Piece by Piece Awarded California Arts Council “Local Impact” Grant (2018)

State funds support arts projects in California’s historically marginalized communities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

Los Angeles, CA – The California Arts Council announced its plans to award $14,400 to Piece by Piece as part of its Local Impact program.

The Local Impact program provides support for community-driven arts project for small and mid- sized arts organizations. The program fosters equity, access and opportunity for historically marginalized communities by cultivating community participation in art making, learning, and exposure.

Projects provide access to arts participation and representation of and by the community identified in the application. Historically marginalized communities include specific ethnic and tribal groups, LGBTQ+, individuals with disabilities, low-income and rural communities, and immigrant and refugee communities.

With support from the California Arts Council, Piece by Piece will provide a series of free, community-based mosaic workshops for low-income and formerly-homeless individuals in the underserved Los Angeles neighborhoods of Skid Row and South Los Angeles. These workshops will promote creative expression, help participants improve their well-being through art, and nurture a sense of community through collaborative mosaic projects conducted in an inviting, low-pressure environment.

While arts programming exists everywhere in Los Angeles, none is for the purpose of leveraging opportunity for the city's most vulnerable.

Piece by Piece is one of 133 grantees chosen for the Local Impact program. The award was featured as part of a larger announcement from the California Arts Council.

“The Local Impact grant program strikes at the heart of the issue of access and equity in the arts,” said Nashormeh Lindo, California Arts Council. Piece by Piece’s project is crucial to help arts and culture opportunities reach California’s marginalized communities, and to promote the unique creative expressions within that community.”

To view a complete listing of all Local Impact grantees, visit http://arts.ca.gov/programs/files/FY1718_ProjectDescriptions_LI.pdf

Piece by Piece is a non-profit organization operating in Skid Row and South Los Angeles to fulfill its mission to provide low-income and formerly homeless people free mosaic art workshops using recycled materials to develop marketable skills, self-confidence, earned income and an improved quality of life. Learn more at www.piecebypiece.org.

The mission of the California Arts Council, a state agency, is to advance California through the arts and creativity. The Council is committed to building public will and resources for the arts; fostering accessible arts initiatives that reflect contributions from all of California's diverse populations; serving as a thought leader and champion for the arts; and providing effective and relevant programs and services.

Members of the California Arts Council include: Chair Nashormeh Lindo, Vice Chair Larry Baza, Phoebe Beasley, Christopher Coppola, Juan Devis, Kathleen Gallegos, Jaime Galli, Donn K. Harris, Louise McGuinness, Steven Oliver, and Rosalind Wyman. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.