As California celebrates October as Cultural Arts Month, Fresno is kick-starting the month with a plethora of events and exhibits.  Pull out a calendar and start scheduling the month with a variety of visual and performing arts, culture, events, creativity and inspiration.  Indulge your senses!
 
Planning to take a trip to someplace you have never been? People travel HERE to see our outstanding music, dance, and theatrical performances.  The art scene in downtown Fresno is growing by leaps and bounds, and more ArtHop venues are being added across the city.  Remember to check out the exciting art events in the cities throughout Fresno County, and visit cultural events that you have never experienced.
 
The Fresno Arts Council (FAC) is immersed in dynamic change this year, and looking forward to promoting and invigorating Fresno’s vibrant arts community.  As the new Executive Director, I am inspired by the energy and excitement of the Board of Directors, its new officers and board members, and the collaboration with artists and other arts organizations. Through the Community Enrichment Project, we are awarding $200,000 to 29 cultural arts organizations to provide another year of new entertainment to the public.
 
As the designated state and local partner of the California Arts Council, the FAC is serious about making your art experience fun while we continue to cultivate Fresno as a thriving arts epicenter.  In our most recent board retreat, we revisited the Master Cultural Plan, and have started updating and improving it through the help of various partners and organizations.
 
We’re celebrating the first year of our local social network for the arts: FresnoArts.net – which is becoming the hub of local arts information and communication platform between artists and arts enthusiasts.  In such a short time, we have grown to over 8,000 visitors with over 50,000 pageviews per month. As far as we know, FAC is the pioneer in our State to use hyperlocal, interactive social media to nurture and cultivate local arts.  We invite you to learn more about our local arts community by visiting www.FresnoArts.net.
 
Join us for ArtHop on both the first and the third Thursday of each month, and plan to attend the annual Dining with the Artist event in November at the Downtown Club, which features a guest artist at each table.
 
Thank you for your support of the arts.  While the economy is impacting every arts organization, the local artists continue to inspire us with their creativity.  We honor them for the light they give us as they share the riches of their souls.

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