The cast of 'Wipeout', Downieville School play at the Yuba Theatre, May 2009
Drastic budget cuts in education threaten to eliminate art programming in our schools. In cooperation with local artists, school administrators, and teachers; the Sierra County Arts Council has created the Country Roots Artists in Schools Program which will provide art education for all students of Sierra County.
The beauty of Sierra County—its winding rivers, majestic mountains, vast valleys—has drawn artists to the area and inspired the local population for hundreds of years. For generations indigenous arts have thrived — quilting, woodcraft, metal craft, pottery, photography, all forms of visual and performing arts. The Country Roots program is a celebration of our rural heritage and our local artists are the biggest asset we have when it comes to arts programming in schools.
The California Arts Council recognizes the need to enhance arts education in schools and offers Artists in Schools grant funding to help bring artists and art programming into schools. The Sierra County Arts Council has applied for grant funding that we hope will eventually match dollar-for-dollar every donation to the Country Roots Artists in Schools program. Regardless of whether there are funds available from the state, the Arts Council intends to take all donations received for the Country Roots program and use them to enhance art programming in our schools.
The Arts Council has also received generous support from local artists, including Darby Hayes, Kathy Chow, Mark Stevenson, and Dee Wallace of the Sierra City Fine Arts Gallery, for the Country Roots Artists in Schools’ raffle. Please keep an eye out for the Sierra County Arts Council membership table at local events. There you can purchase raffle tickets to win a fine work of art, while at the same time contributing to arts education for Sierra County’s students.
You can contribute to the Country Roots program here on our website. Sierra County Arts Council and the students of Sierra County thank all who have contributed to art programming in our schools.
