Friends of the Arts has two primary programs:

1) Art Grant Awareness and Education workshops, roundtable discussions, and one-on-one sessions. Recent events include Grant Writing 101, and 2.0. These were followed by a series of roundtable zoom meetings where attendees were encouraged to present projects to one another. Our focus is on education and creating greater access to information, and techniques on how to successfully apply for and obtain grants. Creating grants mentors is one goal of this focus – particularly in underserved and marginalized communities.

2) Partnerships with BIPOC groups and individuals as well as institutions such as CSU, Chico, i.e., the LatinX festival on Campus. And with Butte County Office of Education facilitating the Poetry Out Loud competition and the Artist In Schools program (working with developmentally disabled, underserved and marginalized students), and Any Given Child Program ensuring arts for all children.

Our county has been in constant crisis since 2017, beginning with the Oroville Dam Spillway crisis where 180,000 people were evacuated to five devastating fires, one of which was the destroyed Paradise in 2018. These fires have consumed 17,500 homes and 5,000 businesses – 16% of our housing stock. Then in 2020 the covid pandemic.

Friends of the Arts continues to take on recovery efforts through art therapy and cultural restoration as well as try to rebuild our fragile arts network. We are also working with the City of Chico, CSU, Chico, city museums, the Mechoopda Tribe and cultural organizations to explore a Chico Cultural Corridor or District. Our goal is to utilize the arts as a tool for community building and personal transformation to improve community health and resilience.