From the official press release:

MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL APPOINTS TWO TO THE CITY OF SAN DIEGO
COMMISSION FOR ARTS AND CULTURE

January 25, 2010 – San Diego, CA – Mayor Jerry Sanders announced the appointment of two new Commissioners to serve on the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture. “We acknowledge and appreciate these individuals and their willingness to give their time, talent and expertise to serve the City of San Diego,” said Sanders.

Larry Baza is a professional arts administrator with more than 32 years experience in advocating for the arts at the local, state and national level. He was recommended by Councilmember Marti Emerald and will replace Claire Anderson.

Baza has served on the boards of various non-profit arts organizations and provided his expertise as a panelist for arts commissions and foundations. In his professional career, Baza has directed and managed San Diego arts organizations and businesses including Centro Cultural De La Raza, Sushi Performance and Visual Arts, Fingerhut Gallery and Community Arts of San Diego.

His wealth of knowledge and experience includes affiliations, consultancies, site visits and panel participation with various arts organizations including the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, California Association of Local Arts Organizations, Chicano Federation of San Diego County, National Association of Latino Arts and Culture and the San Diego Community Foundation.

Currently, Baza is a partner in Noel-Baza Fine Art Gallery in Little Italy. He lives in North Park.

Todd Figi has a long and distinguished career as an arts and culture patron, advocate, entrepreneur and civic leader. Through his career in the art, gift and design industries, he became affiliated with many business and trade organizations and was recognized as a leader and generous donor including being named Man of the Year by the Young Presidents Organization and Man of the Year in the Gift Industry by amfAR (American Foundation for AIDS Research.)

His lifelong interest in the arts led him to be an avid collector of Latin American paintings, drawings and sculpture from masters including Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Locally, he has served on the boards of the San Diego Museum of Man and the Museum of Contemporary Art, where he served as President from 2008-09.

Figi was nominated by Councilmember Kevin Faulconer and will replace Courtney Ann Coyle. He lives in La Jolla.

The mission of the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture is to vitalize the city by integrating arts and culture into community life while supporting the region’s cultural assets and showcasing San Diego as an international cultural destination. For more information please call the Commission office at (619) 236-6778 or visit the Commission website at www.sandiego.gov/arts-culture.

Creating Public Value application now available; deadline February 11
Program supports arts projects in rural and underserved communities

The California Arts Council is pleased to announce the availability of its Creating Public Value Program (CPV) application. Deadline is February 11, 2010.
Through Creating Public Value, the California Arts Council will partner with small California arts organizations in rural and underserved communities to support new or expanded projects to highlight the fact that the arts are of benefit to all Californians and are worthy of state and federal investment. The California Arts Council defines public value as making a positive contribution to the individual and collective lives of all Californians through the arts.

In this context, CPV seeks proposals that address outcomes by utilizing the tools of the program identified as The Three Rs: Relationships (building new or expanding existing partnerships); Relevance (to audiences and community by expanding public participation); and Return on Investment (through public awareness, promoting your organization’s public value and social/economic impact to civic and political leaders, community supporters, audiences, and participants).

The CPV Program is funded in part by proceeds from the sale of the Arts License Plate, a specialty plate designed by noted California artist Wayne Thiebaud to support local arts programming and arts education.

Learn more about this grant opportunity here.