At this Wednesday’s Hearts for the Arts Benefit Event (6pm-9pm at Alex Bult Gallery) artists, community leaders, and Sacramento’s finest convene to celebrate and raise funds for Any Given Child Sacramento. This initiative, spearheaded by For Arts’ Sake, strives to ensure that art experiences are accessible to every child in grades K-8. As a part of this fun, alternative event you can treat your Valentine to a night like no other, all while supporting a great cause and enjoying an evening of art, music, cocktails, and refreshments. Esteemed auctioneer David Sobon will auction off “heart-works” donated donated by over 24 local artists, including Raphael Delgado, Shane Grammer, and Micah Cr

October was officially declared as National Arts and Humanities Month by President Obama back in 2009. Artober is a month-long event starting Oct. 1 that highlights the talents and art resources in Sacramento and celebrates the meaning of the month. It will include local artists, businesses, art walks, festivals, workshops and other special events in Old Sacramento and the downtown area. Last year, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced that the For Arts’ Sake Coalition would be introducing a new action plan for the Sacramento area. A team of 20 artists and art enthusiasts worked to bring resources together such as getting organizations and businesses involved in the process of making the public a

If you are a local artist, Dancer, choreographer, photographer, filmmaker, etc...Sacramento For Arts’ Sake may invest in your future. For Arts' Sake is a regional initiative to strengthen the arts in Sacramento, especially concerning its investment in creative talent.  Currently For Art's Sake, is seeking input about what artists NEED to be successful in Sacramento. They also want to know more about what it’s like to be an artist here and what might be helpful as you build your craft and your career. For Arts’ Sake Sacramento has three main goals; Strengthen our cultural infastructure, Improve access to the Arts & Arts Education and Invest in Creative Talent. The purpose of this survey i

Representatives from over 80 arts organizations received tips on obtaining funding at an arts funding symposium hosted by the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (SMAC) Tuesday moning at the KVIE banquet room with a speech by Congresswoman Doris Matsui. The free event titled “Where's the Money?” was a day full of speakers, panels and workshops with teachers, artists, grant writers and various other active participants for the arts in Sacramento in attendance. KVIE General Manager David Lowe opened the event by talking about the Public Broadcasting Station to note that KVIE also largely relies on funding from public grants, private grants, and donations like the attendees in the room.

Leaders in Mayor Kevin Johnson’s For Arts’ Sake initiative are laying the groundwork for the arts to flourish, they told the arts community Wednesday. Held at Folsom Lake College’s new Three Stages theater, the meeting was the first quarterly meeting of the initiative since it transitioned from the planning phase to the action phase last November. “We just received word of a planning grant of $50,000 to create a youth arts program to serve the entire region,” said For Arts’ Sake Project Manager Deborah Edward. The grant, which came from AmeriCorps and will be used in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Sacramento, is allotted for planning to determine the demand and oppo

A Perspective: 2011 City Management Academy's Class #2: Mayor Johnson Presents with his Initiatives’ Pep Rally Squad The second session of the 2011 City Management Academy (CMA) 12-week classroom for neighborhood association and other community & business leaders began with a 4-minute, professionally-produced video presentation complete w/ pulsing background music and splashy visual edits which highlighted some of Mayor Johnson’s accomplishments while in office. As the video ended, Wednesday evening’s first speaker, the mayor (waiting in the wings -- poised in the doorway shadows of a 5th floor New City Hall conference room, standing very still & quiet, head bowed, anticipating the roo

Sacramento’s For Arts’ Sake initiative reached the tipping point from planning to action Friday. “Now that the art community has gathered together and convened everybody ... there’s a place for everyone to participate,” said Mayor Kevin Johnson. “We’re going to do massive outreach,” Johnson said. “We’re going to go out to citizens all over Sacramento and say, ‘Here’s how you can sign up, here’s how you can help, tell us what’s important to you, what are your priorities,’ and we’re going to make them a reality.” The arts community was invited to the recently expanded Crocker Art Museum Friday for an update on the For Arts’ Sake initiative, and National Endowment for the Arts Chairman Roc

Sacramento Film & Music Festival New dates and “Pitch Sacramento” filmmaking competition for 2011 For the past 11 years, the Sacramento Film & Music Festival has screened the best indie films from around the country and the world. And for the past 7 years, it has established a reputation for local filmmaking competitions, with approx. 150 music videos made for the Sac Music Seen program and 100 short films made for the 10x10 Filmmaker Challenge. For 2011, the Festival is making two major changes: A split into two separate seasonal events and a new competition for local filmmakers. Rather than continue as a 10-day Summer Festival, the 12th year for the Sacramento Film & Music Festival wil

Mayor Kevin Johnson formally introduced Deborah Edward as the new project manager for his “For Art’s Sake” initiative at his weekly press conference on Tuesday. After reviewing 250 resumes and conducting 18 interviews, Johnson said Edward was the best candidate to implement the three main goals of the initiative -- strengthen Sacramento’s cultural infrastructure, improve access to the arts and arts education, and invest in creative talent. Edward’s qualifications for the position are evident in her involvement as co-founder and executive director of the Austin Children’s Museum, as well as her consultation experience with museums in California, the Czech Republic, Russia and Texas in reg

Chances are if you live in Sacramento, you know someone involved in the arts, or even a struggling artist. The greater Sacramento area is home to an estimated 1,515 arts-related businesses employing 7,061 people, according to a 2010 study by the National Arts Index. The arts contributed $350 million, $1.35 million in taxes and had the potential to make $2.8 million more for the city, according to a 2001 study by The Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission. However, SMAC and its current 10 full-time employees are facing further cuts by the city and county, the agency's two largest funding sources. County staff recommended cutting $134,655 in 2011, while city staff recommended cutting $150

Sacramento's arts community is looking for more than just 15 minutes of fame. "There's a stigma that artists can't communicate what they do," said artist Milton Bowens. "Or that our profession is all Andy Warhol's personality." An effort to change that started in June, when Mayor Kevin Johnson's For Art's Sake initiative was begun to raise the profile of arts in the city. "We are going to promote the arts in a real way," he said. It got off to a running start. To fund the monthly meetings, Johnson raised $100,000 within a week of starting the initiative. The last 12-months, the planning stage of the initiative, were managed by Sharon Gerber. She owns Six Degreez, an event-planning comp

"Great cities deserve great art," Mayor Kevin Johnson said as he addressed an audience of 400 Thursday night at Sacramento State's University Theatre. The occasion was the final monthly meeting of the For Art's Sake initiative, an effort to revitalize the arts in Sacramento. Good Day Sacramento's Mark S. Allen hosted the event. The main objective of the evening was the unveiling of the organization's Creative Action Plan, a detailed guideline to invigorate the local art scene over the next four years. The three central goals of the plan are as follows: to strengthen cultural infrastructure, improve access to the arts and arts education and invest in talent and the creative economy. At th

The spring 2010 Mayoral Fellows Program will feature local students for the first time. In its inaugural session, Mayor Kevin Johnson worked closely with students from Harvard Business School for a five-week period. This time, however, the mayor hopes to foster local talent by teaming with California State University, Sacramento, and the University of California, Davis. Johnson talked about the importance of being creative in tough times and cultivating young talent. "To create opportunity and give practical field experience," Johnson said, "Get them involved with the public sector and retain them." Dean Steven Currall of the UC Davis Graduate School of Management spoke of his university

It’s the end of December — a time for holiday celebrations, not public hearings. But the democratic process begins anew in early January, with many issues to be debated at local government meetings. The Sacramento Press has created the following schedule for residents who want to exercise their right to weigh in on public issues. Sacramento City Council: The council is not meeting Dec. 29. Its first meeting in the new year will be held at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 5 at City Hall, 915 I St. Sacramento County Board of Supervisors: The board’s first meeting of 2010 will take place at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 12. A second 2 p.m. meeting will be held Jan. 12. Sacramento City Planning Commi

A little over two months ago, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts chose Sacramento over 27 other cities as the first partner for the "Any Given Child" program. The program, which promotes arts education, will be developed in Sacramento over the next two years before rolling out nationwide. Mayor Kevin Johnson emailed the following survey regarding participation in the Any Given Child program: In October, the Kennedy Center announced that it would pilot its Any Given Child program here in Sacramento with the goal of providing access and equity in arts in education to all students. Since then, we've been hard at work focusing on this welcome opportunity to expand arts opport

Sacramento-raised painter David Garibaldi delivered a poignant speech at Wednesday's "For Art's Sake" meeting. The 26-year-old thanked Mayor Kevin Johnson and the city for its support and guidance when he was growing up in Sacramento. While Garibaldi was a high school student interested in the arts, the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission recognized his potential and sent him to California State Summer School for the Arts on a full scholarship, he said. Garibaldi credited this and his high school art program with helping him redirect a creative fire that led him to graffiti the streets of Sacramento, inspiring him instead to become a performance artist. The "For Art's Sake" initiativ

Wednesday's For Art's Sake meeting at the Sacramento Ballet studios feautured a surprise visit from musician Wynton Marsalis. The nearly 100 audience members were treated with a speech from Marsalis, who Mayor Kevin Johnson had previously mentioned in June's For Art's Sake meeting. After the normally scheduled meeting, Marsalis entered the room to a standing ovation. He gave a 30-minute speech followed by a 15-minute question-and-answer session. Marsalis, a jazz educator as well as nine-time Grammy winner and Pulitzer Prize recipient, spoke of the importance of music education. "How can we get kids to our shows?" Marsalis asked the audience early in his speech. "We need to get kids to g

The third monthly "For Art's Sake" meeting held Wednesday morning at Capitol Public Radio had a big announcement. Over 100 people stuffed into CPR's conference room to hear the news that $100,000 had been raised for the For Art's Sake initiative. In addition to the financial support, Mayor Kevin Johnson announced a more active web presence. The initiative has a live Facebook page, and a website is in the works to be launched in the next month, Johnson said. Familiar faces filled the audience which included the likes of Sacramento Ballet artistic director Ron Cunningham and Sacramento's poet laureate Bob Stanley, as well as new faces such as Keith Ochwat of the Documentary Foundation and

Wednesday morning Mayor Kevin Johnson held his second "For Art's Sake" meeting, which saw an increase in attendance over last month. More than 100 people crowded into the Verge Art Gallery on 19th and V Streets. To open the meeting, Dennis Mangers, senior adviser for Senator Darrell Steinberg, summarized the previous meeting. Afterward, Johnson took the podium to lay down his vision for the arts initiative. "What is our vision? What are our goals? Who do we want to be as an art community? Those are things we are going to start answering ourselves," he said. "Over the next 11 months, we're going to create a sustainable arts community." He mentioned that as a whole, an estimated $100,000

It was a veritable who's who of Sacramento artists, arts organizations and art supporters inside KVIE Public Television's offices Friday morning. Nearly 100 invitees gathered to listen to Mayor Kevin Johnson's remarks in a meeting entitled "For Art's Sake." "Performing arts, visual arts and literary arts -- we need all three to reach the potential of what Sacramento can be," Johnson said in his speech. "Our commitment: We are going to promote the arts in a real way." The mayor stressed that the arts community doesn't just use city money, it creates revenue for the city. Therefore, the relationship is a reciprocal one. He then introduced Sharon Gerber, founder of arts and event planning