Kendricks is an artist, writer, and educator who lives in Mira Mesa.
Art can change the world by raising awareness, encouraging conversation, and engaging communities. However, artists need support to do so.
Arts funding allows artists like me to pursue ambitious, innovative and sometimes expensive creative projects. This is exactly what Far South/Border North is designed and led by the City of San Diego and its regional partners as a creative workforce program that leverages arts and cultural practices to drive meaningful social change. That's why I'm so grateful for your support. San Diego County and Imperial County.
Through Far South/Border North, artists like me receive funding, resources and other support to think outside the box and take creative risks. The goal of this program, and the individual artists' campaigns, is to engage the community on the biggest threats we face, from COVID-19 mitigation to civic engagement.
My own campaign deals with the latter category. Its title is “We the People, Sing Our Song,” and I describe it as a “talking comic book.”
But the pages of this little book don't feature superheroes in spandex or flashy capes. Instead, they have an extraordinary capacity to protect democracy through civic engagement and participation in free and fair elections, and to be a force for positive change to build better communities and more sustainable societies. You'll discover ordinary people like fellow San Diegans. world.
I knew that my income as an adjunct instructor teaching drawing, comics, and film research courses on multiple university campuses would not allow me to pursue this project alone.
My “We the People, Sing Our Song” concept has long been conceived in my imagination, but the Far South/North of the Border grant has helped me and 59 other grant recipients , and 18 arts, culture, and social services organizations were able to operate. We work closely with lead artists, supporting artists, and practitioners to develop and implement our ideas into viable projects that we hope will be appreciated in the near future.
Grant initiatives like the City of San Diego-led Far South/Border North are funded in part by a $4.75 million California Creative Corps grant from the California Arts Council and funded by state agency Conrad An additional $1.4 million in support from Prebees is now available. Foundations such as the William Mehl Foundation Artist Grants and other arts funders are making a huge difference in San Diego's artistic and cultural life.
As I write these words, I am creating a rough sketch of the picture for the “Splash” page, while my long-time friend, composer and musician of distinction, Mike Mair composes the music using audio interviews conducted with several San Diego residents from various backgrounds who share their observations about the state. of American democracy.
Readers of “We the People, Sing Our Song” can access Mare's music via a QR code next to my drawings of each participant, characters in this little book about big ideas. It will be.
Fellow comics aficionado Vaughn Avaikan's local 4-color card company will print a “limited” edition of “We the People, Sing Our Song,” and the 20-page comic will be published on Now or May 4th. -Distributed by Never Comics and local manga bookstores. , it was Free Comic Book Day.
Anyone who cares about the cultural ecosystem of our cities and regions – museums, theaters, concert venues and festivals – knows that the Far South/Border North and other arts funding agencies are helping the Far South/Border North and other arts funding agencies do what they need most. We are passionate about the success of our collective mission to support San Diego's arts community. .
The Far South/Border North Fund did more than just purchase art supplies and hire collaborators. This has given adventurous and innovative creators a living wage to do what we do best. That means using our artistic talent, hard work, and time to create art that contributes to the cultural life of our region by addressing real-world concerns in our respective artistic fields.
Art can move us to tears or make us laugh with joy. And art connects us in powerful and intimate ways. But artists do the important creative work of exploring, and most importantly, challenging cultural assumptions and beliefs with new and fresh ways of seeing, hearing, and understanding our ever-changing world. In order to do so, we need financial and emotional support.
The Far South/Border North grant will be transformative for these artists and cultural practitioners. Please join us on our journey.
