SACRAMENTO, CA – The California Arts Council today announced the launch of DREAM, the state arts agency’s new arts and culture magazine. The annual publication features voices and stories from across the state, sharing a glimpse into the depth of impact of creativity and cultural expression in a region as large and diverse as California. The premier issue explores what it means to dream, introducing artists and culture bearers from communities throughout the state. 

“The DREAM magazine project is the culmination of multiple aspirations within our strategic framework,” said Anne Bown-Crawford, Executive Director for the California Arts Council. “Finding new ways to spotlight arts and culture and amplify the wide range of voices and talent within California’s arts communities is integral to bolstering understanding and appreciation for creative work and all of its immense contributions to our state’s economy, health, and vitality.”

Each issue of DREAM will focus on a specific theme and include a selection of pieces from community submissions intended to acknowledge and honor the work of the state’s local artists and arts organizations, and to help nurture the protection and preservation of California’s unique identity, placing arts, culture, and creativity at the center of public life.

The print edition of DREAM is available at no cost to readers, thanks to a principal partnership from Engaging the Senses Foundation, an educationally oriented nonprofit focused on collaborative partnerships, projects, and outreach that bring the visual arts, music, literature, and poetry to the public in innovative, impactful ways. A digital edition of the magazine, with both English and Spanish versions provided, is also available for free on the California Arts Council website at www.arts.ca.gov/dream. 

DREAM first issue contributors:

• Phoebe Beasley, artist and past CAC Council member, Los Angeles
• Jack Forinash, Executive Director, Blue Sky Center, Cuyama Valley
• Cara Goger, Executive Director, Mariposa County Arts Council, Mariposa County
• Melora Green and Melanie Green, Co-Directors, African American Art and Culture Complex, San Francisco
• Gabrielle Gopinath, Ink People Center for the Arts, Eureka
• Lenora Lee, Director, Lenora Lee Dance, San Francisco
• Nashormeh N.R. Lindo, artist, arts educator, and past CAC Council Chair, Oakland
• Nikiko Masumoto, artist and Co-Founder, Yonsei Memory Project, Del Rey
• Noé Montes, photographer and artist-in-residence, Blue Sky Center, Cuyama Valley
• Luis Antonio Pichardo, Founder and Executive Director of DSTL Arts, Los Angeles
• Clay Muwin River, Managing Director of the American Indian Council of Mariposa County and Miwumati Healing Center, Mariposa County
• Javier Salazar Rojas, artist, Tijuana, Mexico
• Terria Smith, Editor, News from Native California, Berkeley 

The first issue of DREAM magazine is dedicated in memory of Larry T. Baza, a California Arts Council member and chair, lifelong cultural leader, arts advocate, and social activist who passed away in February at the age of 76 due to COVID-19.

DREAM is currently seeking contributors for future issues of the magazine. California individual artists, arts and culture organizations, and current grantees are encouraged to submit a nomination form for consideration at www.arts.ca.gov/dream. 

All issues of DREAM will be available in print and digital editions. To subscribe to the print edition or read the first issue online, visit www.arts.ca.gov/dream. 

Media Inquiries:
Kimberly Brown
Public Affairs Specialist
kimberly.brown@arts.ca.gov

# # #

The California Arts Council is a state agency with a mission of strengthening arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. It supports local arts infrastructure and programming statewide through grants, initiatives, and services. The California Arts Council envisions a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts.

Members of the California Arts Council include: Chair Lilia Gonzáles-Chávez, Vice Chair Kathleen Gallegos, Jodie Evans, Jaime Galli, Stanlee Gatti, Donn K. Harris, Alex Israel, Consuelo Montoya, and Jonathan Moscone. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.

The California Arts Council is committed to increasing the accessibility of its online content. For language and accessibility assistance, visit https://arts.ca.gov/about/about-us/language-communications-assistance.