin@/Hispanic, and Indigenous community experience and to provide opportunities for engagement in cultural arts practices and arts-based healing.

Counties: Siskiyou and Modoc

Program Goals: Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

California naturalist Laura Leidner installed a renewable, free, and interactive seed library at the Colusa County Free Library, to increase community awareness of the environmental benefits of native plants and address food insecurity. As part of this experiential art project, Leidner organized workshops in partnership with other culture bearers and created an interpretive exhibit to help beginning gardeners start their own food gardens and introduced native plants to public green spaces. With an accessible repository for vegetable, herb, and native seeds, Leidner intends to spark cross-generational discussion on gardening in a changing environment while deepening connections to agrarian roots.

"I believe the impact of the Upstate California Creative Corps will be seen in Colusa County for a long time. Thanks to this grant, I was able to make connections within my community as well as with the artists and expert gardeners in our area, who have made the Colusa County Seed Library project possible. It is very rewarding to get feedback from the community and learn about their gardens and plans for saving seeds. I can’t wait to build on this project and see how it evolves!"

County: Colusa

Program Goals: Environmental Issues and Public Health

Coral and Trent Cash created awareness around environmental issues by capturing the real-life stories of those most directly affected by wildfire and the changing climate of California. These stories were shared with others in the community through the development of a graphic novel and board game. To promote accessibility to the areas of highest need the graphic novel and game was distributed through several outlets including schools, libraries, social media, and a community event. This will strengthen civic knowledge and encourage civic engagement through the principles of forestry and fire ecology, and how policies affect them.

"This project has impacted our team by becoming more aware of how our environment is intertwined with our current standard of living in California. By interviewing those experienced in the field of forestry and peoples experiences during the the dixie fire. We created a game to educate the public about how fire impacts our environment, and a graphic novel of peoples experiences during the dixie fire."

Counties: Plumas

Program Goals: Civic Engagement and Environmental Issues

Corine Pearce continued reawakening endangered Pomo weaving arts traditions by offering classes to brand-new, beginning, intermediate, and advanced weavers throughout a 7000-square-mile Tri-County area encompassing ancestral Pomo territories. Her instruction includes training in material procurement and processing, following an intergenerational “trainer of trainers” model to enable a sustainable legacy of ongoing cultural revitalization.

Counties: Lake and Mendocino

Program Goal: Social Justice

Corinne West composed and produced an original 5-song project, culminating in five free community-based concerts. Each song addressed issues specific to the county and related to the needs of the community ranging from wildfire displacement and climate mitigation, watershed health and resource management, to social justice and mental health. West’s focus to bring awareness to these issues and catalyzing personal empowerment through a song circle that promotes intergenerational and cross-cultural learning.

County: Plumas

Program Goals: Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

Local artist Rolf Kriken, the Tribal Advisory Committee to the Museums of Lake County and the County of Lake, created a life size bronze statue of a Lake Pomo Family in Museum Park in Lakeport, our most public space. The Pomos’ rich cultural heritage and family bonds are represented by a pre-contact Pomo mother and child with a contemporary male Pomo dancer, and evoke resiliency, and intergenerational connections of past, present and future.

County: Lake

Program Goals: Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

Culture Bearers of Tehama County held a Native American Cultural Celebration on September 23rd, 2023 in Red Bluff, CA. We had Native American drummers, dancers, storytellers, vendors and a traditional games demo. We partnered with local tribal organizations and other community organizations to provide resources and health services (like COVID vaccines). We honored the local Paskenta Nomlaki Tribe, original inhabitants of this land.

"The impact grant made our large scale Native American Cultural Celebration possible. We were able to generously compensate our Native American artists for their drumming, dancing, story telling and traditional games demonstration. We were witness to all kinds of intergenerational learning and sharing of culture."

County: Tehama

Program Goals: Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

Daniel LoPilato created a hybrid literary work comprised of a book-length naturalist's guide to Northern California's Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument, and a series of interactive digital modules promoting public health and engagement with Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument's unique ecosystem, in both English and Spanish.

"Upstate California Creative Corps funding not only allowed me to prioritize my creative work, but also helped me connect with other artists in my area and expand my working network to include policy experts in conservation and environmental restoration."

Counties: Colusa, Lake, Glenn and Mendocino

Program Goals: Civic Engagement, Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

Deep Valley Arts Collective provided people recovering from substance abuse with a series of guided art therapy workshops. Working with established substance abuse programs and organizations, a series of collage workshops culminated in a gallery exhibition, a book, and a multimedia art presentation forming community bonds, building resilience, and creating awareness for public health resources.

"Receiving funding from the Creative Corps has been a huge support and a catalyst for growth in our organization. We were relatively new and had great ideas and energy, but little funds to work with. We were able to take our offerings to our community to a whole new level. What we did not expect is how much this program would touch our hearts. We had 10 months of collage workshops with people in substance abuse recovery programs. Hearing them tell us weekly how much it meant to them, that it was the highlight of their week, was so touching. People shared their stories with us and worked through very difficult times using artistic tools and basic supplies. It has become such an essential part of their recovery that we continue to offer weekly workshops indefinitely. This also opened the door for other organizations who have reached out to us to create other collaborations to serve our community through art. This experience has broadened our idea of what it means to be a community art gallery."

Counties: Mendocino

Program Goals: Public Health and Social Justice

ColorMaiz promoted healing from intergenerational trauma and created spaces in the community for the converging of artists and creatives. Individuals explored the definition of safe space as they expressed themselves through art. Programming took place in itinerant laboratories for artists and in workshops providing information around mental and physical health for the BIPOC, 2S/LGBTQ+, and neurodiverse communities. ColorMaíz empowered local underrepresented artists by providing spaces for inclusion and introspection, providing free access to spaces and public events and opportunities for creative expression and mental health education to under-resourced communities in Eureka and Fortuna.

"Color Maíz is (re)thinking the definition of a safe space with the help of art as an outlet of expression, simultaneously, bridging conversation of intergenerational trauma and mental and physical health for Black, Indigenous, people of color, 2-Spirit and LGBTQ+, and neurodiverse communities. Color Maíz is creating free and accessible spaces and workshops for community members to take part in collective creative expression and education with bilingual workshops about holistic wellness – connecting individuals with collective wellbeing. One of our main goals is to create spaces where we can trust in our healing process, asking for help, seeking resources and sharing our experiences to improve our daily lives."

County: Humboldt

Program Goals: Civic Engagement, Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

The Eco-Explorers utilized multiple art forms to create movable mural environments that showcase their understanding of green spaces. Creativity and personal expression blossomed in sculpture, painting, and recycled art projects. Intergenerational interaction brought together culture bearers, diversity icons and artists resulting in an appreciation and advocacy to protect community green spaces in areas within the lowest quartiles of the California HPI.

"My program, Art and Urban Ecology, the healthy results of green spaces, has provided young children the opportunity to create art around environmental themes and foster an appreciation for parks, gardens and green areas within our cities and towns. Art students became Eco-Explorers as they used multi media Arts to express their views on the environment and the importance of saving animals and their homes. Seeing their improved sensitivity to our environment has been a treasured outcome of this program." - Pamela Nowak

County: Sutter

Program Goals: Environmental Issues

Emiliano Gomez created Work Week, a series of reportage for public awareness, health, and mutual understanding in a community that is among the lowest scoring on the CA Healthy Places Index. Searching for unspoken or unheard truths that impact the urban areas of Yuba and Sutter Counties, he spent a week's days and nights with unseen community members: a grocery clerk; a neighbor who has lived on the same corner for 70 years; an owner of hectares of orchards; a forklift driver; an ER doctor; home-owning high school sweethearts; the recently un-homeless and newly un-housed; whoever needs to speak but hasn't gotten to or been given the opportunity.

"Artists find freedom exhilarating. The UCC provided financial freedom, giving me a year to be my best, to create new art. Daggum, I became the avant garde! Zounds, the community flourished!"

Counties: Yuba

Program Goals: Civic Engagement, Environmental Issues, Public Health, and Social Justice

Culture Bearer Jai Hanes designed an anti-racism youth program for Black, indigenous and Asian youth and their allies. Working with a local mentor, Haines achieved this through education of history, culture, family engagement and intergenerational learning; partnerships with other cultural awareness groups; and development of community-based curriculum.

County: Nevada

Program Goal: Social Justice

Jared Witkofsky created a comic book telling the true story of his experiences living with neuropathy and navigating life and the medical system with a disability. The comic spreads critical information about the lived experiences of the disabled community and where to access vital services.

"Receiving the Upstate Creative Corps Grant has completely changed my life. I was able to stop working multiple jobs and focus on art to a degree I never have before. I'm also getting more show offers than ever before. Receiving the grant has also changed the attention my work receives, and I am now receiving more show, collaboration and commission offers than ever before."

Counties: Nevada

Program Goals: Civic Engagement, Public Health, and Social Justice