Bakersfield, CA – May 4, 2023, This week, the KDACC announced that the Arts Council of Kern received funding to move forward with our project, Community Engagement through Indigenous Arts, from May 2023 through May 2024. ACK is honored to be one of the 20 grant recipients. Funding for ACK will foster community involvement and engagement by bringing people together through learning and participating in group arts forms from the first peoples. Four indigenous artists will share and demonstrate how we can build bridges and bring about transformation through the arts to create a sense of home/belonging for people in the lowest quartile of the HPI.

Art projects and presentations will educate and empower residents of all ages and demographics to change their lifestyles and outlooks. A book of native storytelling, a project documentary, photography, indigenous arts exhibits in participating museums, and accessible education programs will culminate in three festive events, including exhibits and performances by the artists and participants. The goals are to improve health outcomes in areas with rampant low self-esteem, poverty, social inequity, addictions, mental illness, and displaced/broken families leading to chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, heart disease, and asthma.

This project will bring to fruition the long-held vision of our executive director, Jeanette Richardson. Her reappointment to a second term as ED began in December 2022. The ACK staff and board also recognize the value of the project and are deeply committed to bringing all aspects to the cultural and educational benefit of Kern County artists and residents.

About the Arts Council of Kern
The Arts Council of Kern was established in 1977. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and are the designated local arts agency for Kern County. We serve our mission in partnership with the California Arts Council, the County of Kern, and local agencies. Our vision includes supporting projects that reflect the values and cultural heritage of the people within Kern County.

Through these projects, our organization can more accurately uplift, involve, and highlight the many voices we serve. Community Engagement through Indigenous Arts will allow us to do this. ACK connects traditional indigenous practice, lowrider car culture, and public art to support historically-overlooked populations and their contributions to the vast web of our shared creative heritage.

About the KDA Creative Corps
The KDACC is a pilot grant program administered by the Kern Dance Alliance and designed to promote community and civic engagement and spread awareness about water and energy conservation, climate change, emergency preparedness, and relief and recovery through the arts. Out of 140 eligible individuals and organizations, KDAA received an astounding $21.7 million in grant requests for $3.4 million in available funding. The grant applications came from all 14 counties in the Central Valley and Eastern Sierra regions of the state.