CALENDAR

Join Art Pulse Executive Director April Game and special guests Kristina Young and Michelle Williams at the El Cajon Pubic Library for this edition of the Community Forums to discuss the possible formation of an arts council for San Diego County.

What is a county arts council? Why is it important?
Will it help our city flourish? How is it funded?

Guest Speaker and Co-Presenters:

Kristina Young
Kristina Young is Executive Director of Arts Council Napa Valley (ACNV). A visual artist herself with a BFA in painting, she has also worked as an arts educator and co-created ArtLinks, an arts integration program at Salvador Elementary School in Napa, now arts magnet school.

At ACNV, Kristina has helped to: shepherd the year-long Cultural Planning Process, created in 2008; pass the first Public Art Ordinance in the City of Napa in 2010; and in 2011, launch two new public art programs in partnership with the City of Napa (ARTwalk and Art on F1rst); and build a strategic alliance with the Napa Valley Destination Council.

She participated in the Local Arts Agency Executive Leadership Forum in Aspen in 2011 and was named Outstanding Non-Profit Employee of the Year at the 2011 Napa Valley Community Awards. She is a graduate of the On the Verge Youth Leadership Program and is currently in Class 25 of Leadership Napa Valley.

Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams joined the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County as Executive Director in 2009. Michelle was raised in the arts and studied cello, piano, bass and voice before focusing her talents on theater and writing. After earning a BFA in Musical Theater, she worked in theaters and recording studios across the U.S. as well as internationally. She has also worked as a writer, EMT, disaster relief worker, and in wine education and hospitality.

Prior to moving to Santa Cruz, Michelle served as Executive Director for Arts Council Napa Valley for five years where she successfully advocated for the first significant public funding for the arts in the county and oversaw the creation of a 3-year Community Cultural Plan. She has served on numerous panels for the California Arts Council and has presented at local and regional forums on topics such as arts funding, arts advocacy, program development, public art, and building partnerships. She currently serves on the board of the Santa Cruz Convention and Visitors Council, works closely with city and county arts commissions throughout Santa Cruz, and is participating in Leadership Santa Cruz County. Her current focus is shepherding the Cultural Council, a 32-year-old organization, into a new era of visibility, relevancy, and adaptability, and using the arts as a vehicle to strengthen and connect her community.

Space is limited, please RSVP today: