By Connie Martinez, SVCREATES’ Chief Executive Officer
SVCREATES has always had a strong and valued partnership with the City of San José — home to the majority of our region’s artists and arts organizations. In 2020, however, our board and staff made a commitment to increasing equitable access to resources for our cultural sector across all of Santa Clara County. We set out to deepen our relationships with local municipalities and customize our offerings based on each community’s unique character, cultural assets, and priorities. We started with Gilroy.
After two years of listening, learning, and relationship building with local artists and community leaders, a newly formed Gilroy Arts Roundtable emerged and now meets monthly. In addition, a new grant program designed by and for the Gilroy community will launch in April, and engagement with Gilroy’s Arts and Culture Commission is ongoing. We are impressed! Thank you to Gilroy’s artist community and civic and cultural leaders for partnering with us to ensure artistic growth and cultural inclusivity is a priority now and moving forward.
And, SVCREATES is not stopping with Gilroy. In 2022, we launched our first-ever gathering of Arts Commission Chairs from across the county. The group plans to meet quarterly to share best practices and support each other’s work. We now have agreements in place and are actively engaged with Gilroy, Milpitas, Los Gatos, and Palo Alto, and are in conversations with Cupertino, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, and Santa Clara. Our plan is to engage all 15 cities/towns in Santa Clara County by the end of 2024.
We are inspired by the enthusiasm of local artists and leaders interest in being part of this journey. The “early adopters” are guiding the way as we build a network of arts advocates together. By joining forces, we can strengthen our local communities through the arts, flex our regional muscle at the state and federal levels, and elevate the arts across Silicon Valley.
Intention is a powerful beginning….but action is everything. We look forward to working together with that as our mantra.
