Selma Arts Center (SAC) is home to a variety of programs offered through the City of Selma Recreation and Community Services Department. Completed in 2013 to more effectively carry out the mission of Selma Arts Council that has been established since 1990, the Arts Center advances the humanities and strives to enrich the lives of all people who pass through its doors by leading a culturally diverse collective of local artists who provide quality theatre and artistic experiences for the community at large. Home to the city’s dramatic, visual, literary, and musical arts activity, SAC works to create experiences that are inspirational, educational, and of the highest caliber. To this end, SAC provides a variety of humanities- and arts-focused programs that reflect the diverse interests of the communities we serve. Examples of opportunities for the community include the Cool Kid Player’s (CKP) Youth Performing Arts Program and the SACademy, both of which are open to the public at large. CKP is a sign-up program offering youth ages 6 to 18 of all skill levels the opportunity to perform in full scale theater productions. For nearly 20 years, this program has provided the Selma youth with the opportunity to experience the performing arts. Similarly, through the SACademy arts workshop series, the Arts Center has been able to help artists and patrons in the community expand their crafts and access opportunities in the arts. Previous SACademy courses have included audition workshops, dance intensives, improv comedy courses and set design basics. On average, SAC reaches over 2,500 youth and community members annually through these opportunities. This represents an especially critical resource for a community such as Selma, which is located in California’s San Joaquin Valley and where over 25 percent of the City’s approximately 24,800 residents live at or below the poverty line.