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A Message From Our Director
Belief by Andrew Hem at the LA County Hall of Records. LA County Civic Art Collection. |
Dear Colleagues,
As 2026 gets underway, we see the dual realities our communities are navigating—the weight of extraordinary pressures and the power of the arts to help us heal, connect, and reimagine what's possible. Arts, culture, and creativity are not a luxury in difficult times—they are essential infrastructure for resilience, community, civic engagement, and collective healing.
Our newly released annual report and the opportunities and resources below reflect this vision in action. We're launching a Creative Strategist position with the Office of Immigrant Affairs to develop healing-centered strategies that build trust with immigrant communities. We expand professional development through our PAiD program, ensuring underrepresented artists have the tools and resources to build and sustain their practices and expand diverse voices in the public realm. Our Creative Wellbeing initiative is linking arts with mental health, child welfare, and education to support our most vulnerable youth and the people that care for them. Through the Arts Ed Collective we're helping school districts maximize historic Prop 28 funding to bring quality arts education to every student in LA County. And we're sharing Know Your Rights resources from our County partners.
Whether you're an artist, an educator, cultural organization, arts advocate, or sector partner, I hope you'll find resources here to help you meet this moment.
Onward!
Kristin Sakoda |
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2024 - 25 Annual Report
Weaving All Ways by Carly Lake at the La Puente Enhanced One-Stop Development Center. LA County Civic Art Collection. Photo by Diana Lake Photography. |
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We’re excited to share our FY 2024–25 Annual Report, highlighting the role arts and culture play in helping communities heal, rebuild, and reimagine during challenging times. In it, you'll find updates and impacts from our core programs, including the continued implementation of the Cultural Equity and Inclusion Initiative, as well as the ways we stepped up in response to the January 2025 fires. |
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Open Call
Arts activities led by Creative Strategist Phung Huynh for the Welcome Day Event for unaccompanied minors at East LA College in 2021. Photo by Arts and Culture staff. |
Creative Strategist for 2026-27 Artist Residency
We're inviting LA County-based artists, arts administrators, or other creative professionals to apply to work in partnership with the Office of Immigrant Affairs (OIA), housed within the Department of Consumer & Business Affairs (DCBA), as a Creative Strategist.
The role will involve collaboration with Arts and Culture and OIA to develop healing-centered strategies that build trust between and among County agencies, the region’s immigrant communities, cultural organizations, and immigrant-serving organizations. The Creative Strategist will apply their artistic practice and creative problem-solving skills to develop culturally responsive communications strategies that acknowledge the challenges immigrant communities are facing and raise awareness of immigrant rights and the County’s social support services.
Deadline for Submissions: February 17, 2026 | 5PM (PST)
Budget: $50,000 Artist Fee | $25,000 Materials Budget
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ADVANCEMENT GRANT AND
STRATEGIC PLAN COACHING
2025 Culver City Unified School District site visit. |
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The Arts Ed Collective’s Advancement Grant and Strategic Arts Plan Coaching applications opened earlier this week. The Advancement Grant offers financial support to LA County school districts working to provide high-quality arts education to all students. Districts may apply for matching funds of up to $25,000. School district partners of the Arts Ed Collective that will be implementing board-approved strategic plans for arts education in the 2026-27 school year are eligible to apply. Applications are due March 25. The Arts Ed Collective offers coaching support for school districts interested in creating or updating strategic arts plans. Based on the needs of a district, our experts provide customized coaching services to support the long-term implementation of arts education. |
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Free Professional Development Workshops for Artists
Graphic by Handbuilt Studio. |
Our Public Artists in Development or PAiD program is offering the second cycle of its FREE online professional development workshop series designed specifically for artists. The series builds on last year’s content, offering more in-depth information about financial and project management, overcoming creative setbacks, working with art fabricators, and other topics tailored to support artists’ career development.
To read more about the first six workshop topics and how to register, as well as watch recorded workshops from last cycle, please visit our website. Additional workshops will be released later this spring. |
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| PAiD is a program created and managed by the Civic Art Division and generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to promote the career growth and economic empowerment of underrepresented artists in LA County. The PAiD Professional Development workshop series is further developed and organized by Dyson & Womack. |
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SHARING WEBINAR: MAXIMIZING FUNDS FROM
ARTS & MUSIC IN SCHOOLS ACT (PROP 28)
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California’s Arts and Music in Schools Act (Prop 28) is making historic investments in arts education—but districts must spend their first-year funds before the upcoming June 30, 2026 deadline or risk having them clawed back by the California Department of Education.
This webinar recording includes:
- An overview of Prop 28 deadlines and spending requirements
- Insights from parents, advocates, and district leaders on local strategies
- A case study from a district that is planning to use a waiver
- Concrete action steps for districts, families, and community advocates
Find this webinar and other resources on our Prop 28 webpage. |
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SRI: CA Arts Education Landscape
2025 Report Event
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Wednesday, February 18, 2026
10AM - 11:30AM (PST)
(Virtual)
Join us as SRI shares findings from its recent field scan of Arts Education across California. CA Arts Education Landscape 2025 is a scan of arts education in California in light of the evolving conditions catalyzed by new funding and policy shifts. Commissioned by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the report is designed to support funders, advocates, and policymakers as they work to strengthen the conditions for equitable access to a high-quality arts education. |
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Creative Wellbeing In-person Gathering
Follow-Up
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This January our Arts Education Division held a Creative Wellbeing gathering and learning exchange. The event welcomed our newly expanded group of contracted Creative Wellbeing organizations: Advot Project, African Soul International, Arts and Healing Initiative, Arts for Healing and Justice Network, CONTRA-TIEMPO, Center for the Empowerment of Families, Justice For My Sister, Homeboy Industries/Homeboy Art Academy, POIETO, Rhythm and Truth, and ZEAL PRESS. We were also joined by County partners Department of Mental Health (DMH), Department of Children and Family Services, Office of Child Protection; program site partners; the Arts Ed Collective Leadership Circle; and arts coordinators and foster youth liaisons from Compton, Lynwood, and Inglewood Unified School Districts. CONTRA-TIEMPO offered meditation movement, ZEAL/Coloured Art Studio guided personal journey mapping, and sessions led by UCLA’s Prevention Center of Excellence and the DMH, with the Eastern Los Angeles Regional Center, focused on creating emotionally safe spaces for youth impacted by systems and fostering belonging for neurodiverse and autistic learners.
Creative Wellbeing provides healing trauma-informed arts education for young people and equips practitioners with tools to build inclusive spaces for youth in foster care and other vulnerable populations. The program positions the arts as a vital resource for healing, belonging, and resilience. Upcoming webinars are open to the field! |
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Know Your Rights
Short Stories by Willie Middlebrook at the Florence-Firestone Service Center. LA County Civic Art Collection. |
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Recent immigration enforcement activities have created fear and uncertainty in our communities, but LA County remains committed to protecting residents, including artists, cultural workers, and arts organizations. The Department of Arts and Culture is here to support you with resources and information. |
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