Artists and culture bearers will execute year-long creative interventions designed to reduce the barriers to health and well-being.
After a six-month rigorous search and project development process—work that yielded a suite of inspiring proposals from artists and cultural practitioners in communities across the state—18th Street Arts Center announces its first California Creative Corp cohort, an incredible pool of 18 change-makers and community builders. In addition to a production budget of up to 50,000 USD, each of the 18 fellows will receive a year-long salary of 65,000 USD plus benefits.
The 18 fellows announced today form a Corps dedicated to profoundly impacting California communities facing seemingly intractable systemic health challenges as identified by the California Healthy Places Index (HPI). Evidence-based and peer reviewed, the HPI maps data on social conditions that drive health—like education, job opportunities, clean air and water, and other indicators positively associated with life expectancy at birth.
The 18th St. California Creative Corps (18CCC) fellows will embed in low-ranking HPI communities, places they know intimately—where they may build trust as community insiders.
Geographic locations of projects cover a 700+ miles from Yreka near the Oregon border to City Heights in San Diego. Artists creative practices include filmmaking, poetry, graphic novels, photography, dance, and traditional art. Projects will engage diverse communities (Native peoples, migrants, LGBTQIA+, POC, long-time residents) and explore a broad range of topics (pollution, gentrification, healthcare, wellbeing, cultural identity, community/belonging).
Case in point: living with severely toxic water is an everyday reality for central Californians in Kern County. A project by 18CCC artist Michelle Glass, Water Diaries / Diaries de Agua, will teach residents how to use natural fabric and dye to test for toxic water. Access to this simple testing process will create opportunities for dialog and raise awareness of the health effects and symptoms of contaminated water. The project will directly serve Kern communities in the lowest quadrant of California’s Healthy Place Index, including Lamont, Weedpatch, and Arvin.
In their year-long residency projects, 18CCC artists will strengthen relationships in communities, enhance a sense of belonging, and expand public engagement to pursue the common good. The engagements will build capacity for community self determination and stewardship—all known drivers of social cohesion, the key to increasing equitable community health and well-being.
In addition to fostering community well-being, the 18CCC artists will gather stories and media assets to contribute to the ongoing interactive California Culture Map (hyperlink)—the map documents and archives community cultural treasures —past and present—through oral and visual history collection.
18th Street Arts Center believes culture mapping is essential infrastructure for successful collaboration between arts and culture producers and community leaders seeking to foster well-being at the local level. The culture map assets can provide context to inform public policy and accelerate solutions to community needs.
18th Arts Center was founded 35 years ago on the belief that our nation is an artwork and the people are the artists. The focus of the organization has always been on place based performance art. The 18CCC project activates art beyond the gallery or studio and into society. The project empowers citizens to be the artists who create and shape the state of California.
