A New way of Funding Visual Artists

 

There are a few lucky artist that can make a living selling their art. There are a few more, that have a job that supports them, but they are still dedicated artists exhibiting and selling their work. But I have found in San Diego that there are a large number of artists that have to have a job to support themselves, that do show their work, but they rarely sell it. Maybe the work is too expensive for those living here or maybe the work is too challenging. And yes, maybe they are not good at marketing themselves, but there are also lots of showing spaces that don’t promote sales.

Although this is not a condition exclusive to San Diego, it is exclusive to a county and cities the size of  those in San Diego. I am delighted that over $1million from the county and $1million for Arts Matter will goi directly into the pockets of deserving individual artists.  But I would like to support another initiative: to pay artists to show their work.  

In the performing arts, we pay the singers, actors, dancers etc. but usually it is expected that visual artist are not paid since they can sell their art. But since the art is not selling, they struggle. Mesa College Art Gallery pays a stipend to every artist that shows in their space. I was astonished to hear this and I actually benefitted from this when I exhibited there. San Diego Visual Arts Network has been giving grants to artist for the last 19 years as part of the SD Art Prize which includes an exhibition, a catalog and wide promotion. Couldn’t we start with all city and county housed galleries, libraries and educational institutes budgeting to pay artists to put their work on display? Hopefully that would spread to Museums,  art associations and even private sales galleries

But that is just the beginning. We need a county policy written to designate Arts and Cultural District and it needs to be funded so those districts can market and promote all the arts. The state has a budget that includes funding of $4 million for their Arts and Culture districts of which San Diego has 4 official ones including the latest Arts District Liberty Station. Let’s do this in our county and add to the 4-6 existing arts districts we already have.

And while we are at it, let’s get an ordinance passed that allows for affordable housing for artist throughout our county, not just in Arts and Cultural Districts. Let’s make sure our artist do not have to leave to make a living.

Finally, we should constantly be working to simplify the process of supporting the arts. For Artists this means limited the questions on grants application. Everything should be online and no licenses or insurance should be required. If this was standardized county-wide , once an artist fills out one form, that could be used for multiple applications. Here is a very short example:

·       Residency: Should live in a specific geographic location (city, state, or country) for a set time (e.g., 1 to 5 years).

·       Career Stage: Should state a specific group: emerging artists or mid-career/established professionals.

·       Artistic Merit & Quality: Evaluated through a portfolio of recent work and an artist statement and CV.

·       Financial Need: personal or professional financial necessity

·       Budget Feasibility: a clear timeline and proposed budget

So there you have it. My four suggestions:
Pay artists to show their art,.
Fund Arts and Culture District.
Make sure affordable housing is available for artists.
Simplify the grant/employment process for artists.

County Money for the Arts Update

 

An Arts Initiative subcommittee of the County Commission for Arts and Culture has started a series of meeting to advise staff how the $2.75 million can be fairly distributed to the artist and arts community of San Diego county.  

As a reminder the County Board of supervisors voted to give the following amounts

·       $1 million annually for direct artist grants

·       $500,000 for affordable creative spaces

·       $250,000 for artist residencies within County departments

·       $250,000 for binational arts investment in the San Diego–Baja California region

·       A one-time $500,000 investment in the Black Arts & Culture District

·       Creation of  policy for Arts & Cultural Districts, with no funding but hopes for money from private sources.

·       $250,000 for of these new grant programs. There is currently one full-time staff member Christine Jones and  administrative funds will be used for an one year intern position of $67K.   

An overall plan was presented by Ms. Jones with five phases. Phase one is finished as that is directed by the supervisors.  They are now in Phase 2 to sort out how the all this will function. Phase 3 is agreeing and building out the programs including Key Features of each one, Application and review process and Evaluation Criteria and that should be completed in early fall. Phase 4 is to launch the programs and phase 5 is evaluating as this is money for five years of fund. ($2.25 million per year through 2030)

They hope to launch the first three programs before the end of the year. That includes:

Fieldwork: Practice Based Artist funding $1 million
SPACE: Art Centered working studios and showing spaces $500K
SD AIR: Artist in Residence $250K

The one-time funding of $500K is an investment in the Black Arts & Culture District which has its own board  and plan and will simple be reporting back to the County Commission. Binational arts investment in the San Diego–Baja California region for $250K was not discussed fully because the county binational liaison is working on this. 

In a first July meeting, Ms. Jones researched best practices and outlined why each of the seven buckets of funding was important and what could be expected benefits to the county. Discussions were then opened in the second August meeting on the nuts of bolts of how these programs would role out. You can listen to this meeting yourself on the county site.  

It was a robust discussion with many viewpoints and a healthy way to involve all members of this subcommittee as they work toward a presentation to the full County Arts and Culture Commission. The important questions that were raised and have to be sorted out are as follows:

What  will really help to keep artists of quality in San Diego?

How do you actually create a supportive community of artists?

How can each application be tailored for each project and still remain as simple as possible?

How do you judge the success of the project?

How do you define who is underserved?

Who selects who get the funding? Is it peer review or hybrid of peer/random selection.

How much money goes to how many artists? Or residencies? Or Space projects?  Is there a cost per hour expected? How many hours could be expected? Should funding be varied or set.

What is the cycle of the program? One year, 18 months to allow for cross over or more?

How much of the total $2.75 million above the $250k designated for admin goes to admin cost? National Endowment for the Arts and other grant-makers allows 10%. Ms. Jones is suggesting an additional  $500k  of program funds for additional services for artists, county departments and organizations. For example: What exactly will technical assistance entail? How much will it cost to share final outcomes? What are the specific budget items for that $750K? this amount is 36% of the total allocation for administration.* 

It is still early days for programs of this size and scope, for a newly appointed administrator and a commission that is only 3 years old. But so far, the progress that is being made is impressive and the consideration that all parties are showing to maximize the result is to be admired. But shouldn't artists in our county get as much funding out of these programs as possible?

*Sept 3, 2026 Update: The committee has now discussed the $1/2million for further administration cost for services and the money has been returned to the original buckets for artists, art spaces and artist residencies. Services will still be supplied but out of the $250,000 that was designated by the County Supervisors in their instructions. The county has urged for a simplified process. 

Cake Walk This Way: SD Art Prize Cake Walk

Do you like to bake cakes?  Do you like to eat cakes? Do you like art?  If yes, to any of these questions, then San Diego Visual Arts Network  EAT YOUR ART OUT, event is perfect for you. 

Join us for the 2026 SD Art Prize Cake Walk.  ORDER YOUR TICKETS NOW

Here are two example of art prize recipients from the past years and cakes that have been design inspired by these impressive artworks. 

Art by SD Art Prize recipient Ernest Silva  (Collection Debra and Larry Poteet

Portrait of Debra Poteet by SD Art Prize recipient Raul Guerrero
(collection Debra and Larry Poteet)

If you are a baker, amateur or professional, or if you just want to see and eat some cake PLUS get to see the entire Poteet Art Collection in Del Mar, then please sign up for this event on Sunday, August 9 from 3 to 5 pm. 

ORDER YOUR TICKETS NOW

 

YOU ARE INVITED

SAN DIEGO ART PRIZE CAKE WALK

SUNDAY, AUGUST 9 FROM 3-5PM

Hosted by DEBRA AND LARRY POTEET
2425 Lozana Road, Del Mar,CA,92014

To benefit  SAN DIEGO VISUAL ARTS NETWORK and
the San Diego Art Prize 2026
An Eat Your Art Out Event
ORDER YOUR TICKETS NOW

 

Join us for an extraordinary evening where art and pastry come together in a delicious celebration. We invite amateur bakers and art lovers alike to participate in this unique event .We are asking those of you who are bakers to supply cakes inspired by the SD Art Prize recipients owned by the Poteets. 

If you bake a cake, we will match you with an artist from the collection before the event and you can let your imagination run wild with decoration!  

Amateur or professional bakers who supply cakes inspired by the SD Art Prize recipients owned by the Poteets will get reduced admittance. 

Cake Bakers: $25 donation + bring an artist-inspired cake. 
                        $10 donation + bring two artists -inspired cakes. 
Once you RSVP you will be given an image and description of the artist and artwork.  We have 25 art works to match. 

Non-Bakers: $40 donation 

Once we have viewed all the cakes, it will be time to eat them! Everyone will be given a collector cake box to enjoy at the event and to take home leftovers 

So put on your thinking toques blanche and let us know if your interest is piqued and if you want to come as a baker or a supporter.  RSVP by July 24 to allow plenty of time for creative baking. This is a limited space event. 

ORDER YOUR TICKETS NOW
Questions? -  info@sdvisualarts.net 

Join us for a creative cake celebration with gâteaux galore. Perfectly perfected pastry for patrons of the arts.

At 4:30 pm during the SD Art Prize Cake Walk event the high bids for the Silent Auction to benefit SD Art Prize featuring Deanne Sabeck and Jeffery Laudenslager will be announced

Image of Jeffery Laudenslager credit Sidney Wildesmith 
Bidding opens on Jul 14, 2026 at 8:30 AM PDT

 

This SD Art Prize Cake Walk fundraiser is in support of the 
2026 SD Art Prize Soft Power: On Color, Time, and Resistance 
held for the first time at Oceanside Museum of Art 
Opening on Sept 5th, 2026 and showing  until February 7, 2027.  
2026 SD Art Prize recipients Danielle Dean, Ingrid Hernández, Tatiana Ortiz-Rubio 
Buy tickets here

Soft Power in Practice: A Conversation with the 2026 San Diego Art Prize Recipients
Sun Sept 27th from 2 to 4 pm.  The artists in conversation with curator Dr. Lara Bullock at the Groves Gallery at Oceanside Museum of Art. Limited seating $20-50 Buy tickets here

Pacific View Arts Center: New Direction

 

PVAC is Encinitas’s Everyday Creative Commons.
A place where people gather, make, learn and experience local culture. 

Recently the Encinitas Commission for Arts was tasked with presenting a white paper on a new direction of the Pacific View Arts Center. Katy Fox, commission chair, shared the document that the ad hoc committee ( Katy, Vice Chair Carla Roemer and Commissioner Vicki Campbell)  and you will be delighted to know that I have summarized the 19 pages into one page but click the link to see the power point presentation about half way through. But I have added a few sexy suggestions to liven up your view of what this cultural hub in North County could become.

Pacific View Arts Center (PVAC)n has strong potential but remains underused and underrecognized. The report recommends transforming it into Encinitas’ creative cultural commons through a clear identity, vibrant placemaking, accessible creative opportunities, support for local artists, strategic programming and marketing, and sustainable leadership and funding—so it becomes an essential part of community life rather than simply a place to take art classes. 

Wouldn’t it be great to see some of the local arts stars of Encinitas featured at the center, maybe through a lecture series, or art lessons based on their work.

PVAC should become a highly visible, welcoming community hub through stronger communications, activated outdoor spaces, recurring weekly events, clear pathways for creative engagement, high-quality instruction, and targeted marketing that turns first-time visitors into regular participants.

Social Media from Youth Influencers are the best way to get more young people engage and would be a great way for them to build their resumes for college entrance.

PVAC should grow its audience by building on its existing supporters, attracting families, engaging surf and skate culture, empowering local artists, and partnering with businesses and organizations. Long-term success depends on stable City funding, diversified revenue sources, and a city-led or hybrid operating model that balances community impact, financial sustainability, and civic oversight.

Encinitas needs to designate an Arts and Culture District and PVAC is the ideal west coast anchor for that district. Let’s have banners made by local artists pointing the path from the Library on the east to PVAC on the west.

PVAC’s new first year focuses on increasing visibility, activating the campus, establishing recurring community events, and creating a clear identity. Over 3, 5, and 10 years, the goal is to evolve PVAC from a more active arts center into a beloved cultural hub and defining civic asset woven into the daily life and identity of Encinitas.

Let’s invest in professionals to create a proper logo for branding PVAC…it should become a icon that everyone recognizes and full of new tech motion, I am talking neon!

Pacific View Arts Center could become a vibrant cultural hub and essential part of community life but right now it is underutilized and unknown.  The Commission for the Arts recommendations would establishing a clear identity, activating the campus inside and out, strengthening programming and marketing, supporting leadership, and increasing public engagement to be able to demonstrate a strong return on investment through daily use.

There is an untapped donor base of supporters for a cultural hub in Encinitas. But you have to have a fun party to bring them together…how about a community pot luck dinner with one huge circle of tables and all the food in the middle. Plus a permanent outside piano for drop in/pop up music performances.

This plan was submitted by an ad hoc committee to the full Encinitas Commission for artist and culture which approved it. The work of the ad hoc will continue and the recommendations will  go to the city council for approval.  the Encinitas City Council will direct the action to be taken by the Arts and Culture administration which is headed by the new hire Laurette Garner. She chose to come to Encinitas as she said, “I wanted to work for a city that valued the arts. I think the City of Encinitas puts resources into the arts and I was impressed with the dedication exemplified in the opening of a new Arts Center: the Pacific View Arts Center.  I also love the area and have lived here previously in my work with the City of Carlsbad.”  

If you are not already getting info about the arts of the city’s own programs then sign up and also make sure you get the all the arts in Encinitas by signing up for Encinitas Arts and Culture newsletter sent out weekly. Of course, get news of all the visual arts county wide at www.SDVAN.net and make sure you are signed up for our monthly messages.

 

What you need to know about the new San Diego County Arts and Culture Funding

 

Although our District County Supervisors from District 3 and 4 say there is no relationship, May was a month when attention for funding for arts and culture shifted from the lack from the City of San Diego to the abundance for the County of San Diego.

In a stunning announcement and vote, $2.75 million was proposed by Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe and granted to the arts to be administered by the County Commission of Arts and Culture led by their chairman Jim Gilliam. This includes $2.25 million each year through 2031.

This County Commission has been working for 3 years toward getting funding so that they can move from being an advisory commission (the usual role of a county commission) to taking on more staff and programs. It would be wonderful if we truly had a supportive County Arts Council/Department like most counties that value the arts and partner with the State Arts Council.

The County Art commission is instructed to direct the funding in the following way:

• $1 million annually for direct artist grants
• $500,000 for affordable creative spaces
• $250,000 for artist residencies within County departments
• $250,000 for binational arts investment in the San Diego–Baja California region
• Creation of  policy for Arts & Cultural Districts, with no funding but hopes for money from private sources.
• A one-time $500,000 investment in the Black Arts & Culture District

We have seen a strong trend to support individual artists since the pandemic. San Diego gave out funding as a sort of WPA type of program from the California Arts Council. Private money was forthcoming to buy $1 million worth of art directly from artists. The new Artists Count program is directing forty-two $50K grants to be awarded later this year. Now there is another $1million for artist grants. We are all hoping this encourages our talent to stay put in San Diego County especially if there is the chance of more affordable live work spaces.

There is currently one full time administrator at the County Commission, Christina Jones, but there is money to add staff especially to handle PR, marketing  and workshops for the artist applying for these monies. Some of this will be contracted help to begin. We probably will not see a roll out of this until earliest, in the fall and maybe not until the new year.

As of this report, the City of SD budget has been dropped from $13.8 million to under $2 million. Both the City  ($146 million) and the County ($360 million) both have budget deficits. But the arts bring huge financial revenues ($10 billion annually) to the county and it is short sighted to eliminate this source for public health and youth opportunities.

Grant Oliphant,  CEO of the Prebys Foundation reminds us, “… experience tell us that when cities retreat from investing in arts and culture, they don’t just trim ​“excess.” They undercut economic growth, community connection, quality of life, and civic identity.” The arts are not a luxury.

We certainly thank Chair Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer and Vice Chair Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe and wonderful staff for their leadership and vision, and to Supervisor Paloma Aguirre for carrying the vote

National History Museum vs. Science Museum vs. Museum of Art

 

National History Museum vs. Science Museum vs. Museum of Art

Serendipity plays a big part in the writing of these blogs. Today is a good example of that. My husband does computer repair for a lovely woman named Shirley C. Strum. Dr.Strum is an expert in olive baboons and spends part of every year in Africa studying them. She is Professor of Anthropology and Professor of the Graduate Division, School of Social Sciences at UCSD and Executive Director of the Uaso Ngiro Baboon Project in Kenya.  Last year her second popular book came out, Echoes of Our Origins: Baboons, Human, and Nature. She gave us a copy of the latest book and I found it fascinating. I am not going to go into any details about it except to say that Dr.Strum is a creative, out of the box thinker, rigorous in her research and quite brilliant. I highly recommend the book.

The question this book made me ask in its latter chapters: what is the difference between Natural History and Science? I am buried deep in the visual arts and it had simply never occurred to me to think about this. Although I have visited the San Diego Natural History Museum and the San Diego Science Museum and written numerous stories about both in the past, I never really thought about why Natural History was just not part of Science and vice versa. Why were there two buildings to house these subjects?

This was an easy Google fix: “Natural history is the observational study of organisms, environments, and natural objects in their natural environment, often focusing on description, classification, and "what" is happening. Natural science is the systematic, experimental study of the physical world, aimed at discovering general, reproducible laws through testing and analysis. This includes biology, earth science, atmospheric sciences, .oceanography, planetary science, chemistry, physics and astronomy.” In other words, one is observing, the other is experimenting. Of course, you need both, but I did not know the relationship has been rather a rocky one because of human egos.

As an artist married to a physicist, you would have thought this topic had come up. I know that the arts are not just storytellers, recorders of events, emotions, trends and topics. The arts are harbingers and thus are making hypotheses about the future. One is not better than the other. They live in harmony, just as he and I do.

In 2014, the SDVAN project The DNA of Creativity gave four grants for art and science projects.  The most relevant to this article are probably  Urban Succession (preserving wildlife in urban settings through artist constructed habitats)and  Sea Changes: Act (a project featuring climate change, plastic pollution, acid seas, and dwindling fish populations and offering emotional motivation to create changes in these areas affecting our oceans ). But all four projects were tasking the artist involved not to just be story tellers of scientific experiments, but encouraged artists to be creatively involved in the same way that scientist were innovative. The other two projects were as equally guided to this end.  SD View Art Now (a smart phone app to locate local arts events near you) and PAMM - PolyAesthetic Mapping: The Muses (ways to think about assessment criteria and the collaborations that artists and scientist might experience).

I write about all of this as Dr. Strum’s book left a lasting impression that there are things we can and should be doing to determine our evolution. And when I say “our” I mean the entire world.  How do we co-exist, not dominate. How is there a place for experimental behavior which might carry us forward, but also an imperative for order, compassion and trust that stabilizes our civilization?

A Day in the Life of Patricia Frischer

 

Patricia Frischer: Me, Too. Paper Doll Insurrection Series, 2025 

A Day in the Life of Patricia Frischer (as might be reported by Dorothy Parker, if she had AI)

• 6–8 a.m. – I wake early, though I refuse to rise before eight on principle. While the rest of the world rushes toward productivity, I conduct bed exercises and read a mystery on Libby. I heroically resist Instagram scrolling, which has the curious ability to devour sixty minutes in three bites. Messages on text, WhatsApp, and Instagram are inspected periodically—one must keep abreast of modern gossip.

• 8–10 a.m. – Breakfast is yogurt with chia seeds and fruit, which sounds healthier than it feels. On chilly mornings I sit in the sun with The New Yorker. I read the art pieces, the cartoons, and anything else that seduces me before my tea gets cold. After that comes the ordinary theater of civilization: dressing, makeup, and persuading the bed to look less like a crime scene.

• 10 a.m.–noon – The email avalanche arrives—60 to 90 notes, all demanding wit, diplomacy, or patience. I answer questions, remind people to list on SDVAN, and occasionally pretend I will get around to my own art career. I have two exhibitions this year, both featuring my Paper Protest Dolls. Invitations to juror shows are declined (mercilessly); invitations to sit on panels are accepted (foolishly). Running the San Diego Art Prize consumes hours with artists, selectors, writers, committees, catalogs, lesson plans, videos, and social media approvals. It is a miracle I remember my own name.

• Noon–2 p.m. – Sometimes I attend a County Commission for Arts and Culture meeting on Zoom, where I raise my digital hand and contribute my two cents—an amount that, if compounded, should soon be worth a dollar. I root enthusiastically for their success.

• 2–3 p.m. – Lunch with my husband Darwin, the day’s principal meal and often its happiest. Leftovers become stir-fries; his chili becomes my chili-mac. There is always salad. Desserts, if they survive dinner parties, are reincarnated as truffle balls dipped in chocolate. One per day keeps decadence respectable.

• 3–4:30 p.m. – A meeting of the North County Arts Network, where I serve as chair. We discuss art, culture, creativity, and how to encourage the entire county to notice them.

• 4:30–7 p.m. – If daylight allows, we attend an art opening. San Diego offers so much art that choosing among it feels like turning down suitors. I arrive early, take photographs before crowds obscure the view, and later write reports for the Picked RAW Peeled blog.

• 7–9 p.m. – The dull but necessary acts of adulthood: laundry, dishes, scheduling doctors, taxes, nonprofit paperwork, accounts, websites. Glamour, thy name is paperwork.

• 9–11 p.m. – Television murmurs in the background while I work in the studio. Mysteries, cooking shows, or anything funny will do. With my hands busy I make art—Paper Protest Dolls or decorated sheets that become greeting cards. No two are alike. Glitter is welcome. A girl must sparkle somewhere. Instructions for Unrest: Art Against Complacency opens at  Space 4 Art @ Art Produce Gallery in North Park from April 18 to May 14. This is a grouping of contemporary protest art reflecting some of the angst of our current political state.  More info: 619. 500-ARTS. Golly, gee whiz, I am in this show!

• 11 p.m.–2 a.m. – The late shift: more emails, editing photographs from exhibitions, posting videos to Instagram (which apparently prefers motion to stillness), researching the shows I’ve seen, and writing blog posts while the impressions are fresh. If sleep interrupts the process, the morning usually brings the missing thought.

Not every day looks quite like this—I pace myself when possible. I celebrate occasions, adore champagne, attend weekly yoga, and walk with Darwin to collect fallen limes from the alley so he can make an excellent whiskey sour. I employ a cleaner and a gardener because my back has begun filing complaints.

Life also includes the occasional drama: a sick friend, a leaky roof, a confused bird trapped in the living room. But as a fully volunteer arts organizer, the days are never empty.

I try to do less. I suspect I never will.

After all, life is not a rehearsal—it’s opening night, and each of us insists on top billing. 

A shout out to my dear friend Kira Corrillo Corser, who has written this song and put together this video for her Compassionate Art project. Fragile Planet Blues is part of Compassion Corridors mapping project. Let her know if you have a project for compassion and would like to be included. Charter for Compassion

Robert Williams is Fearless Depictions at Long Beach Museum of Art

This exhibition of Robert Williams is a wild ride. His images are hyper-detailed almost shockingly so. But that is because of the subject mater with is provocative, nightmarish and humorous all at the same time.

His career started in 1965 with designs for hotrods, but in 1967 he was working at Zap Comics. By 1994 he had started Juxtapoz Art and Culture Magazine. The 54 works in this show are all from 2007 to the present but although the look is of comics, they have no panels, no strips…they are all one compact image. This is a master draftsman merging fine art with a cartoon style. 

A close look at these images, and you see a subversive personality. Read the complex explanation of the wall text written by Williams and you soon realize that the joy of making the image is paramount. He doesn’t really care what you think, or what the images even mean to him. I think the joy of letting it all lose on the canvas is what feeds him. The first images here are all about the artist who is creating and how damned they are.  The next set makes fun of the fantasy of a perfect life and corporate greed. There are also two large scale sculptures and  small sculptures called Miscreants that are 3-D printed and lots of magazines. But it is the painting that are his Fearless Depictions.  

I was so drawn to this work, that the stop in Long Beach on our way home from Los Angeles, was a delight. I highly recommend taking a day trip (an hour and a half if the traffic is good). We enjoy our take away from The Original Thai Barbeque...huge portions and wonderful coconut soup. And the view from the Museum of the Pacific Ocean is a delight. 

 

Robert Williams: Fearless Depictions
Long Beach Museum of Art
Showing until May 31, 2026
2300 E Ocean Blvd, Long Beach, CA
(562) 439-2119
Thursday to Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm

State of the Arts Jan 2026: Shifts and Drifts

 

For the last 6 months of 2025 and now in 2026, there have been lots of shifts in management in the visual arts institutions. But first a little reminder of the San Diego Visual Arts project coming up in 2026:

San Diego Visual Arts Network presents the 2026 SD Art Prize  recipients Danielle Dean, Ingrid Hernandez, Tatiana Ortiz Rubio.. The exhibition will be held for the first time at Oceanside Museum of Art opening in Sept 19 from 5 to 7 in 2026 and showing until February 2027. Donate Now to Support the SD Art Prize KBPS’s Julie Dixon Evans reports San Diego Art Prize 2026 Winners: Three working mothers question what’s real and what’s possible (print and podcast) and Video,  Oct 2025.  

The Business of Art Scholarship is a unique opportunity for an artist who has a body of work to showcase and is interested in selling their artwork during Mission Fed ArtWalk. San Diego Visual Arts Network and Mission Fed ArtWalk partner to  select one emerging artist to receive mentoring, a booth at the festival and more.  One scholarship recipient will be announced in early 2026. Deadline for Application Extended: Friday 12AM, Jan 30th, 2026

Advocacy for the arts is one our our main concerns. Please remember the following ways you can have input. 

The California Arts Council and their statewide series of  Town Hall gatherings to gather broad and diverse input from arts and culture.  San Diego Jan 30^th  from 9 am – 12:30 pm at the San Diego Made Factory Register Here. Also, virtual online event for SD & Imperial Counties  Feb 3 from 6 pm – 7:30 pm Register Here. We are featuring this on our homepage.

San Diego ART Matters is bringing back Creative Conversations and the first event in 2026 will be at the  California Center for the Arts, Escondido on Feb 24 from 9 to 1 pm. The focus is The Arts in Rural and Unincorporated San Diego County. This information gathering meeting is free and in connection with the newly formed north county inland’s  Art and Cultural Alliance which is the group formed by some of NCAN’s Fallbrook Advisory committee members. (Note: I am the chair of NCAN right now!) 

It is worth re-reading my blog from earlier this year: A+ Art Blog by Patricia Frischer: SD County Arts and Culture Commission retreat Key Note Speech, June 5, 2025 Plus, Plus, Plus Arts Advocacy News

Now for shifts and drifts:

We are happy to hear from Terra Lawson-Remer’s office that “we deeply recognize that artistic expression, cultural practices, and creativity are essential to the health and wellbeing of San Diego County. The San Diego Arts and Culture Commission plays a critical role in both expanding opportunities and advancing equity through the arts.” Chairperson of the County Supervisors, Lawson-Remer was reassuring us that the funding for the staff of the commission would NOT be directed to any other environment issue (i.e. sewage problems in the TJ/SD River). We also want to acknowledge support from Supervisor Montgomery Steppe. Thanks to all who came forward to stop this mistake. Nice to know we can rally and make a difference. You can watch a recording of the proceeding that took over an hour. Words from Arts Matters about the value of the arts start at minute 52 and include Lawson-Remer finishing assurances at hour 1.06.

Rachel Laing has become the new City of San Diego Assistant Deputy Director in the Economic Development Department, leading the City of San Diego’s efforts to cultivate a thriving creative economy. The arts in the city of San Diego are now under the department of Economic Development, perhaps one reason that Jonathon Glus moved to become a fellow at the Prebys Foundation with a remit to form a City Arts and Culture District with the help of the Downtown City Partnership.

Felicia Shaw has stepped down from the ED position at our leading arts advocacy organization for the county, SD ART Matters (SDAM), They have now appointed Bob Lehman as its new Executive Director. formally  Executive Director of the San Diego Museum Council. Felicia Shaw new title is assistant Executive director of SD Art Matters. Bob and Felicia are also commissioners for the County Commission Arts and Culture.

Encinitas will be looking for a new arts manager of the cultural arts division of the City of Encinitas to replace Collette Murphy Stefanko, who has gone to a job in northern California. Luckily a recruitment company has been hired and this will be a national search. the application has now been posted with a due date of Feb 22.  

Alex Goodman, former director of the Brooks Theatre — Oceanside Theatre Company, has accepted the position as District Director for assemblywoman Tasha Boerner. Her district covers the cities from Carlsbad to Coronado. This gives us an incredible arts advocate at the state level. Be thinking about any ways this could be of benefit to the arts community suggests Jim Gilliam, chairman of the SD County Commission for Arts and Culture.

Sandi Landicho is the new Chief Financial Officer/Operations Officer of The New Children's Museum.

Jean Keane is the new Program Manager at The Front Porch Gallery in Carlsbad

Luisa Martinez is the new Assistant Director, Athenaeum Art Center in Barrio Logan

Dra. Inez Gonzalez is the Interim Executive Director Chicano Park Museum and Cultural Center (CPMCC) but they are still  looking for a  new Executive Director. You can apply online or directly email your resume and cover letter to director@chicanoparkmuseum.org. There is no hard deadline, apply as soon as possible!

Another shift in arts leadership: Lucy Eagleson, Executive Director, will be transitioning from her role at Arts a Reason to Survive. The ARTS board chair Tom Reise assures us the programs will continue uninterrupted.  The former director of ARTS James Halliday  has now taken the place of Allan Ziter at the NTC Foundation which is now known at Arts District Liberty Station. Congratulation to them on this state wide designation. 

Kathryn Kanjo, The David C. Copley Director and CEO at Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego is stepping down to take up a position at UC Irvine and her replacement has not been announced.

Ceci Moss is stepping down as director of the Mandeville Gallery at UCSD. But no one will take her place. Instead, the art department will fill the space and it appears that will be mainly student exhibitions.

Sara Rodriguez is taking Carol Naegle’s place as the director of the Brook Theater Gallery in June, 2025.

Vanguard Culture has moved into a new office at UC San Diego Park & Market (Third Floor). But they will continue to hold events in county wide locations like Hera Hub, Carlsbad.

The CA State Cultural District grant project came back! With grants up to $10,000 over a two-year period, official state certification, technical assistance, and access to joint marketing and branding resources. But after a flurry of attempts at local applications, especially in North County, only Liberty Station became a new cultural district in San Diego County. We now have 4 (Oceanside, Balboa Park and Barrio Logan are the others).

Balboa Park parking: Bad news for everyone. We checked out the fees and the discounts are only for those living in the City of San Diego and not the county. So, if you do not live in the city, you will pay the full $10 for 4 hours or $16 a day in the closest lots to the Museum. You can park in Lower Inspiration Point for 3 free hours or $10 for the day and take the free shuttle.  Otherwise, you pay at the parking meter kiosks on roads in Balboa Park for $2.50 an hour. No need to sign up and waste the $5 as that is only for monthly, quarterly or year passes or to register is you are a resident of the city. If you work for a non-profit in the park, you can park for free or if you have a disabled placard. Museums have noted a marked decline in attendance so far, as well as non-renewal of membership, even cancellation of birthday parties… In response, a petition has circulated, calling on city leaders to revisit the policy. Organizers say they plan to present the signatures to the San Diego City Council, requesting adjustments or exemptions to reduce the burden on museums, visitors and volunteers.