Arts and Culture El Dorado

Confidence Lab
In a public-private partnership with the City of Placerville, El Dorado Arts Council programs and manages a space for temporary “pop-up” arts projects in the historic Confidence Building on Main Street. These projects will include fringe performances, unique installations, student works, play readings, music events and other activities designed to enliven downtown Placerville.

Resilience: An Artist Residency
This project creates an artist residency at the Institute of Forest Genetics, a USDA/Department of Forestry research station in Placerville. Artist Kim Abeles will spend one month at the IFG, working with researchers to explore the theme “resilience” in the context of forest ecosystems. Abeles will develop a project with students at Independence continuation high school that translates this theme of resilience in ways which are resonant with their lives. The project is part of a larger program, Artists Investigate the Environment.

Wakamatsu 150 Festival
For the 150th Anniversary of the founding of Wakamatsu Tea and Silk Farm Colony (the first Japanese colony in the United States), El Dorado Arts Council will create a series of cultural activities to include traditional Japanese studio and performance arts, a ceramics exhibition, a film series, a published monograph, and a new theatrical work based on the life of the colonists.

ARTS 99
The quarterly publication of El Dorado Arts Council features news and stories about arts and culture from around the region and puts a spotlight on the diverse artistic nature of El Dorado County. Highway 50 + Highway 49 = Arts 99.

Gallery Exhibition Series
The Gallery features rotating exhibitions of painting and drawing, photography, sculpture, and mixed media, along with student work and touring shows. El Dorado Arts Council also presents readings, workshops and other public events at the Gallery. This Gallery Exhibition Series represents a new model for the organization and for the region, with curated exhibitions that celebrate the heritage and natural treasures of this special place, forging key cross-sector partnerships and creating an important new opportunity for cultural tourism.

Poetry Out Loud
The aim of Poetry Out Loud is to encourage the study and appreciation of great poetry. Students engaged in the program not only learn about their literary heritage but also build self-confidence through mastering public speaking skills. Poetry Out Loud has inspired millions of high school students to discover the beauty and brilliance of the literary canon. More than 310,000 students from 2,300 high schools took part in the 2016–2017 Poetry Out Loud program nationally.

Veterans’ Voices Writing Workshop
Veterans' Voices Writing Workshop is a free ongoing program that is open to all veterans, from any branch of service. It offers a supportive environment and the tools needed for the writing of stories, (service related or not), fiction and nonfiction, as well as memoir, poetry and drama. Workshops are held in Placerville at the Veterans Memorial Building, and in South Lake Tahoe at Lake Tahoe Community College, and are facilitated by writers experienced in teaching literary arts.

Veterans’ Voices Anthology
For Them By Us is the published collection of writing from the Veterans’ Voices writing workshop. Workshop participants who contributed to this anthology came with a range of writing experience. Some had little to no experience with composition, some had professional writing experience, and others had a longstanding interest in writing or had works in progress. What they shared at the outset was having served the country in the military and an interest in developing their own writing skills.

Poet Laureate of El Dorado County
The post of Poet Laureate is bestowed on a noted El Dorado County poet to honor his or her body of work and to celebrate poetry as an art form. The role of the Poet Laureate entails a two-year term which includes the composition of several “occasional poems” per year, to be presented or read at public events, a commitment to participate in El Dorado County’s Poetry Out Loud programs for high school students, and a special project of the poet’s choosing.

Laureate Trail
The Laureate Trail allows the public to join the current El Dorado County Poet Laureate on a literary tour of the County. The Poet Laurate is joined by local poets, Poetry Out Loud winners and special guests at El Dorado County Libraries in each of the five districts in the county for free poetry readings.

Arts Incubator
The Arts Incubator provides fiduciary oversight, financial management, and other administrative services to help build the capacity of projects which have an arts and culture focus and serve the public good.

Cultural Master Plan
In order to gain a broad understanding of El Dorado County – its cultural and natural resources, its artists and arts audiences, its geography, history, and agriculture, and its community assets – and thereby develop greater connectivity in this largely rural region through arts and culture, El Dorado Arts Council launched a cultural master planning process in July 2016. Cultural planning is an effective tool for focusing and channeling the power of the arts to build a more livable community, which in turn has the power to attract cultural tourism and new businesses within the creative sector.

Cultural Resource Map/Directory
The Map/Directory is an interactive tool featuring artists, venues, and cultural events throughout El Dorado County. It allows the public to browse the map or use the keyword search or filters to choose which category they wish to search, then simply click on the corresponding Map Pin to learn more. The Map/Directory is updated on a regular basis, and local entities and artists are allowed to add themselves, their event, or venue through a submission request form.