This article was contributed by the San Benito County Arts Council.
The San Benito County Arts Council will be participating in #GivingTuesday on Dec. 3 in support of local artists and arts organizations.
For this year’s Giving Tuesday, the Arts Council is relaunching its fundraising campaign, The Art of Giving, to help build capacity for its Arts Express! Grant Program which provides funding support to local artists, arts organizations, cultural groups, and arts-based projects.
Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving that harnesses the collective power of individuals, communities and organizations to encourage philanthropy and to celebrate generosity worldwide.
There are two opportunities for community members to show their support for local art during this global celebration of giving. A monetary donation can be made to support the Arts Express! Grant Program. Additionally, on Friday, Dec. 6 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. the Arts Council will hold its annual Small Works Art Party & Live Raffle at the ARTspace ANNEX in downtown Hollister. Over 80 pieces of small-scale art, created and donated by 50 local artists, will be raffled off with all proceeds benefiting Arts Express! This event is free and open to the public. Raffle tickets will be sold for $5, and food and drink will be available.
About the Arts Express! Grant Program
In 2017 with support from Corbin, the Arts Council launched its Arts Express! Grant Program to provide quick and accessible mini-grants to local artists and arts-based organizations in order to reduce barriers to arts funding and create economic opportunities within the local arts community. The program was expanded in 2018 with support from Corbin and a matching grant from the Community Foundation of San Benito County.
Since its inception, Arts Express! has funded 21 local projects, some of which include summer art and dance camps, after school arts programming, public art projects, and performing and visual artworks. Previous grantees include Mr. O’s Academy for the Arts, El Teatro Campesino, Spring Grove School, San Benito Stage Company, Terra Cultura and Anzar High School. The Arts Council is looking to ambitiously expand this program and increase funding opportunities to local artists and arts and cultural groups to help meet growing community need.
To find out more about the San Benito County Arts Council visit www.sanbenitoarts.org or give them a follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
