Heart of Art—Catalyzing Jobs in the Arts

This article originally published on October 3, 2025 in the Ledger Dispatch Newspaper. Click here to view the article on their website or read below.

By Meghan Joy “MOJO” O’Keefe

Last week was terrific. For four consecutive days, I worked as a team with Executive Directors of eight arts agencies in the Eastern and Central Sierras. And it is all thanks to the Sierra Jobs First Catalyst Grant.

Thanks to this unprecedented funding, the Amador County Arts Council (Amador Arts) is part of a cohort of arts agencies collaborating to establish a vibrant network that advances arts, culture, and creativity in the Eastern and Central Sierras. The project, currently titled “Sierra Regional Arts Organizations Collaborative Network,” is designed to address the regional initiative for high-quality job growth, climate resilience, and economic prosperity in Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne counties.

Our region is one of thirteen collaboratives across the state that was formed through California Jobs First (formerly the Community Economic Resilience Fund), a $600 million fund that will create high-quality, broadly accessible jobs for all Californians.

Facilitated by staff at the Sierra Business Council, the Sierra Jobs First funding supports eight participating Arts Organizations in the Sierra Region in establishing a network that will build capacity and provide peer support for organizations facing pertinent issues, such as fundraising, advocacy, economic development, strategic planning, and marketing.

While much of the network’s foundational work will occur behind the scenes, the first public collaborative project undertaken by the network will be an art exhibition connecting the seven counties of the Sierra region. The exhibition will travel to locations in each of the participating counties. 

Launching in early 2026, the project will feature work by artists from all parts of our region. It will offer participating artists an exciting opportunity to showcase their work in multiple venues throughout the area, thereby increasing their exposure to new audiences and communities. Through the publication of an exhibition catalog, this project will draw attention to the region’s arts and culture resources, feature favorite local businesses, and encourage the recognition of arts and culture as valuable assets to support sustainable tourism and recreation in the area. The Call For Art for this juried show will be released on October 10th, 2025.

Last week was our first in-person meetup, and it was unbelievably inspiring, energizing, and fun. We had to make numerous decisions about the lengthy timeline of this project, and it was monumental to collaborate in consensus at a table of ten brilliant and passionate women. It is a rare opportunity for rural leaders to work in this manner.

On the first day of the visit, the Inyo Council for the Arts (ICA) welcomed us to the Millpond Music Festival, a community favorite for over thirty years that features top-notch original music, camping, and arts workshops. In addition to producing this massive ticketed music festival, ICA also operates an arts retail space with onsite arts classes and is the primary provider of arts education in its public elementary schools. Their Executive Director, Sharon Freilich, is an artist and former Teaching Artist. Not only does she lead the organization, but she also manages all the programs and events with two part-time staff members supporting their mission. The Millpond Festival has a volunteer team of over 100 people of all ages. The population of Inyo County is approximately 18,000.

Day two was packed with meetings inside the C5 Community Arts Center. This fantastic community arts center (and former home to a JCPenney store) has a little bit of everything for every type of artist and arts lover: retail space, meeting space, all the arts books you could imagine, ample classroom space, performance space, a tuned piano, snacks, and studio space available for artists to rent. The music is always playing, and the space screams creativity. Launched by Co-Executive Directors Naomi Hart Johnson and Erin Drews, C5 is devoted to catalyzing creative opportunities for everybody.  Naomi is originally from Ireland and is a Yoga Instructor with a Master’s in Arts Education. Erin grew up in Inyo County and was charged by her Grannie to “save the arts in our community.”

These two are the leads on this Jobs First Catalyst Grant. They are driven by a clear vision for thriving arts, culture, and creativity throughout the Eastern and Central Sierras. Naomi Hart Johnson explains, “rural Arts Organizations have unique challenges to face, particularly about fundraising in rural locations that are sometimes referred to as ‘philanthropic deserts’. Often, we serve large areas with communities spread out across significant distances, lacking access to the kinds of big donors and philanthropic giving that are more prevalent in densely populated areas and larger cities. This network will allow us to share good practice, combine and share resources, support one another in the important work we do, and potentially leverage more financial support from outside our region as well as within it”.

Following a day of meetings at the C5 Community Arts Center, we were treated to a tour of downtown murals and a visit to La Cueva De Luz, an artist’s gallery that also serves as a magical event space available for rent. With a small population of around 3,000, Bishop is remarkably artsy, and C5 is forging new tourism attractions by partnering with commercial spaces to bring public art to the people. Integrating the arts into the business and tourism strategies is already paying off for this small town.

The Mono Arts Council (MAC) kicked off day three with a warm welcome to Mammoth Lakes, where they have recently relocated to their new gallery and small art center. MAC is the sole provider of visual arts education for all K-8th-grade students countywide, and serves as the Visual and Performing Arts (VAPA) Coordinator for the districts and county offices. Kristin Reese, Executive Director of MAC, grew up in Mono County as an avid performer and musician. She continues to teach music and performs with her husband in their band, Bodie 601 Trio, an alt-rock-folk band that features covers and originals inspired by history and folklore. Mono County has a population of approximately 13,000 people, but draws thousands of tourists each year for skiing and outdoor recreation.

Day four was all about Arts & Culture Alpine County (ACAC), the newest and smallest arts council in California. A newly formed nonprofit, they are entering their first season of service after completing a three-year mentorship facilitated by Terry LaMoncheck, the Executive Director of Arts & Culture El Dorado. ACAC is seeking the ideal space to house its newly formed nonprofit. Currently, they host craft fairs and exhibits at the Markleeville Library, and it is working great, but they envision more space.

Their Executive Director is outstanding. Dr. January Riddle loves art and Alpine County. “I’ve been doing things in decades.” She told me lots of stories while I drove us from Bishop to Mammoth Lakes to Markleeville. “In my forties, I learned to fly. In my fifties, I got a doctorate. In my sixties, I joined the Peace Corps. Now I’m doing the arts council!” January’s spunk and spirit for all things art is contagious. I am sure that she got the entire town (population 191) involved in welcoming our team.

The population of Alpine County is 1,204. More than 90% of Alpine County’s land is rugged forest terrain. The North and South parts of the county are cut off from each other during the winter. Our region’s rural, remote, and rugged realities continuously surfaced throughout our convening. 

Across the entire Eastside visit, we had constant discussions on nonprofit management, board development, fundraising strategies, program sustainability, workforce development, rural arts triumphs and gaps, and our collective passion to continue to spread the word: the Eastern and Central Sierras are creative havens chock full of wonder, excitement, and artsy fun for everyone.

I highly recommend these spots for your weekend roadtrips—you will not be disappointed when you connect with our rural neighbors on the East side. Contact me for info on the best spot to see a shooting star in Markleeville, the best coffee in Bishop, and the most amazing German dinner in Mammoth Lakes.

To learn more about this project and the Amador County Arts Council, please get in touch with yours truly at 209-256-8166 or info@amadorarts.org. To receive updates or to get involved in Sierra Jobs First, sign up for the newsletter at sierrajobsfirst.org/get-involved.

The first in-person meeting of the “Sierra Regional Arts Organizations Collaborative Network”, inside the Inyo Council for the Arts in downtown Bishop, in September 2025.