Recovering through the Power of Art
October 30, 2020 8:00 AM
by Shannon Daut
This blog post is part of our Santa Monica Shines series in the Santa Monica Daily Press. Read the whole series here.
Although we have accomplished so much, our collective journey is not over yet, as many of our peers are at different stages of their own. This is why the City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs created Art of Recovery, a new program that will harness the power of arts to assist the community on our road to recovery. The Art of Recovery is guided by a committee of dedicated arts, business and community leaders who play a vital role in shaping the program and the ongoing review of proposals
Santa Monica has always cultivated a strong relationship with arts and culture, largely due to the creativity of local people and organizations. With a focus on connecting art to people, Art of Recovery seeks to strengthen our local network of artists, nurture connections between artists and other sectors, and build cohorts of learners focused on integrating the arts and artists into community efforts.”. The program will pair local artists with Santa Monica businesses and community groups to create and implement COVID-19 safe art experiences around the city
The project was inspired by the New Deal-era initiative, the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project (WPA), which funded American artists to create artworks, establish community art centers and employ American Artists. “This program had a lasting legacy on the country’s recovery from the Great Depression,” says City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Manager Shannon Daut. Art of Recovery, says Daut, will “create new opportunities that foster long-term relationships and will hopefully have a positive impact on their long-term sustainability as artists,” as well as foster “the importance of the arts in the city’s future and how the arts can play a meaningful role in the city’s recovery.”
The effort is funded through a $500,000 allocation from the City’s Cultural Arts Trust, created through the Private Developer Arts Requirement. Interested artists and local groups can find more information about the program and submit a Letter of Intent online at santamonica.gov/arts/artofrecovery. The program focuses on three main priorities: public health & safety, economic recovery, and community connectedness & restorative justice. The priorities are intended as guidelines for artists and business to imagine creative, new ways to drive economic recovery, focus on ways we can create community connectedness and promote racial justice in a time of physical distancing and heightened racial tension, as well as create a collective intent to slow the spread of COVID-19. Cultural Affairs “believes that artists have compelling and creative solutions to pressing challenges,” which is why the city is focusing on this program.
Projects are already underway to bring a little beauty to our city starting on Main Street. The k-rails (concrete safety dividers) lining the Main Street outdoor dining Recovering through the Power of Art areas will become colorful works of art. Painted with bright colors and fun designs, the artworks will accentuate the already open and funky culture on Main Street. One recently painted k-rail mural can be found in front of the former Starbucks on Main and Hill Street and new murals will be underway soon. Hunter Hall, Executive Director of the Main Street Business Improvement Association says that painting the K-rails seemed like a “natural decision” to beautify the city, working with Evan Meyer of the non-profit organization Beautify Earth to help implement the project.
In addition to the k-rail mural project on Main Street, the Santa Monica Pier and Downtown Santa Monica are presenting a brand-new Día de los Muertos sculptural art installation. While COVID-19 has changed the spooky season, the Pier wants you to experience the culture of Día de los Muertos with larger-than-life sculptures of La Calavera Catrina: Mexico’s great Dane of Death and iconic holiday figure. The installation was created by Los Angeles-based artist Ricardo Soltero, who creates large Catrina sculptures for parades, television and movie set designs along with other Día De Los Muertos events. Soltero says that he has been an artist “since he was a kid” and learned about the history of Día De Los Muertos from his Grandmother, who loved to create paper garlands and flowers for the holiday. Soltero says that La Calavera Catrina was originally a satirical drawing depicted in a Mexican newspaper in 1910, but over time became the figure of the holiday. Mexican women dress up like Catrina on Día De Los Muertos to welcome the spirits of their deceased relatives back to earth for one night so the families can keep the memories of their deceased relatives alive.
Soltero says he started making “the Catrinas” nearly 20-years-ago and features his work at the Annual Día De Los Muertos event at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Soltero says that representatives from Downtown Santa Monica reached out to him on Instagram to include his Catrinas Downtown and at the Pier and the plan was quickly set into motion. From Saturday, October 31, through Monday, November 2, Pier and Third Street Promenade visitors can check out the sculptures and partake in the cultural festivities of the season. These projects are just the beginning for what’s to come in Santa Monica, as Cultural Affairs will accept Letters of Intent on a rolling basis with projects running through June 30, 2021. For artists interested in participating in the project, don’t be shy to apply! Artists are eligible at any stage in their career. The only requirement is that you are an LA-county based artist and that your proposed project adheres to the LA county health ordinance. Business Improvement Districts, business associations, neighborhood associations, community groups, nonprofit organizations and non-arts businesses whose official address is within Santa Monica city limits are also eligible to apply.
Harnessing the power of art has beautified the road to recovery, lifting our spirits along the way and showing us how important community-connectedness truly is during this time. Allison Ostrovsky, City of Santa Monica Cultural Affairs Supervisor, says that “artists will lead us and lead Santa Monica...in reimagining and recreating what the future can be” through the power of their art. With this new mindset, the city was able to shift its thinking and find a solution that encourages expression, unity and a sense of community. In fact, this program is so innovative that other cities across the country are thinking about how to develop similar art and recovery programs. Cultural Affairs is “excited to share” information about their project and how it is effectively employing artists to help local governments in recovery efforts. This focus on the arts will hopefully lead our own community, as well as others, further down the path of recovery. As the Cultural Affairs team likes to say: “COVID can’t keep the arts down!”
For more information about the Art of Recovery program or to apply, visit www.santamonica.gov/arts/artofrecovery
Authored By
Shannon Daut
Cultural Affairs Manager