Why this series?
"Where Art Meets Impact!”
Season Two of our State of Our Arts & Culture Organizations Series
At Voices of the Community, our mission is simple yet urgent: elevate the voices of artists, cultural workers, and grassroots innovators who harness the arts to tackle society’s toughest challenges—from economic inequality to community healing. Partnering with BAVC Media, we produce an engaging cross-platform series that blends radio storytelling, televised panels, and podcasts to illuminate how creative expression drives policy shifts, workforce development, and civic pride. That commitment to community media excellence was recognized when the Alliance for Community Media Foundation honored our special series with the 2025 Hometown Media Award for Best Informational Talk Show Radio Program, celebrating stellar content across Public, Educational and Governmental [PEG] access cable and radio outlets.
The series showcases how creativity and cultural expression build stronger, more connected neighborhoods. Now is your chance to experience the stories and conversations that earned national recognition. Listen and watch our award-winning series to see how the arts are changing our world. Subscribe to the audio and video podcasts along with the newsletter and share the series and other Voices of the Community shows with your friends.
Episode 1: CA Arts & Culture "Summit Opening Ceremony & Keynote Speaker”
Welcome to the kickoff of our second season! This episode features highlights from the second annual California Arts & Culture Summit, organized by our partner, California for the Arts. The theme, "Art Work is Real Work," emphasizes the crucial role artists play in our economy and well-being, often without the support they deserve.
Join us as we hear from leading voices on topics such as arts and health, economic justice, climate change, youth engagement, and the public policies needed to support our creative industries.
Episode 2: CA Arts & Culture "Summit Arts and Health"
Explore the powerful intersection of art and health in our exclusive interview series with California for the Arts and their State of the Arts Summit. Join moderator Deborah Cullinan, Vice President for the Arts at Stanford University, as she delves into the transformative power of art on prescription with panelists Chris Appleton (Art Pharmacy), Tasha Golden, Ph.D. (International Arts and Mind Lab), and Indre Viskontas, Ph.D. (Neuro Arts Blueprint Initiative).
Episode 3: CA Arts & Culture Summit - “Economic Justice: Unveiling the Power of Arts and Culture”
The panel discussion on Achieving Economic Justice Through Community Placekeeping, featuring Miss Tee, Nikko Kimzin, Arianna Paz Chávez, Heather Heslep, and Roshaun Davis, explores the challenges faced by marginalized communities in the arts and the importance of placekeeping, ownership, and wealth redistribution. The panelists emphasized the power of art as a tool for community empowerment and social change.
Episode 4: CA Arts & Culture Summit - “Discover the Future of Creative Work”
In this episode, our panelists explore the future of creative work, addressing key issues such as fair compensation, the impact of AI, and the evolving job market. They discuss how the undervaluing of creative professionals and the persistent “starving artist” myth continue to affect artists’ livelihoods.
Episode 5: Casemaking for Collaboration Building Better Bridges
Welcome to the "Casemaking for Collaboration: Building Better Brides in the Arts Economy" panel discussion, where we explore the intersection of arts advocacy, economic development, and urban planning.
Episode 6: Policy Wins, Updates & Visions for the Future!
In this dynamic panel, arts leaders share transformative wins in advocacy, equity, and cross-sector partnerships, highlighting groundbreaking initiatives like creative workforce programs, cultural planning, and arts funding reforms. These stories showcase the power of creativity to drive community impact.
Episode 7: CA Arts & Culture Summit Creative Equity: "Building Sustainable Futures for Artists and Communities"
In this dynamic panel, arts leaders share transformative wins in advocacy, equity, and cross-sector partnerships, highlighting groundbreaking initiatives like creative workforce programs, cultural planning, and arts funding reforms. These stories showcase the power of creativity to drive community impact.
Episode 8: "Breaking Isolation: Arts as a Community Solution"
Join us for insightful conversations with arts leaders and advocates at the California Arts and Culture Summit. Discover the transformative power of arts and culture as we discuss cultural equity, economic empowerment for artists, and the exciting developments in arts and health. Learn how these initiatives are strengthening our communities and find out how you can get involved!
Episode 9: CA Arts & Culture Summit - “Highlights Show Part 1”
Step into our Season Two highlights—captured at the 2024 California Arts & Culture Summit—where leaders declare ‘artwork is real work,’ prescribe creativity for public health, and champion guaranteed income for artists. Join the movement for equitable, arts-powered community revival!
“Together we can create a world where arts and culture are recognized and invested in as essential to society, embedded in community life, and intersecting with broader policy change to reshape systems towards equity and justice.”
Thanks to our Sponsors
Voices of the Community is supported by a grant from the Zellerbach Family Foundation, whose Arts and Culture grants ensure vibrant work is created, new voices are celebrated, and artists and audiences inclusive of the Bay Area’s diverse communities and cultures have opportunities to thrive. Find out more at ZFF dot org
Voices of the Community is supported by a grant from the Peaceful World Foundation dedicated to fostering a culture of global peace through the promotion of hosted conversations and education. You can learn more at peaceful world foundation dot org.
Thanks to our CoProduction Partner
BAVC Media is a community hub and resource for media makers in the Bay Area and across the country, serving several thousand freelancers, filmmakers, job-seekers, activists, and artists every year. BAVC Media provides access to media making technology, storytelling workshops, a diverse and engaged community of makers and producers, services and resources. Get Training, participate in the MediaMaker Fellowship, become a member and produce shows through the SF Commons program.
Thanks to our CoProduction Partner
We’re helping every Californian become an advocate for the arts – from raising awareness on why the arts are so important, to providing programs and services that make our state’s creative sector stronger than ever. Learn How the arts advance our economy and society.
Donate to Voices of the Community
We are fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which allows us to offer you tax deductions for your contributions. Please consider making a donation to help us provide future shows just like this one. If you want to send us a check, please make checks payable to Intersection for the Arts and write [Voices of the Community] in the memo line of your check. This ensures that you’ll receive an acknowledgment letter for tax purposes, and your donation will be available for our project.
Welcome to our ongoing series on Covid-19’s impact on nonprofits and small businesses in the San Francisco Bay. We will continue to shine a spotlight on the nonprofits, and small businesses that make up the fabric of our community along with the founders and staff who are struggling to deal with the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on their operations, services, and sustainability until we can all get to the other side of the pandemic.
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