Diversity in the Arts
Art and Culture Collective of Northern Sonoma County
The Art and Culture Collective of Northern Sonoma County is a community-driven initiative committed to supporting local artists and promoting diversity in the arts. With a focus on equitable funding, the collective works to amplify the voices and perspectives of marginalized artists.
The grants, made possible by a generous grant from the William + Flora Hewlett Foundation, aim to promote equitable funding in the arts by providing financial support to artists who have historically been underserved or excluded by other funding mechanisms. Applications are open to all Sonoma County residents, with preference given to artists from the northern parts of the county, including Windsor, Healdsburg, Geyserville, and Cloverdale. Undocumented artists or arts and culture workers, young or emerging artists from historically marginalized communities, and artists with lived experiences as people of color received additional weight in the selection process.
Arts and Cultural Collective of Northern Sonoma County members 2024-2025: Beatriz Adriana Castro Martinez, Guadalupe Lopez Jimenez, Jose De Jesús Gonzalez, Marcus Garcia, and Michelle Figueroa, Rosa Gonzalez, and Rosaura Garcia
2024 Diversity in Arts Grant Recipients
Beatriz Castro Martinez & Christian Ayala: Gallery of traditional tiliche costumes, indigenous to Oaxaca
Blanca Molina: Mural in Healdsburg/Windsor
Diego Gonzalez & Greta Mesics: Library Out Loud. A bilingual literacy program
Francisca Antonio: Mexican folk art dancing
Top Cheer Elite (TCElite) Gym: Financial support for low-income hip hop athletes and expansion of program
Juan Carlos Garcia: Creation of Humans of Sonoma County, inspired by Humans of New York
Leticia Gonzalez: Mexican folk art dancing
Linus Lancaster: Your River, Downtown. An Atlas of the Russian River Basin
Cali Calmecac Language Academy: Mexican folk art dancing student group
Shani Garcia: Mexican folk art dancing
Grupo Folklórico Quetzalén: Mictlán. A theatrical exploration of the aztec legend through folklore and movement
Geyserville Unified School District: Mexican folk art dancing student group
Nélida Samara Zepeda Mendoza: A multi-media photographic approach towards celebrating the vineyard farmworker community
2023 Diversity in Arts Grant Recipients
Adrian Hernandez: A short film about a Mexican-American trying to deal with the loss of his grandfather
Austin Aviles: A series of photo portraits highlighting Latinos and their professions
Bianey Esquibel Vázquez: A quinceañera-themed art exhibition, "The Quince Project.”
Christian Rios: The purchase of a music system as the first step into the future to one day build a recording studio
Daniela Orosco: A series of paintings showcasing the struggles of undocumented immigrants and people of color
Rocio Gonzalez: Sonoma County Guelaguetza 2023
Hadassah GreenSky: A cultural exchange art show that will feature their series of paintings inspired by their Anishinaabe and Pomo relatives’ stories.
Jorge Fuentes: Purchase of a sound board and formation of a band
Juan Carlos Garcia: Creation of several magazines to highlight underrepresented communities in Healdsburg and Sonoma County
Redwood Empire Chinese Association: Replenish, renew, revise and revamp aging performance and presentation materials
Karym Sanchez: Purchase of an audio system for Rascuaches, a local Sonoma County community band of organizers
La Familia Sana: Arte Orgánico (Organic Art), a program providing painting and literacy classes to 40 north county families
Maria Ornelas Nunez: Mexican folk art dancing
Maria-Jose Lindo-Lawyer, The Mural Project, Inc.: Creation of community murals to elevate diverse artists and build an early-career pipeline for art professionals
Matias Lopez: A series of language lessons to teach Mixteco.
Top Cheer Elite (TCElite) Gym: Financial support for low-income hip hop athletes
Noe Naranjo and Ari Thomas: Glitter Sprouts, a multimedia movement project on a print magazine
Phillip Meshekey: Publishing of "MMIPrevention" a book highlighting and giving voice to Murdered and Missing Indigenous People with poems, and short stories.
Roberto Soto, Maxima Frecuencia: Support for band of five Latinos
Rosaura Garcia: Mexican folk art dancing
Teatro ALMAS Libres: Support for theater collective
Tania Escobar Hernández: Mexican folk art dancing
Tanya Sierra: Creation of a comedic short film centered around Latinx characters and experiences
Tyehimba Kokayi, Lions Den Education Institute: A neighborhood block party highlighting our new collective studio, Cotati Moves.
Vanessa Dominguez: Celebration of Mexican-American identity through music and signing
Victor Ferrer, Healdsburg Elementary School: An after-school Baile Folklórico program at Healdsburg Elementary School through Grupo Folklórico Quetzalén
Victor Hernandez: Support of indigenous dance group
Yolanda Ramirez, Cooperativa Mujeres Triqui: Support for a collective of indigenous women and their traditional weaving
