The Arts Council’s mission is to nurture and inspire the arts and artists in Merced County by creating a place of artistic discovery, community, and dialogue. We strive to show the community that art is around us all the time, and can be experienced in anything and everything. One does not have to be able to recognize the work of Manet or Mozart to know, value or benefit from the arts. Likewise, the ability to draw a perfect aesthetic is not the only rite of passage to call oneself an artist. Because anyone drawn to the arts is a player in the arts scene, the arts are constantly changing. As staff, we push and pull in deliberative process to discern how that philosophy translates into action.