ArtWell Issue 4: A Fresno Arts Council Publication

ISSUE4

JANUARY 2022

ARTWELL A Fresno Arts Council Publication

IN THIS ISSUE

2021 FAC Year in Review

ArtHop Returns

Fresno Arts Council Welcomes New Staff

559 Mural Project: Social Justice and Community Impact through Art and Dialogue

Horizon Awards Honor Excellence in the Arts

Five Fresno Poet Laureates Read Together at ArtHop

Measure P: Cultural Arts Consultant Proposal Deadline Extended

"100 Years of 1000 Tries" Musical Project Commemorates the Centennial of Women's Suffrage

Dr. Kevin Cooper, Fresno City College Guitar Instructor, Nominated for GRAMMY

Teresa Flores selected as FCC West Campus Fountain Artist

01

Photo Credit: Elisa Flores

Message from the Executive Director As we enter year three of life in the time of COVID, I am in awe of our creative and innovative arts community, and the patrons who support them. It is with gratitude and admiration that we share this publication to update you and inspire you to continue as artists or patrons of the Arts.

Over the past year, new music has been created and performed virtually, many events were able to open with social-distancing and mask-wearing, and we reopened ArtHop. This edition of ArtWell is full of examples of how the Arts continue to inspire and encourage positive work in the community, despite the challenges we have all faced.

FAC continues to provide services in correctional institutions and schools. Our partnership with State Department of Corrections and the California Arts Council has allowed us to continue to send art lessons into State institutions at a time when individual participants are experiencing significant isolation and stress because of the pandemic.

cont'd p.2

ARTWELL | ISSUE 4

STAFF Lilia Gonzáles Chávez, Executive Director Suliana Caldwell, Operations Manager Elisa Flores, Administrative Assistant Eric Martinez, Program Coordinator

Last October, in recognition of National Arts and Humanities month, we celebrated the arts with the return of the Horizon Awards at the Fresno Art Museum. Congratulations to all the awardees; their contributions to our arts community are an inspiration to us all. Fresno’s Poet Laureate Megan Bohigian provided us with a holiday treat in December by inviting all four former City of Fresno Poet Laureates to give readings at the December ArtHop.

Andrea Mele, Program Coordinator Carmen Moore, Finance Assistant Harpreet Gill, Accountant

FAC is growing; in this issue I introduce you to several new members of the FAC staff. We have created quite a vibrant team here at FAC and hope that soon you will have a chance to drop in and meet everyone in person.

Moving into the new year, we are looking forward to the development of the Cultural Plan required by Measure P. This plan will guide the distribution of support to new and existing arts programs in Fresno. We have a call out for a consultant to work

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Ellen Armour, President Laura E. Ward, Vice President Olga Gutierrez De Nuñez, Treasurer Karen Takeda Simpson, Secretary Shirin Assemi Julia Copeland Bruce Kalkowski Mary LaFollette Sal Lucatero Tiffany Mangum Jeff Meacham Julian Ramos Jolene Telles Thomas Whit Ellis Morgan Woolf

Advisory Board Joyce Aiken Coke Hallowell Julie Linxwiler Jerry Palladino Jeffrey T. Roberts Quentin E. Sanford

on this plan and look forward to a robust community engagement process to inform the use of these new resources for Fresno. New public art at Fresno City College West, the newest campus of the State Center Community College District, is in the works with the selection of artist Teresa Flores to lead that installation.

At this writing, the FAC staff is again working from home with periodic drop-ins to the office. The state mandate for maskwearing for all indoor activities allows us to continue to offer ArtHop; however, some venues have understandably decided to remain closed during this surge of the Omicron variant.

There is always something new and exciting being shared by the Fresno Arts Council, so subscribe to our online e-blasts and connect on social media to stay updated with what’s in the pipeline this year.

Revel in the Arts,

Fresno Arts Council (559) 237-9734

1245 Van Ness, Fresno, CA

Lilia Gonzáles Chávez Executive Director

https://fresnoartscouncil.org

02

ARTWELL | ISSUE 4

ABOUT US The Fresno Arts Council (FAC) is a private 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 1979 under the name of “Alliance for the Arts" by local artists, art organizations and interested individuals who wished to create a voice for the Central San Joaquin Valley.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Today, the FAC serves as the official State-Local partner to the California Arts Council, as designated by the county board of supervisors. By Memorandum of Understanding, the FAC serves as the local arts agency for the City of Fresno, tasked to support and promote the arts industry and to Enrich Our Community’s Way of Life Through the Arts, and acts as an umbrella agency for artists and art organizations from all cultures and disciplines through advocacy, education, programs, and services.

We are a non-profit organization managed by a volunteer board of directors.

The FAC solicits support from foundations, government, and corporate funders, membership dues, and private donations.

We are located at 1245 Van Ness Avenue in Downtown Fresno, and the office is open to the public during weekdays from 10:00AM to 2:00PM, and by appointment.

History

In 1980, the FAC received a grant from the California Arts Council (CAC) to provide technical and administrative assistance to various arts groups in Fresno County. Within a year, the purpose of the FAC expanded to sponsoring and encouraging cultural education and creative activities, as well as serving as the umbrella unit for all county arts organizations, in such areas as legislation, education, and community awareness of the arts.

In addition, the FAC coordinated and disseminated information concerning the arts: Beginning in 1991, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the FAC hired folklorist, Amy Kitchener, who developed our program of folk arts locally and created performances and exhibits with local communities. The Alliance for California Traditional Arts (ACTA) was formed under our guidance as its own organization, under the leadership of Kitchener. In the mid-1990s, the City of Fresno passed Arts to Zoo, a measure collecting .001% of sales tax for cultural organizations. The money was distributed for a year and a half before the tax was declared illegal. In 1998, the remaining money was given to the FAC and the Fresno Regional Foundation for distribution. In 2010, the FAC completed redistributing those funds annually to arts and cultural organizations. In 2015, with support from former Assemblyman Henry T. Perea, the FAC established the Rural Access Fund. Today, the FAC continues to innovate new grant-making opportunities for local artists, including the Fresno Arts Safety Net Fund (FASNF) and FAC Cares, both in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that started in Spring 2020.

Arts in Education

Arts in Corrections

ArtHop

Technical Assistance Workshops

City and County Consultant for Public Art

Horizon Awards

Arts Alive in Agriculture Juried Exhibition

Fiscal Receivership

City of Fresno Poet Laureate

Poetry Out Loud

Arts programs and cultural activities attract industry and other businesses to a community, resulting in growth and economic progress—but it takes support from private and public sectors, and people like you, to create and foster this creative activity.

We rely on individual, organization and business membership dues, as well as event sponsorships as an integral part of our funding. Be an advocate for the arts in Fresno County by becoming a member of the Fresno Arts Council today.

03

On Saturday, December 4, 2021, members of Fresno City's Youth Council toured the Fulton Mall, learning about its art and history, guided by Executive Director, Lilia Gonzáles Chávez. Photo Credits: Councilmember Esmeralda Soria

ARTWELL | ISSUE 4

OUR WORK 2021 Year in Review

ArtHop Returns

The Fresno Arts Council provides and advocates for local arts programming and services as well as employment opportunities for working artists to both teach and create original artworks in the Fresno County area.

Many of our regular art programs were forced to shift focus and re-strategize how to deliver quality arts content, virtually and/or remotely, when shelter-in-place orders were mandated in mid-March 2020. As a result, we have learned how to restructure and adapt several programs to remain flexible with both regular staff and communitybased arts providers as part of this ongoing development.

As California reopens, we will continue to provide excellent arts programming and work opportunities for artists based in Fresno County.

The Arts in Corrections program transitioned into modified programming using educational correspondence packets and creating original content, produced in part with teaching artists, for instructional videos. Lessons are completed remotely by students at some of the six facilities hosting our Arts in Corrections programming and returned to our arts providers at the end of the month for review; other facilities have returned, or plan to return soon, to inperson arts instruction. For more information, contact Eric Martinez, Program Coordinator.

Fresno Arts Council provides Arts in Education programming for county K-8 schools. In 2022, the program will grow, training and certifying several new teaching artists to work with Fresno County students, helping them to meet 2019 Common Core and Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) standards through arts education programming. In February 2022, Fresno County’s Poetry Out Loud™ contest will select a winning student to represent area high schools at the California State Poetry Out Loud competition March 8-9, 2022. For more information, contact Andrea Mele, Program Coordinator.

What started as a community-driven public arts experience by local artists in Downtown Fresno, in the early 1990s, has grown to become one of the most wellknown and much anticipated monthly art happenings in the Greater Fresno-Clovis metropolitan area and the Central San Joaquin Valley: ArtHop. Each month, every first and third Thursday, art patrons and enthusiasts discover wonderful artworks at local galleries, museums, retail stores, business offices, and public squares while enjoying music, dance, delicious food, and public performances from 5:00-8:00PM. After going on hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic, ArtHop returned as an inperson event in July 2021. Thirty-nine venues—across downtown, the Tower District, and metropolitan Fresno—returned to ArtHop or became venues for the first time in 2021. In 2022, over 70 venues will participate. ArtHop’s return has also reinvigorated the growing street vendor scene that accompanies it every first Thursday downtown. Though these food and art vendors are not officially coordinated by ArtHop, the energy they cultivate and visitors they attract contribute to the vitality of ArtHop and the exposure to art and artists that is at the core of its mission.

The health and safety of the ArtHop and Fresno County communities remains our top priority. The Fresno Arts Council works closely with local and state officials to plan for the safest ArtHop experience possible. We continue to work collectively with local arts venues to determine any new safety procedures necessary to implement during ArtHop activities.

For more information, contact Elisa.Flores@fresnoartscouncil.org

Please visit https://fresnoartscouncil.org for updates and announcements.

Fresno Arts Council Sponsors ArtHop Photo Credits: Elisa Flores

04

ARTWELL | ISSUE 4

Fresno Arts Council: Call for Teaching Artists Teaching Artist Informational Meeting

Wednesday, March 2, 2022 6:00-7:00pm

Fresno Arts Council: 1245 Van Ness Avenue, Fresno, CA 93721 559-237-9734

Contact Program Coordinator: Andrea Mele andrea@fresnoartscouncil.org

Fresno Arts Council is seeking local artists interested in becoming Teaching Artists in Fresno County K-8 schools. A Teaching Artist is a two-career professional: a working artist and a working educator. As a working artist, they are involved in an ongoing process of discovery, problem solving, and refinement of skills in their arts discipline. As a working educator, the artist develops a knowledge base and skills in order to be an effective educator. (Arizona Commission on the Arts) Teaching Artists are hired as independent contractors by local schools and work with classroom teachers to provide Arts lessons in their discipline of expertise to help students meet California State Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) standards, while engaging Common Core curriculum. Teaching Artists must complete a 21-hour training Fresno County Office of Education (FCOE) certification program facilitated by the Fresno Arts Council before working in the schools. Fingerprinting and TB testing will also be required.

Working in the schools as a Teaching Artist creates additional income streams for professional artists, in addition to positively impacting student learning, community participation, and personal development. Please join Fresno Arts Council for an informational meeting regarding Teaching Artist opportunities in Fresno area schools.

Compensated Certification Training Includes: Getting Started in the Schools Classroom Expectations Classroom Management Student Engagement Understanding and Teaching to Standards Lesson Planning Assessment

05

ARTWELL | ISSUE 4

Fresno Arts Council Welcomes New Staff Suliana Caldwell, Operations Manager Suliana Caldwell joins Fresno Arts Council as Operations Manager, leading operations procedures and policies across all levels of the organization. Before joining FAC, Suliana served United Way of Fresno and Madera Counties as the Director of Operations and Administration for 11 years. She was previously the Operations Assistant at Pitman Family Farms for 17 years. Suliana studied Biology at San Jose University and Network Administration at Fresno City College.

As a longtime volunteer for the Fresno Arts Council, Suliana joined the staff to assist the growing organization with future project funding. In addition to volunteering for many local organizations, Suliana has also served as Treasurer for the League of Mexican American Women since 2019 and has been involved with the organization for four years. She loves to travel with her family to explore different foods, art museums, and music festivals, and enjoys spending time with their German Shepherd, Kingston, and Chihuahuas, Lucky and Kells. You can reach her at suliana@fresnoartscouncil.org.

Carmen Moore, Finance Assistant Carmen Moore is a senior Accounting student at Fresno State University currently working as the Finance Assistant for Fresno Arts Council to coordinate Accounts Payable and Billing, and was FAC's Spring 2021 Intern. Before joining FAC, Carmen graduated Summa Cum Laude from Bullard High School and participated in leadership positions within her community, including leading Kid’s Day at Bullard High School and helping manage the 4.0 & Above Program at the Big Fresno Fair in 2016.

Carmen has always admired the arts, especially music and fashion, and enjoys getting involved with her community. She remembers visiting the Fresno Metropolitan Art Museum with her mom and sister when she was a child, where she especially enjoyed the modern art. She is thankful for these early exposures to the art world, and how they shaped her appreciation for artistic expression. You can reach her at carmen@fresnoartscouncil.org.

06

ARTWELL | ISSUE 4

Andrea Mele, Program Coordinator Andrea Mele joins the Fresno Arts Council as a Program Coordinator, focusing on developing its Arts in Education and Poetry Out Loud™ programs, as well as contributing to FAC communications.

As a writer and former Continuing Lecturer at UC Merced, Andrea is committed to enriching people’s lives through the arts by supporting opportunities for arts education and creative expression in and around Fresno County. Andrea has participated in many academic and literary writing conferences and public readings, including Tin House and Breadloaf Orion Environmental Writers’ Workshops, CCCCs, LitHop, and CSU Summer Arts. She has coordinated undergraduate writing conferences and arts showcases—and is additionally looking forward to applying her hospitality management experience to crafting unique and inclusive arts programming and events for local students and residents.

Andrea holds an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in Literature from Fresno State University, and a BA in English Literature from UC Berkeley. An amateur runner and outdoor enthusiast, Andrea is the founder of Fresno’s erstwhile Industry Running Club. You can reach her at andrea@fresnoartscouncil.org.

Eric Martinez, Program Coordinator Fresno Arts Council welcomes Program Coordinator, Eric Martinez, who will lead its Arts in Corrections and Public Arts programming efforts. Eric attended Fresno State University, where he earned a BA in Sociology and a Certificate in Humanics before joining the staff at the Madera Coalition for Community Justice as a Project Coordinator, where he worked with underserved populations to educate community members on available resources and assist with their civic responsibility.

Eric has worked on small social justice projects with Madera Youth Leaders, such as We Are One and BLM murals, which reflect the world view of community members—where they come from, what they do and how they connect to each other—and is looking forward to serving and empowering our community by collaborating with different cultures and community members on inclusive arts programming and projects for the Fresno Arts Council. You can reach him at eric@fresnoartscouncil.org.

07

ARTWELL | ISSUE4

559 Mural Project: Social Justice and Community Impact through Art and Dialogue The 559 Mural Project, co-founded by Selena Martínez Mak and Sirina Renee Resendez, is a collective of activists advocating for artists and the arts to address racial injustice and social and economic inequities in the rural communities of Fresno County, specifically through mural art and community dialogue.

After unveiling two murals, De Colores and No Human is Illegal, in Selma and Reedley in 2020, in 2021 the organization forged several community partnerships, received two grants toward in-progress murals, recorded a Public Service Announcement, and participated in three community dialogues about racial and social injustice. “We were amazed by the demonstrations of support from our hometown of Selma and the greater Fresno Community,” said Martínez. “It has given us great meaning to meet folks with a common purpose to create change in our community.”

In 2021, The 559 Project participated in three community dialogues, including Plática con Enseñamos en el Valle Central, which focused on the organization’s work, as well as sharing a series of case studies that build awareness of how mural art can positively impact minoritized communities if local policies are supportive and investments are made. You can watch the recording of the discussion, "Arte Contra el Racismo," here. Additional 2021 community dialogues included the Alice Street Impact Tour and a Movimiento Latino TV dialogue focused on the Chicano Muralismo Movement, which featured The 559 Mural Project's first two rural murals as examples of social impact through art. This dialogue, sponsored by Community Vision, reached 4,000 viewers, and is available to watch here.

Last summer, The 559 Mural Project partnered with Arte Américas, Fresno Arts Council, Community Media Access Collaborative (CMAC), and Alice Street director, Spencer Wilkinson, to screen the film, which addresses how the arts can be a model to empower communities to collectively shift the power in community development. Following the screening, expert panelists from the Fresno area community shared their perspectives regarding gentrification, displacement, and how local art can impact change.

Follow and Support The 559 Mural Project The 559 Mural Project | https://bit.ly/the559muralproject Email: the559muralproject@gmail.com To Donate: http://bit.ly/GoFundMe559 Public Service Announcement | https://bit.ly/559PSA Facebook: The559MuralProject IG: @The559MuralProject Linktr.ee: The_559_Mural_Project Official Merchandise: https://bit.ly/559MuralProjectStore

Murals-in-Progress The 559 Project has commissioned its fourth mural, Educate to Elevate or Elevamos con Educación, which will be located at the Salazar Community Center, pending Selma City Council approval this Spring. The project, coordinated by a Latinx women-led team of Central Valley artists, including lead artist, Mikayla M. Gutierrez of Visalia, Brandi Nuse-Villegas of Fresno, and Nicole “Niki” Jiminez of Selma, is seeking donations and is fundraising through merchandise sales to supplement a grant from Resist! The mural’s theme is four-fold: promoting education, honoring farmworkers, interweaving cultural symbols of Mexican-Americans and Mexicans, and highlighting the fight for social justice. The mural will also feature an original poem by Fresno poet, Aideed Medina.

Above: The proposed mural, Educate to Elevate or Elevamos con Educación, will be located at the Salazar Community Center in Selma.

Above: Promotional Flyer for Arte Contra el Racismo Above right: Alice Street screening and panel discussion at Arte Américas

Right: Alice Street panelists (L-R): Dr. Tania Pacheco-Werner, Eddie O. Rodriguez, Alondra Williams-Vasquez, Lilia Gonzáles Chávez, Spencer Wilkinson, Selena Martínez Mak

The 559 Project's Keanna Louise Salazar wearing official merchandise. Proceeds support Educate to Elevate or Elevamos con Educación Mural

Michael Vasquez, artist, activist, and entrepreneur

In 2021, The 559 Mural Project proposed two mural projects for 2022 completion in Fresno County. The first, focusing on culture and agriculture, how both are connected to our health, and how they can heal in times of turmoil and injustice, will be completed by artist, activist, and entrepreneur, Michael Vasquez, at the former Bank of America building on Morro Avenue in Del Rey, the historic home of Teatro Campesino and several notable family farms. The project is funded by a grant from the James Irvine Foundation, as well as a matching grant from Phil M. Gonzales, CSU Fresno Chicano Arts instructor.

All photos courtesy of The 559 Mural Project

08

ARTWELL | ISSUE 4

2021 Horizon Awards Honor Excellence in Art On October 24, 2021, Fresno County artists and citizens were honored for their contributions to the local arts community at the #annual Horizon Awards, held in the Bonner Auditorium at the Fresno Arts Museum. Honorees included: Debi Ruud (Educator Award); Dr. JD Northway (Citizen Award); Michele Ellis-Pracy (Special Award); Bobby Von Martin (Artist Award); Emma Woodward (Youth Award); and the McClatchy Foundation (Business Award). Check out video of the ceremony, and stay tuned for the call for 2022 Photo: Fresno Arts Council Archive

nominations.

Five Fresno Poet Laureates Read Together at ArtHop On December 2, 2021, current Fresno Poet Laureate, Megan Anderson Bohigian and all four former Fresno Poet Laureates—James Tyner (2013-15), Bryan Medina (2015-17), Lee Herrick (2017-19), and Marisol Baca (201921)—shared their work in a reading at the Fresno Arts Council Gallery during ArtHop, surrounded by the paintings of FAC gallery featured artist, Lura Schwarz Smith. Bohigian, who serves as Fresno’s Poet Laureate until March 31, 2023, said, "I was struck again by the power of their poems, by the variety, strength, honesty and high level of craft in the work—and by the models these outstanding poets and community activists present to the world. This is Fresno at its best.”

09

(L-R) James Tyner, Lee Herrick, Marisol Baca, Megan Bohigian, and Bryan Medina share their poetry at ArtHop on December 2, 2021 Photo Credit: Megan Bohigian

ARTWELL | ISSUE 4

Measure P: Cultural Arts Plan Proposal Deadline Extended The Fresno Arts Council has announced an extended deadline for its Request for Proposals (RFP) for a Cultural Arts Plan Consultant for the City of Fresno. The new deadline is Monday, February 7, 2022.

Fresno Arts Council, on behalf of the City of Fresno, is seeking proposals for a Consultant to research and develop a Cultural Plan for the City of Fresno. The deadline for proposals was originally December 7, 2021, but has been extended to February 7, 2022 at 2:00pm in order to provide more opportunity for submission and review of proposals. The consultancy is expected to be announced in March, and estimated dates of the contract will be March 11, 2022 to June 30, 2022.

The purpose of the Consultancy will be to support the undertaking of a cultural plan for the City of Fresno that will engage with its diverse community in producing a guiding document that documents Fresno’s unique cultural assets, defines cultural priorities, fosters opportunities for economic benefit and community engagement, and enhances the quality of life for City of Fresno residents, businesses, and visitors.

The Cultural Plan will be a community-wide public participation process that will develop a vision for the role the arts and culture play in our city and outline a plan for grantmaking. Twelve percent (12%) of the funds made available by Measure P will be made available on an annual basis to invest in competitive grants for nonprofit organizations that support and expand access to arts and cultural programming; the Cultural Plan developed by the Cultural Arts Plan Consultant must precede this disbursement of funds.

The Request for Proposals (RFP) with guidelines can be found here. The deadline for questions is January 31, 2022 by 2:00PM via email to Executive Director, Lilia Gonzáles Chávez at lilia@fresnoartscouncil.org.

Poetry Out Loud™: Fresno County Competition February 9, 2022 On February 9th, Fresno Area high school students will compete to represent Fresno County at the California State Poetry Out Loud virtual competition on March 8-9, 2022. Participants select, rehearse, and recite poems from an anthology curated by the contest. Performers are evaluated on accuracy, physical presence, voice and articulation, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, and overall performance. Cash prizes and certificates of participation are available for County, State, and National participants.

The contest is coordinated and sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Poetry Foundation, and the California Arts Council. Email andrea@fresnoartscouncil.org for more information.

10

ARTWELL | ISSUE 4

Commemorating 100 Years of Women's Suffrage in Song Fresno Arts Council is proud to announce the World Premiere of “100 Years of 1,000 Tries,” a collaborative musical project commemorating the centennial of women’s suffrage in the United States. The project, co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters Centennial Committee, Fresno Arts Council, and the Fresno County Office of Education, was composed, rehearsed, and produced— primarily virtually and remotely—from 2020 to 2021.

A roundtable discussion preceding the video project features League of Women Voters President, Francine Farber; composer, Joungmin Sur; poet and Above: L-R: Glady Ruiz, Joungmin Sur, Francine Farber, Jason Hopper, Anna Hamre discuss the composition process for the project. Below: Joungmin Sur and Glady Ruiz perform the piece.

Photo stills from "100 Years of 1000 Tries."

Videographer: Jason Hopper

lyricist, Glady Ruiz; Choral Director, Anna Hamre; and videographer, Jason Hopper describing the artistic and historical inspiration, challenges, and collaborative success of the piece, which was conceived and commissioned prepandemic, but which developed into its current form—connected videos of Fresno Master Chorale members performing the piece outside their homes or in local outdoor settings with photographs of suffragist history superimposed among them, grounded by Ruiz’s lyrics, including the refrain, “Resist and arise,” captioned throughout.

The concept of “The Mother Tree,” researched and made popular by scientist Suzanne Simard, inspired the composition's theme—across score, lyrics, and visual expression. “The Mother Hub” tree provides nourishment to saplings so that they, too, may arise and provide nourishment to others. The Fresno Master Chorale subsequently assembled to perform and record the piece together.

Arts Alive in Agriculture 2022: Call for Submissions Submission entries for the 9th annual Arts Alive in Agriculture juried exhibition are being collected through March 3, 2022. The Arts Alive in Agriculture Juried Art Show is an annual juried art show that honors the agricultural roots, resources, and traditions of the ethnically-diverse communities in the Central Valley, a large expanse of rich farm land throughout California's San Joaquin Valley that produces the fruits and crops needed to feed the world.

The Fresno Arts Council seeks to highlight the Central Valley's agricultural industry by showing original works of visual art created

by Central Valley-based artists. Categories include: Agricultural Landscapes, People & Agriculture, Machines & Technology in Agriculture, Documentary Photography, Manipulated Photography, and Sculpture, Assemblage & Found Objects. The exhibit will take place March 31, 2022.

Applications are available here

0 1 18

ARTWELL | ISSUE 4

Dr. Kevin Cooper, Fresno City College Guitar Instructor, Nominated for GRAMMY Award Dr. Kevin Cooper, Fresno City College Guitar instructor and founding member of Bay Area-based chamber music group, Agave Baroque, has been nominated, along with countertenor Reginald L. Mobley and the other members of Agave Baroque, for a GRAMMY Award for the group’s recording, American Originals: A New World, A New Canon. Agave Baroque and Mobley are nominated in the Best Classical Compendium category for the album, released in September 2021, which celebrates composers of color from North and South America, including Florence Price, Esteban Salas, Scott Joplin and Justin Holland. Winners will be announced at the 64th annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on April 3rd. You can download and stream the recording and hear samples of Cooper’s performance here.

Photo: fresnocitycollege.edu

Photo: https://agave.hearnow.com

Teresa Flores Selected as SCCCD West Fresno Campus Fountain Artist Teresa Flores has been selected as the artist who will complete the Fresno City College West Campus Fountain Project, a mosaic tile mural commissioned by SCCCD to reflect the community of West Fresno, where the new Fresno City College campus will open in Summer 2022. Flores, a public artist, proposed a concept which includes a tile triptych of Kearny Boulevard, as well as vignettes featuring important West Fresno community figures. The project invites participation from the West Fresno Community to select portraits for inclusion in this public art piece. "It's an honor to work with the West Fresno community, SCCCD, and Fresno Arts Council to develop a long-lasting public artwork that reflects the history and culture of the community," said Flores.

1 20 8

E L L| I| SI S U SU AA RR TT WW EL E E4 4