VENTURA, Calif. – The County of Ventura’s Arts & Culture Division has received a $75,000 Our Town award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to support the Channeling Murals project, a public art and workforce development initiative. This is one of 68 grants nationwide, totaling $5 million, that the NEA has approved in the Our Town category. These creative placemaking grants support projects that integrate arts, culture, and design activities into local efforts to strengthen and authentically engage communities, center equity, advance artful lives, and lay the groundwork for long-term systems change.
“Projects like Channeling Murals exemplify the creativity and care with which communities are telling their stories, creating connection, and responding to challenges and opportunities in their communities—all through the arts,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “So many aspects of our communities such as cultural vitality, health and wellbeing, infrastructure, and the economy are advanced and improved through investments in art and design, and the National Endowment for the Arts is committed to ensuring people across the country benefit.”
Channeling Murals is a collaborative project that involves the County Supervisorial District 1 Office, Ventura County Public Works Agency – Watershed Protection, Ventura County Probation Agency, County Arts and Culture Division, and the Ventura County Arts Council.
“Receiving this prestigious grant from the NEA is an exciting moment not only for District 1, but for all of Ventura County,” said Matt LaVere, 1st District Supervisor. “This mural project will not only beautify a vital transportation corridor and economic center, but also celebrate the creativity, diversity, and sense of community that are ever-present in our county. We look forward to working with local artists and businesses, community youth, and all County and community partners to bring the vision of this mural to life.”
Local artists will work with justice-involved youth, alongside other community and County agencies, to design and install a nearly mile-long mural inside the Moon Ditch Overflow Channel located off Highway 101 in the City of Ventura, near the Ventura Auto Center.
“We are deeply honored to receive national recognition for the Channeling Murals project through this grant from the NEA,” said David Yoshitomi, Arts and Culture Manager for the County of Ventura. “This project exemplifies how artists can collaborate with communities and local government to achieve shared goals, highlighting the extensive value arts and culture bring to our county. We envision the mural to become a landmark for Ventura County, beautifying our community while offering professional opportunities for local artists and a workforce development program for justice involved youth through its creation.”
Project updates and opportunities will be posted on the County of Ventura’s Arts and Culture webpage. For more information on the projects included in the Arts Endowment grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
