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Current  Happenings
and Announcements
at Madera County Arts Council

 

Save the Date!
For our Holiday Gala
Sunday December 8, 2024
at the Vineyard

Tickets on sale now!
At the Circle Gallery

 


A delicious meal at The Vineyard restaurant.  Libations, decorations, merriment, holiday entertainment and prizes for auctioning.

All to support and celebrate the Arts in Madera County

Tickets on sale now!
Stop by the Circle Gallery
Or call us at (559) 661-7005
to purchase over the phone
We’ll mail them to you!

Madera Unified School District students
Grades 4-8
Auditions coming for
Madera Theatre Project’s
Winter show 2025

 

Coming to the Circle Gallery
Saturday, November 16th
10am – 4pm

Thanks for supporting
Celebrate Agriculture with the Arts

 

PLEASE NOTE!
PhotoMuse24 – has been postponed to 2025

Watch this page and our social media for more information soon.


Gratitude opens the heart to what we love. Photography in all its forms gives us the opportunity to share that love. It is a powerful medium of human expression that offsets complacency.

This year in PhotoMuse the challenge is simple. Focus your camera on something that you love and produce the best image you can of it. And tell us why you are grateful for it.

We were delighted to host The Mitchell Sisters at the Circle Gallery
as part of our ‘Pieces of Perception.’

 

 

 

Pieces of Perception: Defined by Culture

 


Job Openings

The Madera County Arts Council
is hiring artists!

 

Are you an artist who has a passion for educating and engaging with the community through the Arts? 

 We are looking for Teaching Artists!
Four different positions – please read below and send your information.

We are currently expanding throughout Madera County.  We are looking to hire artists for the MUSD after school program, in-gallery workshops and classes, Off-site programs and classes, artists-in-schools program and artists in residence.  

 About Madera County Arts Council & Circle Gallery: 

The Madera County Arts Council & Circle Gallery is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to empowering communities through the arts. Since 1982, we have been fostering creativity and innovation by reaching out to all Madera County stakeholders. Our gallery space is used for art exhibitions and events to support and promote local artists and community members.  

Madera Unified School District (MUSD)
After School Program Teaching Artists (ASP)

Madera County Arts Council (MCAC) currently has a team of After School Program (ASP) Teaching Artists who specialize in visual and performing arts. The objective of the ASP Teaching Artists program is to enrich and guide creativity in students from TK-8th grade.

Our approach to ASP enrichment is project-based, where the learning is structured around the process of conceptual creativity. Teaching Artists provide students guidance in researching, exploring, visual planning/ mapping, implementing, refining and reflecting to guide the students in creating their final project. 

Responsibilities:  

  • Develop and implement an engaging four-week project-based lesson plan. 
  • Assist in recruitment and retention of student participation. 
  • Keep students engaged and create a classroom culture of respect, and participation. 
  • Manage classroom of up to 15 students.  
  • Create a flyer and class summary to promote your specific project.  
  • Attend MCAC meetings once a month.  
  • Monitor emails and texts regularly to communicate with MCAC in a timely manner.  
  • Maintain and submit timesheets.  

Scheduling and Time Commitment: 

  • Weekday availability between 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM, Monday through Thursday.  
  • Meetings with MCAC staff are once a month. 
  • Placement at a different school site each month.  
  • Elementary schools: schedule is typically a one-hour session for TK-K or 1st – 3rd or 4th – 6th.  
  • Middle Schools: schedule is typically a one-hour session per class. 
  • Artists are compensated for two hours of instruction and one hour of preparation per day.  
  • MCAC provides all art materials required for these classes.  

Qualifications: 

  • AA degree is preferred. 
  • 2 years’ experience as an artist required. 
  • Experience working with diverse youth populations. 
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills. 
  • Ability to work collaboratively with MUSD and MCAC staff. 

Pay rate: $30.00 per hour. This position is considered part-time with no health insurance benefits and no retirement plan.   

Please note: All applicants must be willing to be fingerprinted and provide a negative TB test. 

In addition, candidates hired will need to obtain blood born pathogen and mandated reporter certification. 

To apply, please email your resume, portfolio and cover letter to: Cynthia Montes – MCAC Arts Education Coordinator CynthiaMontes@maderaarts.org
Add ‘MUSD After School Program (ASP) Teaching Artist’ to the email subject line

In-gallery and off-site Teaching Artist:  

In-gallery and off-site Teaching Artists lead engaging art classes and workshops. On occasion, you’ll take your expertise on the road, teaching classes at various off-site locations to reach a wider audience and enrich communities beyond our gallery walls. You’ll collaborate with our team to coordinate logistics and ensure the success of each class or workshop.

Responsibilities: 

  • Develop and implement an engaging lesson plan.  
  • Coordinate with MCAC staff 
  • Keep participants engaged and create a classroom culture of respect, and participation. 
  • Manage classroom of students and participants.  
  • Submit, maintain and keep track of your supplies. 
  • Monitor emails and texts regularly to communicate with MCAC in a timely manner. 
  • Track and submit time sheets. 

Scheduling and Time Commitment 

  • Varies based on project.  
  • Artists are compensated for one hour of preparation per day. 
  • MCAC provides all art materials and supplies required for these classes and programs. 

Qualifications: 

  • BA or BFA preferred. 
  • 4 years’ experience as an artist required. 
  • Experience working with diverse youth populations. 
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills. 
  • Ability to work collaboratively with MCAC staff.

Pay Rate: $23.00 per hour. This position is considered part-time with no health insurance benefits or retirement plan.  

Please note: All applicants must be willing to be fingerprinted and provide a negative TB test.  In addition, candidates hired will need to obtain blood born pathogen and mandated reporter certification. 

To apply, please email your resume, portfolio and cover letter to
Areej Latif – MCAC Gallery Manager areej-latif@maderaarts.org 
Please add ‘In-gallery and off-site Teaching Artist’ to the email subject line

 

Artists in School (AIS) Teaching Artist:  

 Madera County Arts Council has a team of teaching artists who deliver Arts Education programs in schools throughout Madera County. MCAC Teaching Artists aim to promote creativity and skill enhancement among students through interactive hands-on art curriculum. Our teaching artists are expected to be proficient in various domains of visual and/or performing arts. 

 Responsibilities: 

  • Create and implement engaging lesson plans.  
  • Submit lesson plans to MCAC staff for modification and approval. 
  • Keep students engaged and create a classroom culture of respect, and participation. 
  • Manage classroom of students.  
  • Submit, maintain and track your supplies. 
  • Attend meetings one day per month.  
  • Monitor emails and texts regularly to communicate with MCAC in a timely manner.  
  • Track and submit time sheets. 

Scheduling and Time Commitment: 

  • Weekday availability. 
  • Artists are compensated for one hour of preparation per day worked. 
  • MCAC provides all art materials and supplies required for these classes. 

Qualifications: 

  • BA/BFA preferred. 
  • 4 years’ experience as an artist required. 
  • Experience working with diverse youth populations. 
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills. 
  • Ability to work collaboratively with MCAC and school administrative staff.  

Pay Rate: $30.00 per hour. This position is considered part-time with no health insurance benefits or retirement plan. 

Please note: All applicants must be willing to be fingerprinted and provide a negative TB test.  In addition, candidates hired will need to obtain blood born pathogen and mandated reporter certification. 

To apply, please email your resume, portfolio and cover letter to
Cynthia Montes – MCAC Arts Education Coordinator CynthiaMontes@maderaarts.org

Please add ‘Artists in Schools (AIS) Teaching Artist’ to the email subject line

MUSD Artists in Residence (AIR) 

 The Artist in Residence program provides a great opportunity for professional artists to mentor art students at three MUSD middle schools and three high schools. The AIRs share their expertise, knowledge, and skills with students by showcasing their process of creating art. AIRs work closely with educators to design a residency that suits the classroom’s needs. Additionally, the AIRs conduct studio hours, which is an after-school program that transforms the art class into an art studio. 

The final part of the Artist in Residence program is managing student interns at the MCAC’s Circle Gallery. The objective of the internship is to give students hands-on experience in event coordination, project management, marketing, exhibit curating, and gallery management. 

 Responsibilities: 

  • Attend meetings with MUSD teachers and collaborate on each two-week residency. 
  • Collaborate with art teacher daily. 
  • Create and present artistic process during class time. 
  • Manage after-school studio hours for up to 15 students. 
  • Teach specialty to middle and high school students during studio hours. 
  • Plan and manage student internships. 
  • Submit, maintain and track supplies.  
  • Oversee student paperwork collection and submission. 
  • Manage student gallery submissions.  
  • Monitor emails and texts regularly to communicate with MCAC and MUSD in a timely manner. 

Scheduling and Time Commitment: 

  • Weekday availability between 8:00pm -6:00pm, Monday through Friday. 
  • Artists in Residence is placed at different school site every two weeks. 
  • MCAC provides all art materials required for these classes.

Qualifications: 

  • BA/BFA in professional content area preferred. 
  • 4 years’ experience as an artist required. 
  • Experience working with diverse middle and high school students. 
  • Gallery experiences preferred. 
  • Excellent organizational and time management skills. 
  • Ability to work collaboratively.  

Pay Rates: $30.00 per hour. This position is considered full-time with no health insurance benefits or retirement plan. 

Please note: All applicants must be willing to be fingerprinted and provide a negative TB test. In addition, candidates hired will need to obtain blood born pathogen and mandated reporter certification. 

To apply, please email your resume, portfolio and cover letter to
Cynthia Montes – MCAC Arts Education Coordinator CynthiaMontes@maderaarts.org  
Please add ‘MUSD Artists in Residence’ to the email subject line

 

 

The disciplines MCAC artists currently teach are painting, drawing, sculpture, animation, photography, music, theatre and dance. Do you have a specialty not listed here? Let us know! We’d love to talk to you.  

//// 

 If you or someone you know has a passion for art and would like to share that with our community,
this might be the perfect opportunity!

Please note: All teaching artist applicants must be willing to be fingerprinted and pass a TB test. 

Madera County Arts Council & Circle Gallery 424 N. Gateway Drive Madera, CA 93637   www.maderaarts.org 

 

 

Madera Theatre Project
2024 Summer season was a smashing success!

Thank you to all who attended and supported

 

Poetry Out Loud was held at Madera County Arts Council
February 7, 2024

 

Our 2024 Circle Gallery Event and Exhibit Schedule

 

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Past Events and Other Information

 

‘My Culture, My Heritage’  exhibit was featured on ABC30 – check it out


https://abc30.com/madera-art-gallery-exhibit/11538823/

Coming up next at The Circle Gallery
The Urbanist Collective
April 22 – May 27, 2022

Theatre Arts Class at Madera County Arts Council
will return later this year…


New class to be announced soon!

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April 22, 2021

Last Day of ‘Art School at the MCAC’ was yesterday.
A good time was had by all.

 

Special thanks to Deborah Pepin, Marilyn Torchin and Diane Breuer for coming to The Circle Gallery and demonstrating their art for a nice group of masked up, physically distanced patrons and friends.

We appreciate it!!


December 7, 2020

Thanks to our supporters, patrons and friends,
we were able to raise $1300 for Giving Tuesday.  

November 1, 2020

Thanks to all who attended 
Dia de Los Muertos Paint Night
with artist Logan Patterson
at San Joaquin Winery

 

May 13, 2020

Thanks to all of our supporters and friends who watched and donated to the
‘Un-Gala for the Arts’ on Saturday.

Special thanks to Matt Otstot, Terry and Cyndy Dolph,
Marcheta Williams, Jon Bock and Shannon Grissom

March 11, 2020
Opening of ‘Faces’ and ‘Sock Monkey Town’


With featured artist, Shannon Grissom


February 5, 2020 – Gallery Reception for
‘California Dreaming’ and ‘Life in Vivid Color’

Artists Kate Jackson and Gary Langdon joined us at the opening

A Message from Madera County Arts Council
January 14, 2020

I received some Information from Madera County Arts Council.
Can you clarify what’s happening?

Yes. As of December 13, 2019, after serving as executive director since 2016, Rochelle Noblett is no longer employed with Madera County Arts Council.

Who is there now?

Jim Kocher is our interim executive director who joins our current administrative assistant Cassie Reyes and arts education program manager, David Opfergelt as members of the Madera County Arts Council team.

Who is Jim Kocher?

Jim Kocher comes to us from Merced, where he was a board member and then Director of Communications at Playhouse Merced community theater for seven seasons. A graduate of California Lutheran University, Jim also has business management experience with Dignity Health, May Department Stores and The Walt Disney Company.

I am an artist with some of my works in the building. Is my work safe?

Yes. Madera County Arts Council is open. The gallery itself is open during our regular business hours Tuesday – Friday, 10:00am – 6:00pm. All of the works are safe and sound. The stewardship and safety of your work is important to us.

I don’t want my art being in the gallery right now, can I come by and pick it up?

Of course! Please coordinate your visit when Cassandra, David and Jim are here, and we will be happy process your outgoing artwork. Call us at (559) 661-7005.

When is your next board meeting? May I attend?

Our next board meeting is Wednesday, January 15 at 6:00 pm at Madera County Arts Council 424 N. Gateway Madera. Yes, the public is always welcome to attend our board meetings.

I’m also reading about ‘The Secara Trust.’ Can you explain more about that?

We sure can.  Here is some detailed information.

Background

– In March 2013, at the Madera County Arts Council 30th anniversary party, a check was presented from the Elaine Secara Trust to MCAC for $2.5 million

– Purpose according to the trust: “constructing, maintaining, and improving a cultural arts center to be constructed in Madera County”

– To assure the wishes of Mrs. Secara were met, the executor of her trust, Dianna Marsh, subsequently became a member of the MCAC Board of Directors. Mrs. Marsh is now completing her 9th and final year on the Board.

Investing the Funds

– The MCAC Board appointed and maintains an Investment Oversight Committee comprised of Board members and community members. The committee is composed of 3 members from MCAC Board of Directors and two representatives from the community who are not active members of the MCAC Board of Directors.

– Purpose of investment oversight committee is to monitor performance and recommend investment policy and strategies for investment to maximize return with emphasis on maintenance of principal.

– The original investment amount (principal) remains intact to date.  The investment reports are available for review at MCAC.  The public is invited to attend biannual investment committee or Board meeting to provide input.

– The Board of the MCAC has sole authority over the use of the funds.  The policy states that “the initial investment, and all retained/or reinvested earnings on that investment shall only be used for the purpose of satisfying the intent of the Elaine Secara Trust.”

Use of Funds to Date

In 2014, The MCAC Board approved using some of the returns on the initial investments to grow the MCAC in preparation for an expanded cultural arts center to be constructed/developed in the future.  The maximum amount which can be used for this purpose is documented in the Investment Policy Statements of the individual investment vehicles. The Board annually reviews status of the investment funds and either approves or disapproves continued allocation of monies from earnings to

the MCAC.   To date (January 2020 the Board has allocated $325,000.00 from earnings to be used in support of MCAC growth.

In 2019 The MCAC established an Endowment fund with the help of a $25,000 seed grant from the Whitney Foundation which was matched by community members.  The plan is to continue adding donations to the endowment and build the fund value to the point where it can contribute to MCAC general operations annually while still maintaining its integrity into perpetuity.

The Madera County Arts Authority

Formed in May 2018 by a Joint Powers Agreement among the City of Madera, the County of Madera and Madera Unified School District. It is their job to steer the whole downtown revitalization project with the intent of making the cultural arts center the centerpiece.

The MCAA has a 5-member Board: 1 from each agency elected body, 1 from the Madera County Arts Council, and one at large community member chosen by the 3 agency members.

The MCAA brought in community stakeholders in Oct. 2018 to develop a vision for reimagining downtown with the cultural arts center as its centerpiece. The completed “Vision Statement/Plan” is available for viewing at the MCAC offices, and the MCAA.

Now MCAA is working on the whole downtown Madera revitalization plan (DOMA) as laid out through the community stakeholders’ sessions.  This includes Yosemite Avenue area, County Historic park, and a future Cultural Arts Center. MCAA is also working on a funding plan to finance all the projects.

The City, County and school district are committing $29,000 each for the operational start up budget for the Authority to begin operations and hire a consultant to help assure proper planning. The MCAC Board authorized using $25,000 from the return on the Secara investment to support the work of hiring the consultant to assist the Board in moving the project forward.

All plans, sketches and a complete timeline of activity to build the Downtown Madera (DOMA) are available for public view in the MCAC office, City of Madera, County Supervisors’ office or the MUSD Superintendent’s Office

The Downtown Theater
 
In 2016-17 the County, City, and School District funded an architect to develop a master plan for downtown and main street revitalization that would also include the community’s desires to develop a cultural arts center. Over a year long process that included several community stakeholder meetings, a master plan which included a theater/event center at Yosemite and G streets was developed. The plan includes both replacing the old county government building with a new theater/event center and retrofitting the Old Madera Library as part of the cultural arts center complex.

The new MUSD high school will include a 250-seat theater to serve some of the MUSD school level needs.  This space is similar to what Liberty High and Yosemite High as well as many other high schools have.  It will neither be, nor replace the community event center, gallery, arts education center, theater complex the stakeholder group envisioned the cultural and performing   arts center to be. The high school theater space is not designed to function as a county cultural arts center.

Madera County Arts Council Board meets the 3rd Wednesday of the month at the Circle Gallery 424 N. Gateway Drive Madera

Members:

Marcheta Williams President

Chris Miller Vice President

Erica Campa, Secretary

Carol Moses, Interim Treasurer

Julia O’Kane, immediate past president

Steve Copland

Ruben Garcia

Dianne Rich

Bert Roper

Yolanda Williams

Madera County Arts Authority meets the 4th Monday of the month at the Madera Board of Supervisors Chamber 200 West 4th Street Madera. This meeting is televised through Madera County services.

Members:

Julia O’Kane                            Chair, Madera County Arts Council

Cecelia Foley Gallegos       Vice chair, Madera City Council

Robert Poythress                 Sec/Treas Madera County Supervisor

Ray Seibert                              Madera Unified School District Board

Charles Weiland                     Madera at large

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Special Thanks to our Celebrate Ag Sponsors!

Alkali Hollow Farms Inc.

Amanda Briggs, Creekside Farms

Amanda Martin, AMJ Cattle Ranches

ATB Ranch

Creative Copy

Cynthia & Don Nelson, Midland Tractor

Diane Kirk, Kirk Farms

Dianne Rich

Enia Farms LLC

G & G Andrew Farms, LP,  Amanda Briggs

Janice & Larry Lowder, L&JL Farming LLC

Karen Andrew

Kevin & Diane Herman, Spec Crop

Robert Poythress

Seabury Copland Anderson

 

About Us…

The Madera County Arts Council is a private, non-profit organization working to support and promote all arts in Madera County. Madera County Arts Council was established in 1982 by the Madera County Board of Supervisors. We have worked with the California Arts Council in a state-local partnership since 1982. In May 1983, the Madera County Arts Council became an incorporated agency with 501 (c)(3)non-profit status.

Mission Statement…

Provide Madera County residents and visitors access to art and culture through diverse programs and services.

Promote art education by enriching school curricula and other community activities.

Stimulate and support local arts groups and individual artists within the county.

Serve all generations and multi-cultural groups.

Develop public and private financial support for the arts.

Play a role in the economic development of the area through the promotion of the arts.

Encourage the promotion of a wide variety of public art and initiate fundraising activities to sponsor art in public places.

Contact Us:

CLICK HERE to subscribe to our Email List!

Location: 424 N. Gateway Drive, Madera, CA 93637

Hours: Tuesday-Friday 10a-6p

Phone: (559) 661-7005  Fax: (559) 661-7901

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Madera County Arts Council & Circle Gallery