OC Arts Awards Honorees Announced; Sanaz Toossi Wins Pulitzer for Drama

Arts Orange County Announces

23rd OC Arts Awards Honorees

23rd OC Arts Awards honorees - Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award (top row, left to right): Jane Fujishige Yada, Claudia de la Cruz, Richard T. Bryant, Orange County Musicians Union; Achievement Awards (bottom row, left to right): Child Creativity Lab, Chantrell M. Lewis.

The Orange County arts community will gather on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, in the Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, to honor its stars at the 23rd Orange County Arts Awards, hosted by the county’s non-profit arts council, Arts Orange County.

The Helena Modjeska Cultural Legacy Award recognizes lifetime contributions to the Orange County arts community. Honorees include Jane Fujishige Yada, who has been a passionate, devoted and generous arts philanthropist for over 25 years, and currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors at Segerstrom Center for the Arts; Claudia de la Cruz, a renowned flamenco dancer, choreographer and educator; Richard T. Bryant, an arts leader who helped open important performing arts venues, most recently the Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University where he is Executive Director; and the Orange County Musicians Union, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary as the representative for professional musicians in our community.

In addition, two Achievement Awards will be bestowed. Child Creativity Lab, a leader in championing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) education programs for young people, will be recognized with an award for Outstanding Arts Organization. Chantrell M. Lewis, a theatre artist who is Founder and Executive Director of The Jar of Sunshine, which offers programs that promote wellness through the arts, will be presented with the Emerging Artist/Arts Leader Award.

“Arts Orange County proudly honors the people and organizations that have profoundly impacted the creative life of our community,” said ArtsOC President/CEO Richard Stein. “Each year, we look forward to recognizing those in the arts who have contributed to Orange County over the course of a lifetime and those who have made a more recent impact. This is an evening that celebrates our diverse artistic community, where we honor and thank those whose dedication to the arts enriches and benefits so many throughout Orange County.”

More information may be found at https://artsoc.org/events-and-programs/orange-county-arts-awards/

Sanaz Toossi Wins Pulitzer Prize for Drama

Orange County’s Sanaz Toossi has won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play “English.” Toossi, a South Coast Repertory commissioned playwright and theatre conservatory alum, was born and raised in Orange County. "English" had its premiere last year at the Atlantic Theater Company in New York.

Read more here.

Keep your eyes peeled for this in your inbox!

It appears that funds are still remaining in the 2021 CA Nonprofit Arts Relief Grant program and past applicants are being invited to submit for a second installment. The form takes ten seconds to complete, but confirmation says they might ask for additional information and there is no guarantee of funding. Again, if you are a past applicant check your email for this notification!

Casa Romantica to Partially Reopen

After a period of closure due to the devastating landslide of the Ocean Terrace on Thursday, April 27, Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens is making plans to partially reopen the estate at the end of May.

Read more here.

New Grants, Residencies and

Opportunities for Artists

Tom Fruin's Watertower, a 2012 public art project in Brooklyn.

Creative Capital has assembled a massive list of opportunities around the country. There are arts in health projects in New Hampshire, ceramics in Minnesota and filmmaking in California, as well as nearly everything in between.

Read more here.

Voice of OC Arts Writers Creating

Their Own Nonprofit

The award-winning team of arts and culture writers from the Voice of OC staff will be branching off this month to develop their own nonprofit organization. They will continue to collaborate with Voice of OC while expanding coverage through these new efforts.

Read more here.

Orange County Residents Selected for California Arts Council Panelist Pool

A robust number of Orange County artists representing all art forms have been selected by the California Arts Council to be part of the pool from which grant panelists will be drawn. Panelists are responsible for reviewing, scoring and discussing applications as part of funding decisions. The potential 2023 OC panelists are listed in alphabetical order below:

Victoria Ahia, Jac Alva, Tom Bradac, Michelle Brouwer, Julie Bussell, Elizabeth Cardenas, Rebecca Chapman, Usha Chari, Megan Debin, Scott Evans, Yvonne Flores, Laurette Garner, Gary Graves, Ramya Harishankar, Ann Huang, Liza Krassner, Jinx Law, Tad Lupton, Pierce Meehan, Erika Miller, Kihan Park, Claire Pearson, Molly Buzick Pontin, JP Price, Roger Eyes R, Mike Radice, Jenny Simon, Alison Sotomayor, Elizabeth Steele, Richard Stein, Andrea Valentino Vieths, Joy Wolf, Katy Wright

Read more here.

Emergency Preparedness Grants Available

The Performing Arts Readiness (PAR) project is offering resources that assist organizations with emergency planning and contribute to their sustainability during crises. A key part of the project’s support to organizations is through the provision of Institutional Emergency Preparedness Grants and Network Grants.

Read more here.

Joanne Xu wins 40th District

Congressional Art Competition

U.S. Representative Young Kim and ArtsOC Vice President/Chief Operating Officer Patrick Brien present the 40th District Congressional Art Competition First Place honors to Joanne Xu at a reception in Tustin on Friday, May 5.

To learn more about the Congressional Art Competition, click here.

Welcome New ArtsOC Members

Arts Orange County is a membership organization. Our members help us forge innovative and effective collaborations, grow informed and active audiences and ensure that the arts are seen as essential to the emotional, physical, and economic well-being of our region. Our newest members are:

Girl Scouts of Orange County

www.girlscoutsoc.org

RYTMO

https://www.rytmo.org/

Alexa Alexander

https://www.alexanderfolkartist.com/

Valerie Noden

www.stiltshow.com

Dr. Marilyn Brock

For Membership information, contact Karen Ahola at kahola@artsoc.org