| View in Browser |
 |
A Message from Our Director
Transformation/Transformación by Kalli Arte Collective at Nogales Park. LA County Civic Art Collection. |
Dear colleagues,
We begin by acknowledging Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 through October 15, and during which we honor the Latino, Latina, Latinx, Latine, and Hispanic artists, culture bearers, and organizations whose creativity shapes every corner of LA County. You can see that spirit throughout our Civic Art Collection, including Transformation/Transformación by the Kalli Arte Collective at Nogales Park, pictured above, and the myriad grantees we are proud to support.
September is also Arts in Education Month, a reminder that creativity is essential to how young people learn, heal, and imagine their futures. We share our new Creative Wellbeing Data Dashboards below, which show how arts-based programs support the mental health and social-emotional growth of youth and the adults who care for them. It's also the last call to apply for our LA County and Bloomberg internship programs, which provide grants for paid internships in the arts for high school and college students at organizations across the County.
If your organization plans to apply for Organizational Grant Program or Community Impact Arts Grant, now is the time — deadlines are fast approaching. We announce artist Tanya Aguiñiga's new residency supporting communities affected by the January 2025 fires, our Arts Commission's visit to the AIDS Monument in West Hollywood, and upcoming performances that we're supporting at The Ford.
Thank you for being part of this vibrant creative community. I hope to see you at an event soon!
Onward!
Kristin Sakoda |
|
|
Grants Season is Almost Over
Photo courtesy of Rangoli Dance Company. |
Apply Today!
Are you affiliated with an arts organization? Or perhaps an organization that offers arts programming? Or maybe you want to provide internship opportunities for LA County university and community college students, or LA County high school students. No matter what your funding needs are, the Department of Arts and Culture has you covered! Applications for the Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) program, the Organizational Grant Program (OGP), the Community Impact Arts Grant (CIAG), and the Arts Internship Program (AIP) are all open, but deadlines are coming up next week. |
|
| |
Organizational Grant Program (OGP)
Photo courtesy of Deaf West Theatre Company. Photo by Jeff Lorch.
|
OGP provides Los Angeles County nonprofit arts organizations funding to address priority needs and ensure cultural services for our diverse communities.
Application Deadline:
October 5, 2026 | 11:59PM (PST)
|
|
Community Impact Arts Grant (CIAG)
Photo courtesy of FA-MLI, Inc.
|
CIAG supports arts projects and programming taking place at nonprofit social service and social justice organizations, and in tribal governments and municipal departments, enabling these organizations to deliver a wide variety of cultural services to County residents.
Application Deadline:
October 5, 2026 | 11:59PM (PST)
|
|
|
|
| |
Arts Internship Program (AIP)
Interns attend the 2025 Art Summit event. Photo by Yoko Morimoto.
|
AIP provides eligible LA County arts nonprofits, municipalities, and social justice/social service organizations that offer arts programming with grants to hire undergraduate and community college students for 400 hours of paid work experience. The program will maintain a flexible timeline to be responsive to both students and organizations.
Application Deadline:
October 8, 2026 | 11:59PM (PST)
|
|
Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI)
BAI interns on a cultural excursion to the California African American Museum. Photo by Monica Almeida.
|
BAI program, started in 2012, is a national program that offers paid summer internships to rising public high school seniors at arts and cultural organizations. The Department of Arts and Culture is partnering with Bloomberg Philanthropies to bring BAI to Los Angeles County, as part its Creative Career Pathways for Youth work. LA County BAI provides an 8-week paid summer internship, along with professional development, college preparation support, dedicated mentorship, and educational and cultural excursions.
Application Deadline:
October 7, 2026 | 11:59PM (PST)
|
|
|
|
|
Announcing…
Tanya Aguiñiga. Photo by Katie Levine. |
Artist Tanya Aguiñiga selected for Artist-in-Residence with LA County Cultural Climate Commons: Community Memory Lab & Living Archive
We are pleased to announce that artist Tanya Aguiñiga has been selected for an Artist-in-Residence with the LA County Cultural Climate Commons: Community Memory Lab & Living Archive. This community archiving initiative responds to the need for cultural preservation, meaning making, commemoration, and social connection arising from the January 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles County, and demonstrates models of creative recovery and resilience in response to climate change. The initiative is led by LA County Library and LA County Library Foundation, and will be implemented in partnership with Arts and Culture, the Altadena Library District / Altadena Library Foundation, and Los Angeles Public Library / Library Foundation of Los Angeles. It models how cultural institutions can transcend jurisdictional boundaries to center community healing and memory in response to disasters.
During the residency, Tanya will, among other activities, develop a series of collective memory and artmaking workshops for Altadena residents and others impacted by the January 2025 fires that provide space for creative expression and storytelling and that foster healing and strengthen community bonds. Community created artworks created during workshops may be added to LA County Library’s new digital archive. |
|
|
|
Creative Wellbeing Self and Community Care Open Session:
Photo courtesy of CONTRA-TIEMPO. |
Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 11AM - 12PM (PT)
(virtual)
Join us for another season of Self and Community Care Open Sessions hosted by Creative Wellbeing and Wellbeing4LA Learning Center, in partnership with the Department of Mental Health, UCLA Prevention Center for Excellence, and the Arts for Healing and Justice Network.
In this session, CONTRA-TIEMPO will offer somatic practices that can be used to resource our bodies, regulate them, and then release tension. Rooted in multi-diasporic traditions, CONTRA-TIEMPO’s practices are in lineage with artists that bring generational healing and nourish community wellbeing through their art. Participants will awaken their senses through movement, glean tools, and weave themselves into a tapestry of communal wellbeing.
These sessions are open to all adults who support young people in Los Angeles County. Join this space to recharge, build community, and nurture your own wellbeing through creativity.
Join us and be part of the movement to foster wellbeing through the arts! |
|
|
|
Creative Wellbeing Data Dashboards 2025-26
Artworks created by Pasadena Unified students for the 2026 No Boundaries exhibition. |
Since 2023, we have released end-of-year reports that summarize data and learnings from surveys completed by young people and adults after participating in activities that are part of our Creative Wellbeing initiative.
In 2025-26, teaching artists provided Creative Wellbeing for youth and adults through in-person and virtual direct services, professional development sessions, and arts-based workshops. Youth and adults receiving direct services and participating at some special events were surveyed about their experiences. These end of year reports summarize the data from those surveys and elaborate on learnings about Creative Wellbeing affecting their mental health and protective factors including social-emotional competencies and social support. |
|
|
|
ARTS COMMISSION VISITS
'STORIES: THE AIDS MONUMENT'
The LA County Arts Commission. Photo by Anji Gaspar-Milanovic. |
| This month, the Los Angeles County Arts Commission held its September meeting at the West Hollywood Library. The Arts Commission, an advisory group to the County Board of Supervisors, makes these visits across LA County to connect with local arts and cultural partners and learn more about their work. During the meeting, our grantee One Institute's Executive Director Tony Valenzuela presented on the history and current work of his WeHo organization. Founded in 1952, One Institute is the oldest active LGBTQ+ organization in the United States and home to the country’s first and only LGBTQ+ history festival, Circa, held each October during LGBTQ+ History Month. Following the meeting, Commissioners toured STORIES: The AIDS Monument, honoring those affected by HIV/AIDS. Thank you to the City of West Hollywood and our community partners for having us! |
|
|
UPCOMING AT THE FORD
Rapper Bambu is at The Ford on Oct. 10. Photo courtesy of The Ford. |
| We're excited to support programming at the The Ford (which recently announced its 2026 season), including the FordLab Producers Program which invites LA County-based independent artists, nonprofit organizations, presenters, producers, or producing collectives to apply to be a part of The Ford season. We've listed a few below; you can explore them all on The Ford's website.
|
|
|
|
| |
IN BRIEF
- On October 22, Arts for LA’s State of the Arts Summit will gather the region’s creative community to reflect, connect, and rise to action. The day includes breakout segments curated by local leaders, dynamic performances, art activities, lunch, and more. For tickets and to see who’s participating, check out artsforla.org/sota This event sells out, so don’t wait to get tickets!
- Our friends at LA Opera Connects are excited to invite organizations to participate in their annual Opera in the Park Simulcast at Steinmetz Park in Hacienda Heights on Saturday, October 17. This free community celebration features a live big-screen broadcast of Carmen and welcomes approximately 1,000 attendees each year. LA Opera is seeking arts, culture, education, and community partners (primarily serving LA County Supervisorial District 1) to host information tables, creative activities, demonstrations, workshops, or other engaging experiences prior to the performance from 4PM - 6PM. Participation is completely free. LA Opera provides the table, tent, and chairs, so orgs can connect with local residents, share resources, and showcase their work. Please email Natalie Ramirez at nramirez@laopera.org.
- Registration is now open for Year 2 of the Shade Zones Design Competition, an annual competition led by ShadeLA and USC School of Architecture. Students will design permanent shade projects that support active mobility along the Lower L.A. River. In partnership with Los Angeles County, the competition asks teams to develop integrated site designs that make walking, biking, and recreation more comfortable in extreme heat. Students will have opportunities to get feedback from professional Design Advisors, build their portfolios, and have their work reviewed by leaders in design and the public sector. Undergraduate and graduate students at any college or university in L.A. County. Students can enter solo or in teams of up to four. Registration deadline: October 23, 2026; submissions due: January 8, 2027. Learn more at shade-la.com/design.
- Check out Adolfo Guzman-Lopez's LAist story about Black art in the Los Angeles County Civic Art Collection, which can be experienced in County libraries and community centers!
- There's a grant opportunity open now with the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity's High Road Training Partnership Fund (HRTP). Applications are open for qualified partnerships seeking to develop and deliver training programs aligned with HRTP principles, including industries connected to the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games including Arts, Media, and Entertainment. Applications due October 30. Learn More
|
|
| |
|
