Northern Sonoma County nonprofit grants $195,000 to local artists

Keep an eye out for more art pieces, projects and performances around the county soon thanks to a large grant for local artists.

One author, Phillip Meshekey, will write a book on murdered and missing Indigenous people. A group of low-income hip-hop dancers from Top Cheer Elite Gym in Healdsburg will have some of their participation fees paid for. One artist will buy a tololoche, a Mexican upright bass, to perform regional Mexican and jazz.

They’re just some of the 29 recipients — from budding artists who’ve never applied for a grant to full-fledged artistic and cultural organizations — who received part of a one-time, $195,000 grant starting Tuesday.

Sonoma County artists from various disciplines each received awards that ranged from $3,000 to $10,000.

“It’s ranged from something small, like needing a supply, and that being a barrier to being more (involved) in community. We had other folks who were already very ... developed and well known, but were looking for assistance in funding,” said Cristal López Pardo, family resource manager at Corazón Healdsburg.

Corazón Healdsburg, a northern Sonoma County nonprofit that works primarily with the county’s Latin American population and seeks to address inequities, oversaw the grant awards in partnership with the Art and Culture Collective of Northern Sonoma County.

The 7-member collective (plus two nonvoting members) formed in January to amplify marginalized artists and to oversee the application process for the grant program. The applicants were assessed in five areas: funding need, intended goals, project description, community impact, diversity and access, said López Pardo, who is also a nonvoting member of the collective.

The awards were made possible through a grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a nonpartisan, private organization that pays out grants to Bay Area communities in support of education, preserving the environment and fostering the performing arts, according to the organization’s website.

Recipients included 20 individuals and nine organizations.

One of the organizations was the Redwood Empire Chinese Association, based in Santa Rosa, a nonprofit organization that began in 1988 as a cultural center to teach Chinese language and culture. Today the organization leads youth and adult performance troupes and an adult chorus that perform across the county, said Judy Cheung, secretary for the cultural association.

The award will primarily go toward replacing “old, worn out” costumes and performance equipment such as a parade dragon, drums, cymbals, gongs and multiple costume sets, Cheung said.

The grant awards “let us know we are making progress with our hopes and goals to serve Sonoma County and beyond with intercultural understanding that helps all in our community to accept and actively enjoy diversity,” she said.

The group plans to unveil the new gear on Sept. 30 at the Autumn Moon Festival, a traditional Chinese celebration where families gather to enjoy the harvest moon’s reflection, she said.

For Roseland-based MJ Lindo-Lawyer, who runs the Mural Project, Inc., the money will go toward 15 murals in Sonoma County. The project, started in 2021 to create “art and opportunity for budding artists in impoverished and neglected communities,” aims to jump-start a stronger art scene in Sonoma County, she said.

The funds will be “used to create powerful statements through artwork and bring opportunity to local artists. We strive to showcase talent at the highest level and inspire the community to see how impactful public art can be,” she said.

Locals can take a peek at her and other artists’ work at this year’s Mural Festival from Oct. 2-14 in Santa Rosa.

For one recipient, the money helps connect a family with their culture.

Tania Escobar Hernandez applied for the grant funding for herself and her two daughters, Kamila Gutierrez, 12, and Yuliana Gutierrez, 11, to help cover expenses associated with a ballet folklorico they participate in.

“I’m happy that this type of support exists, because the reality is, yes, one needs to help the youth more than anything,” said the mother who hails from Mexico.

Though they are able to borrow dresses for performances, they want to use the money to purchase their own, heavy, flowing dresses as an investment to carry on their Mexican traditions. They also have to pay for other recurring expenses, too: eyelashes, makeup, socks and shoes that get worn out quickly.

“I like to share this activity with my daughters, but when I have to pay, I say, ‘Oh no,’” she said.

The mother sees herself and her daughters participating in ballet folklorico for a long time and hopes by buying their own outfits, it’ll free up resources to allow other dancers to perform together, she said.

This funding helps to elevate "existing cultural wealth“ and empower diverse communities, who will have through the end of August 2024 to use the funds, López Pardo said.

“In September of next year we are hoping to kick off Latin American heritage month with a celebration of the artists that received money this year so they'll be able to showcase their talent,” López Pardo said.

You can reach Staff Writer Jennifer Sawhney at 707-521-5346 or jennifer.sawhney@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @sawhney_media.