The California Arts Council will recognize 10 artists, arts leaders, and arts organizations on April 20 in Sacramento at a 50th anniversary celebration.
The 10 selected for their significant contributions to the cultural and civic life of California:
- David Geffen, visionary producer and philanthropist
- Mildred Howard, Berkeley-based artist and educator
- Barbara Kruger, world-renowned conceptual artist and educator
- Magic Theatre, an historic San Francisco institution
- Cheech Marin, legendary actor, director, writer, musician and cultural icon
- Charles Ray, defining sculptor and influential UCLA professor
- Sage Romero, Big Pine Paiute & Taos Pueblo tribe member
- San Jose Taiko, world-class percussion ensemble
- Josie Talamantez, historian and activist
- Luis Valdez, founder of El Teatro Campesino
“The artistic and cultural achievements of these individuals and organizations have been extraordinary, meaningful, immeasurable and immovable,” according to CAC executive director Danielle Brazell. “California’s creative heart beats on due to their unwavering dedication.”
Current Council members and CAC staff will also recognize the impact and legacy of the original members of the Arts Council who laid the foundational groundwork for the state arts agency: Peter Coyote, Suzanne Jackson, William Allaudin Mathieu, Gary Snyder, and Luis Valdez. Original members Ruth Asawa, Karney Hodge, Alexander Mackendrick, and Noah Purifoy will be posthumously honored with a special memorial tribute during the event.
“On behalf of the Council, it is my distinct pleasure within our 50th anniversary celebration to recognize the visionary leadership of our founding members and regale ourselves with our origin story,” Council chair Roxanne Messina Captor said. “Then to look forward, to nourish and innovate our agency’s legacy of support for the arts, and seek to further cultivate our role as stewards of the creative and cultural landscape that is California.”
Award recipients were selected through a nomination process that included an opportunity for Council members to nominate up to two Californian artists, arts leaders, or arts organizations; State-Local Partner organizations were also invited to select one nominee each from their respective counties.
The California Arts Council, established in 1976 to encourage artistic awareness and participation, has spent five decades advancing artistic excellence, inclusion, and creativity as essential pillars of California’s identity. The 50th anniversary is a year-long milestone dedicated to honoring the agency’s legacy, celebrating the resilience of the state’s cultural landscape, and charting a strategic vision for the next 50 years of arts accessibility and innovation.