ArtsLIVE Reception

Two long tables are placed next to each other, lengthwise, and clean white linen runs over their edges and to the floor. Black tablecloths are through in chunky rectangles here and there to accent and provide some shape to the arrangement. Nice fellow that are dress up nicely, but who you are not comfortable having their shirts buttoned to their chin, bring out bowls and platters and wicker baskets full of Mediterranean food. Creamy hummus, salty and just perfect to make my mouth water. Olive leaves stuffed with rice, sour and tart. Peta bread and feta cheese and this and that of opaque colors. Perfect and then, the speaker arrives at the podium to announce that the reception will begin. The mic cracks and crinkles and artist from throughout the county receive awards to create social equality.

The Ventura County Arts Council and the Ventura County Community Foundation held to award the grants to artists. They put a tremendous amount of work into the reception and even made a video about each grant award. I will post my video so that you may see the wonderful things that are happening in the project. I was really nervous, but the wonderful staff made us all feel welcome. I left with a feeling of hope to start my program and I kn

ow that by writing short stories and helping parents make children's books our community will be infused with art and learning.

This is a picture another picture that I pulled from the ArtsLive website. The other grant recipients were fantastic as well. The projects vary from doing improvisational jazz with the homeless to creating scrap metal animal statues for a local animal organization. Many of the projects allow the artists to create art that will improve the community by the presence of art and some actually involve participants in a project. For me, it was important to involve families in the art creation itself.

I got my check and then I was off to start recruiting for my project.