With support from the California Arts Council, Gamelan Sekar Jaya (GSJ) will build our institutional capacity by expanding staffing, and strengthening our education and performance programs to sustain and improve the accessibility of our programs for historically under-resourced community members, including Indonesian Americans, economically disadvantaged communities, and disabled ensemble members and students.
This support will allow GSJ to strengthen and expand the accessibility of our many programmatic activities, including regular open houses with free community workshops, sliding scale public classes for all ages, residencies, workshops, and assemblies at local public schools with artists-in-residence and local teaching artists, Balinese cultural events in collaboration with the Indonesian consulate in San Francisco, as well as our free and low-cost performances across the Bay Area and beyond that reach an audience of approximately 10,000 people annually.
Direct artistic interaction is key to GSJ’s unique programming. Many of Bali’s most renowned performing artists have joined GSJ for extended residencies over the past 40 years. The artist-in-residence program is the only US program outside of a university or consulate to regularly host Balinese artists for extended residencies, making it an important resource for the public. Artists-in-residence share their artistic skills, experience, and creativity with these shared goals: direct artistic interaction with performers, students, and audiences; dissemination of major works from the living tradition of Balinese arts; enriching historical, cultural, and artistic understanding in a setting emphasizing artistic excellence and mutual respect. GSJ has presented hundreds of concerts locally and internationally, and each year GSJ introduces thousands of children, youth and adults to Balinese arts and culture through classes, school programs, and other outreach activities.

