California Arts Council awards Ventura County Arts Council with Highest Bracket Scores in State-Local Partnership Grant

    VENTURA, CA, March 10, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Ventura County Arts Council is pleased to announce it has been recognized with the highest marks by the California Arts Council in its reapplication for the State-Local Partnership grant, receiving more than $64,000 to be used over the next year and a half. This designation means VCAC has moved into the top bracket, receiving a six of six ranking for the first time - joining other, much larger counties in the top bracket, including Los Angeles City and County, San Francisco County and Alameda County.

"The Ventura County Arts Council has come a long way in the past couple of years. Our team has grown stronger, we are more committed and we are growing our partnerships and expanding our reach throughout the County," said Margaret Travers, Executive Director, Ventura County Arts Council. "I am really proud of what we have achieved."

The California Arts Council annually awards the State-Local Partnership Grants to arts councils across the state that have been designated by their county board of supervisors to deliver arts services to their county's citizens in partnership with the California Arts Council. State-Local Partners are officially designated to provide program or financial support services to arts organizations and individual artists, across all arts disciplines.

In order to be eligible for the State-Local Partnership grant, organizations need to meet a demanding list of criteria including diversity, outreach, expansion, accessibility, fundraising, educational, and advocacy activities, to name a few.

As VCAC continues to expand its reach into the community, it has recently received other grants, including one from the Alliance for California Traditional Arts, (ACTA) for a weaving residency and workshop held at Oxnard's Carnegie Art Museum by Zapotec artist Porfirio Gutierrez in partnership with MICOP; a grant from the Puffin Foundation supported travel of a VCAC curated photography exhibit Campos de Ensuenos to galleries in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria, in partnership with MICOP and the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture; and a grant from the National Arts & Disabilities Center at UCLA (NADC) to underwrite a solo exhibit by a Kindling Studios artist in partnership with Reid's Gift.

For nearly 20 years, the Ventura County Arts Council, an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit arts organization, has served Ventura County residents as the local arts agency designated by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors to serve the county's citizens in partnership with the California Arts Council. VCAC advocates for the arts and for increased arts instruction in schools, and fosters community development through the arts, serving county artists, arts organizations and the general public through partnerships with arts supporters, businesses, foundation, and community leaders. VCAC embraces diversity and strives to reach low income and minority communities with programs designed to engage these diverse populations. For more information, visit http://www.vcartscouncil.org.

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