31st Annual Imagination Celebration Begins April 16
Vote Now in the "People's Choice" Poster Contest! 
More than 50 free or affordable arts and culture events for families and children in 20 Orange County cities will take place during the 31st annual Imagination Celebration, presented by Arts Orange County and the Orange County Department of Education.  In the countywide poster contest for grades 7-12, for which the theme was "Imagination:  Pathway to the Future," the winning design was by Alex Rivera, age 18, a student at Los Amigos High School in the Garden Grove Unified School District.  
The 29 other finalists are automatically under consideration for the "People's Choice" Award, selected through online voting here now through April 30th.  Additionally, the Imagination Celebration festival includes the annual "1,000 Pieces of Art" Exhibition at South Coast Plaza.  
The Imagination Celebration was originated by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.  The Kennedy Center licensed the program upon request to the Orange County Performing Arts Center (now Segerstrom Center for the Arts).  After a number of seasons, the Orange County Imagination Celebration became a separately incorporated organization.  In 2005, Arts Orange County acquired the festival through a merger, and has operated it since.
Learn How to Build Loyal Audiences That Will Sustain Your Organization
Arts Orange County brings back arts marketing guru Matt Lehrman for a third time by popular demand with his brand new Audiences EverywhereTM workshop on Thursday, April 28, 8:30 am-12 noon at the UC Irvine Student Center.  Space is limited to 75 participants, and ArtsOC members receive a 50% discount on registration.  Complete details may be found here.  ArtsOC workshops are supported in part through a grant from Bank of America.

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5th Annual Dia del Nino
Sunday, April 24 at Birch Park 

Arts Orange County, in partnership with El Centro Cultural de Mexico, presents its 5th annual Dia del Nino festival on Sunday, April 24 in Santa Ana's Birch Park.  The day begins with a children's procession to the park, where more than a dozen outstanding professional and community ensembles will perform on stage and over twenty hands-on arts workshops will be offered--all free of charge.  Ample free parking is available nearby.
Among the performing groups will be Grammy Award winners The Mariachi Divas, La Santa Cecilia and Trio Ellas.
Here is a brief video of last year's event.
Laguna Art Museum Director Malcolm Warner Honored 

On April 3, the Laguna Beach Alliance for the Arts honored Malcolm Warner with its 2016 Arts Stars Award for Arts Leadership.  Warner has been Executive Director of the Laguna Art Museum for the past four years.  Currently on exhibition at the museum through May 30 are:  "Helen Lundeberg: A Retrospective" and "Frederick Hammersley: Works on Paper from the Permanent Collection."
12th Santa Ana Sites Event Features National Theatre of Scotland 

Santa Ana Sites will present its 12th performance event April 13-16: the National Theatre of Scotland's "The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart," in Santa Ana's Empire Building. "Prudencia Hart" is described as an inventive and entertaining piece of anarchic theatre, live music and strange goings-on. Santa Ana Sites was founded by Allen Moon, Artistic Director, and John Spiak, Director of the Grand Central Art Center, three years ago. Its mission is to present contemporary performance in public and private spaces throughout Downtown Santa Ana. The traveling forum is designed to provide the community shared artistic experiences, encouraging the discovery of diverse environments and architectural space. Arts Orange County has been a consultant to Santa Ana Sites since its inception.
   
PROMOTE YOUR EVENT ON SPARKOC!
ArtsOC continues to offer local presenters of arts events affordable ways to reach a large audience of arts-goers.  For more information, contact Karen Ahola. 
Arts Orange County is the leader in building appreciation of, participation in and support for the arts and arts education throughout Orange County. 
It is a powerhouse in advancing Orange County's arts ecology, a trailblazer in advocating workforce development through arts education, a leader in building future audiences and a trendsetter in the world of nonprofit arts councils.

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Arts Orange County, 3730 South Susan Street, Suite 100, Santa Ana, CA 92704