Arts Orange County is the leader in building appreciation of, participation in and support for the arts and arts education throughout Orange County.

HOLD THE DATE: WED., OCTOBER 22 - 15TH ANNUAL ORANGE COUNTY ARTS AWARDS!

$5 Million Arts Funding Increase Awaits Governor's Signature on the State Budget

The California Legislature included a $5 million increase in funding for the California Arts Council, its first in 11 years, and it now awaits final action by Governor Brown. After more than a decade of ranking 50th among the states in arts funding, California's arts community sees this as an important first step toward full restoration of funding to past levels ($30 million+).

Santa Ana Arts Scene Boosted By New Additions:

Artist Studios at Logan Creative + MARCAS Contemporary Art Gallery + Artists Village Kiosks

On May 31, Logan Creative (exterior & interior views above) opened to the public in the Santiago Art District. With 40,000 square feet of space, the former home of spiral staircase maker Bradfield Manufacturing Inc. at 1105 N. Santiago has become an affordable studio space for working artists in a variety of media plus an exhibition gallery. Among the tenants already housed there are sculptor Bret Price, painter David Michael Lee and printmaker and curator Andrea Harris McGee. Space is still available in the project, owned by Jack Jakosky, a Newport Beach-based retail developer who acquired downtown Santa Ana's historic Santora Arts Building a year ago.

Adding to the excitement in Santa Ana is the opening on July5 of MARCAS, a contemporary art gallery at 305 East 4th Street, Suite 103, by curator Dana Jazayeri, who also owns the highly regarded As Issued Art + Design Bookstore in Costa Mesa's The LAB. The inaugural exhibition, Corrective Course, includes the works of Dan Quintana, Alex Garcia, Nikko Hurtado, Matt Hurtado, Kevin Peterson, Jasmine Worth, JoKa, Adrian Dominic, Shawn Barber, Tom Haubrick, Sylvia Ji, Michael Mararian, Steven Daily, Olivia, Nicomi Nix Turner, Ekundayo, Jason Gallo, Gabe Larson, Laurie Lee Brom, Gustavo Rimada, Brendan Monroe, Victor Reyes, Remio, Cryptik, Travis Louie, Albert Reyes, Zach Johnsen, Bwanna Spoons, John Casey, Tomi Colgin (monstre), Julia Sonmi Heglund, Lucien Shapiro, Jade, Troy Coulterman, Adam Feibelman, Andres Guerrero, Amir H. Fallah, Colt Bowden, Lettercatsigns, Karen Hsiao, Ben Eine, Bob Dob & Dan H. Cook.

Additionally, the downtown Artists Village will soon have four kiosks obtained by the City of Santa Ana to help provide information and promote dining and small businesses, according to the Orange County Register.

Orange County School of the Arts Breaks Ground on Expanded Facilities

The Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) recently broke ground on a $20 million, 60,000-square-foot Instructional Center in Santa Ana. This project will include a dance center, music center and science center, and is expected to be completed in summer 2015. OCSA also announced it has received a $4 million gift from Orange County philanthropists Marybelle and S. Paul Musco to build the new dance facility featuring 14 state-of-the-art dance studios. The new dance facility will be named the Marybelle Musco Dance Center in honor of longtime OCSA supporter and dance patron Marybelle Musco.

RESOURCES FOR ARTISTS & ARTS ORGANIZATIONS - ArtsOC.org

ARTS & CULTURAL EVENTS + CALLS FOR ARTISTS + AUDITIONS + JOBS + CLASSES + VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES - SparkOC.com

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TWO MAJOR OC ARTS ORGANIZATIONS APPOINT NEW LEADERS

Philharmonic Society Names New President/Artistic Director:

John Mangum

John Mangum, Director of Artistic Planning at the San Francisco Symphony has been appointed President and Artistic Director of Philharmonic Society of Orange County, succeeding longtime leader Dean Corey, who is retiring. Previously, Mangum served as Artistic Administrator at the New York Philharmonic, Vice President of Artistic Planning at the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Artistic Administrator for the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

MUZEO Names Chief Executive Officer:

Daniel M. Finley

Daniel M. Finley has been appointed Chief Officer of MUZEO. Previously, Finley served as President and CEO of the Autry National Center for the American West in Los Angeles and President and CEO of the Milwaukee Public Museum in Wisconsin. He succeeds John A. Scola, who departed in February; since that time, Arts Orange County has provided interim management services and also conducted the executive search.

New Media Center Offers Free Use of Media Lab & Sound Lab at Newport Beach Public Library

The Media Center is a brand new addition to the Central Library that offers customers access to specialized software and equipment for computer and audio production. Newport Beach Public Library card holders can make an appointment to use the Media Lab and Sound Lab by filling out an online reservation form. Free training classes are regularly offered as well. More information here.

Blue Star Museums, a collaboration among the National Endowment for the Arts, Blue Star Families, the Department of Defense, and more than 2,000 museums across America is offering free admission to the nation's service members and their families from Memorial Day through Labor Day 2014. Participating museums in Orange County include: Bowers Museum (Santa Ana), Festival of Arts/Pageant of the Masters and Laguna Art Museum (Laguna Beach) and Orange County Museum of Art (Newport Beach).

OC Arts Organizations:

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