The California Arts Council made some internal staffing changes in March. Marilyn Nielsen is now the Chief Deputy Director for the agency, and Scott Heckes is the Deputy Director of Programs and Administration. Additionally, John Seto, formerly an arts program specialist, was brought into the Special Projects team.

The rules were simple: Line up objects that look like the letters A-R-T-S, take a photo, and email it to the California Arts Council (CAC). The winning entry would be featured for 30 days as the cover photo on the CAC's Facebook page, and the winner would be interviewed for a "featurette" on the CAC's website.

Through the Artistic License Awards, California Lawyers for the Arts highlights the exemplary work of individuals and organizations in California who have contributed to the development of the arts in our state. It recently conferred an "Artistic License Award" on Senator Curren Price, Chair of the Joint Committee on the Arts, who was honored for his sponsorship of the Tax Checkoff for the Arts voluntary contribution option on state tax returns to help fund California Arts Council programs and for his support of arts education, including a recent hearing on the topic at the Capitol.

They may not have addresses--but these artists have a registry. Some people may say they cannot create--but at the annual Festival for All Skid Row Artists organized by the Los Angeles Poverty Department, this comment was heard: [the festival is] "God's way of letting us know we still count, that we have to give ourselves a chance again." 

Testimony from Malissa Feruzzi Shriver, Chair of the California Arts Council, to the California Legislature at an informational hearing called by Senator Curren Price, Chair of the Joint Committee on the Arts, on April 18, 2012.

The National Endowment for the Arts announced this week that it will grant $77.17 million to not-for-profit organizations and state arts agencies nationwide--including to 132 California organizations for $5.04 million. Of that amount, $1.1 million is for the California Arts Council to further its partnership activities with the NEA as the state's arts agency.

Could your organization benefit from receiving 100 hours of consulting services from a professionally trained graduate student? The Masters in Arts Management Program of the Claremont Graduate University will place a select number of graduate students to consult with arts and cultural institutions in fall 2012. Deadline:  May 18, 2012.

It was standing room only in the conference room where Arts Education was discussed at the Capitol on April 18, 2012. Malissa Feruzzi Shriver, Chair of the California Arts Council and co-Chair of the CREATE CA initiative, testified about the stressed circumstances of arts education in the state--and about the potential for a major turnaround for the arts and arts education.

Summer job opportunities for 74 college students are now available through the L.A. County Arts Internship Program. Descriptions of and contacts for the internship positions are posted on the Arts Commission's Web site. Internship opportunities will close as soon as they are filled during the April 3 to May 16 recruitment period. Students should act fast.

The Arts, Creativity, And Innovation in the 21st Century Classroom: How to Paint a Canvas for Success is the topic for a hearing convened by Senator Curren Price, chairman of the Joint Committee on the Arts. Expert representatives are expected to present information on the value of arts education. The hearing is confirmed for Wednesday, April 18, at 1:30pm in Room 3191 of the State Capitol in Sacramento. 

The "Create a State" Arts Plate campaign kicked off at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City on March 22, 2012, with a bang, a bus, and a bustle of artists, arts supporters, and others who want to help raise $40 million for California arts through sales of the Arts License Plate.