Celebrate the Awardees
Coming February 2026
Introduce Awardees
The California Arts Council was founded by trailblazers, pioneers, visionaries who laid the groundwork for all of the work the agency has lead these past 50 years. We honor and celebrate them.
David Geffen
David Geffen Foundation
David Geffen
David Geffen has shaped Los Angeles culture by championing artists like Joni Mitchell, the Eagles and Jackson Browne. As a producer and studio force, he bridged Hollywood, music, and art, helping to turn L.A. into a crossroads for creative ambition and cross-disciplinary talent. Through transformative philanthropy to institutions such as MOCA, the Academy Museum, the Geffen Playhouse, and LACMA—where his gift stands as the largest in the museum’s history—he has strengthened the artistic infrastructure of Los Angeles as boldly as he once supported its artists.
Cheech Marin
CauseConnect, LLC
Cheech Marin
Cheech Marin is an actor, director, writer, musician, art collector, humanitarian and a multi-generational talent. A cultural icon, he is perhaps best known as one half of the hilariously irreverent, satirical, counterculture comedy duo Cheech & Chong, and recognized for his successful solo work in film and television. Today, Cheech Marin is also recognized as a preeminent advocate for Chicano art. Since the mid-1980s, he has developed what is arguably the finest private collection of Chicano art, which now serves as the core collection of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum founded in 2022.
San Jose Taiko
Wisa Uemura, Executive Director
San Jose Taiko
" Since 1973, San Jose Taiko has captivated global audiences with the powerful sounds of the taiko. San Jose Taiko has become a world-class ensemble, performing extensively both nationally and internationally, reaching more than 60,000 audience members each year.
San Jose Taiko is acknowledged as one of the premier taiko ensembles in the world, whose artistry, philosophy, and unique organizational structure are studied and emulated by many arts groups throughout the U.S. and Japan. The National Endowment of the Arts, the California Arts Council, Silicon Valley Creates (fka Arts Council Silicon Valley), and the San Jose City Council have all honored San Jose Taiko and its artists with commendations for community leadership in fostering cultural and ethnic diversity in the arts."
Magic Theatre
Sean
Magic Theatre
The Magic Theatre has been producing cutting edge theatre in San Francisco since 1967. It has been the birthplace of many important plays that have gone on to be staged around the world. At the moment it is under the direction of Sean San José and is centering its work on Indigenous, Black, people of color and those who have been othered to foster inclusivity within the Bay Area's performing arts scene.
Introduce Founders
Join the California Arts Council in celebrating the inaugural awardees for their significant contributions to the artistic, cultural and creative landscape of California.
David Geffen
David Geffen Foundation
David Geffen
David Geffen has shaped Los Angeles culture by championing artists like Joni Mitchell, the Eagles and Jackson Browne. As a producer and studio force, he bridged Hollywood, music, and art, helping to turn L.A. into a crossroads for creative ambition and cross-disciplinary talent. Through transformative philanthropy to institutions such as MOCA, the Academy Museum, the Geffen Playhouse, and LACMA—where his gift stands as the largest in the museum’s history—he has strengthened the artistic infrastructure of Los Angeles as boldly as he once supported its artists.
Cheech Marin
CauseConnect, LLC
Cheech Marin
Cheech Marin is an actor, director, writer, musician, art collector, humanitarian and a multi-generational talent. A cultural icon, he is perhaps best known as one half of the hilariously irreverent, satirical, counterculture comedy duo Cheech & Chong, and recognized for his successful solo work in film and television. Today, Cheech Marin is also recognized as a preeminent advocate for Chicano art. Since the mid-1980s, he has developed what is arguably the finest private collection of Chicano art, which now serves as the core collection of The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture of the Riverside Art Museum founded in 2022.
San Jose Taiko
Wisa Uemura, Executive Director
San Jose Taiko
" Since 1973, San Jose Taiko has captivated global audiences with the powerful sounds of the taiko. San Jose Taiko has become a world-class ensemble, performing extensively both nationally and internationally, reaching more than 60,000 audience members each year.
San Jose Taiko is acknowledged as one of the premier taiko ensembles in the world, whose artistry, philosophy, and unique organizational structure are studied and emulated by many arts groups throughout the U.S. and Japan. The National Endowment of the Arts, the California Arts Council, Silicon Valley Creates (fka Arts Council Silicon Valley), and the San Jose City Council have all honored San Jose Taiko and its artists with commendations for community leadership in fostering cultural and ethnic diversity in the arts."
Magic Theatre
Sean
Magic Theatre
The Magic Theatre has been producing cutting edge theatre in San Francisco since 1967. It has been the birthplace of many important plays that have gone on to be staged around the world. At the moment it is under the direction of Sean San José and is centering its work on Indigenous, Black, people of color and those who have been othered to foster inclusivity within the Bay Area's performing arts scene.
