Heart of Art—3rd Annual California Arts Summit 2025
This article originally published on April 25, 2025 in the Amador Ledger Dispatch Newspaper. Click here to view the published article or read below.
By Meghan Joy “Mojo” O’Keefe
This week, I attended the 3rd Annual California Arts Summit in Sacramento—a gathering of over 400 arts leaders, administrators, and advocates from across the state of California. The three-day convening, themed around “Health, Healing, and Hope,” emphasized the transformative power of the arts in community-building, policy planning, and statewide collaboration.
Day 1: Coalition of County Arts Agencies (April 21)
The Summit kicked off early with a strategic convening of the Coalition of County Arts Agencies, organized by yours truly along with fellow leads from Alameda, Fresno, Mariposa, Nevada, Orange, San Benito, San Bernardino, and San Jose Counties. This pre-Summit meeting strengthened partnerships between rural and urban arts councils, ensuring a unified voice for California’s diverse creative communities. Key discussions included:
- Shared challenges in funding, accessibility, and rural representation
- Advocacy strategies for the 2025-26 state budget
- Resource-sharing models to amplify grassroots arts programs
Day 2: Health, Healing, and Hope (April 22)
The Summit’s official opening featured a keynote by Dr. Maria Rosaria Jackson, former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, who underscored the arts as a “lifeline for humanity” and a catalyst for innovation. Panels explored:
- Arts as Public Health Infrastructure: How creative expression reduces isolation and trauma
- Equity in Funding: Prioritizing underserved communities
- Creative Economy Strategies: Leveraging arts for tourism and small-business growth
I networked with peers from Los Angeles to Humboldt, exchanging ideas to adapt solutions for rural and urban contexts as needed, such as mobile art labs, cross-county partnerships, and disaster planning.
Day 3: Advocacy in Action (April 23)
The final day shifted to direct policy engagement, beginning with a rally in the Capitol Gardens alongside artists and arts administrators carrying handmade signs, working as a united voice for the power of the arts, and dressed in fabulous shades of green. I was humbled to captain a delegation meeting with State Senator Marie Alvarado-Gil and join sessions with legislators Hadwick, Dahle, Ransom, and McNerney. Key asks included:
- Restore the $5 million cut to the California Arts Council (CAC)
- Pass SB 456 to keep mural artists at work beautifying public spaces
- Reinvest $5 million in the California Cultural Districts Program
Cuts to state arts funding harm rural communities. Without CAC grants, local arts programs and services vanish. This isn’t just about art—it’s about jobs, mental health, resources for rural artists, and pride in our towns.
The Road Ahead: Budget Deadlines & Local Action
With the state budget finalized by May 14, the Amador County Arts Council is doubling down on advocacy. We are also preparing two CAC grant applications and serving as fiscal agent for First 5 Amador and other local organizations. The work will continue.
How to Help:
- Advocate: Contact legislators using talking points from the Summit
- Get involved in your local County Arts Council—volunteer, lead, connect
calendly.com/mojo-amadorarts
(209) 256-8166 | info@amadorarts.org
Why This Matters
The Summit reinforced that Amador County’s voice is vital in statewide arts policy. By bridging rural and urban perspectives, the Amador County Arts Council works in a network with other county arts agencies to ensure equitable access to the arts, from economic resilience to healing. When we advocate together, the state listens.
Follow our next steps: Instagram @AmadorArts, Facebook: Amador County Arts Council
Amador County Arts Council (501c3 EIN 94-2811333), established in 1982 as a designated Local Partner to the California Arts Council, advances access to the arts through concerts, poetry, technical assistance, and arts education. Learn more at amadorarts.org or call/text (209) 256-8166.