Anaheim Mayor Tom Tait, (above), Anaheim City School District Superintendent Linda Wagner and National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Foundation Executive Director Mary Luehrsen convened arts and education leaders at the Honda Center Grand Terrace on September 10 to kick off the Anaheim Creativity Council, a new initiative to advance music and art learning in Anaheim's schools.  Among the arts leaders in attendance were ArtsOC Executive Director Rick Stein, CREATE CA Program Director Pat Wayne, OC Department of Education Visual and Performing Arts Coordinator Steve Venz, Pacific Symphony President John Forsyte, MUZEO Executive Director Dan Finley, Muckenthaler Cultural Center Executive Director Zoot Velasco, Dorothy Rose of Orange County Symphony and Michael Buss of the Anaheim Arts Council.  The group will meet again in January.

A grand opening celebration on September 12, 2015 marked the installation of nine new sculptures in Phase II of the Sculpture in the Civic Center Park Exhibition with the tenth sculpture, "Sunflower," to be installed in January 2016. Presentations were made by Mayor Ed Selich (above), City Arts Commission Chair Arlene Greer and Chair of the Arts Commission's Sculpture Exhibition Committee Robert Smith.  The community was invited to view the sculptures, meet the artists and enjoy music and refreshments at the Civic Center.  Docent led tours of the Sculpture in Civic Center Park Exhibition were conducted by members of the Newport Beach Art Foundation.  Arts Orange County managed the selection and installation process for the City of Newport Beach in collaboration with Green Public Art and display.  View images of the exhibition here.