About Monterey County
Our community is comprised of more than 435,000 residents of Monterey County, with 78% US Residents, and a poverty rate of 14.7%. Monterey County has five supervisorial districts — Salinas, North County, South County, Seaside/Marina, Monterey/Big Sur covering 3,322 square miles: twelve cities, sixteen unincorporated areas with the region sharply divided between the coastline and the farmlands – a division often referred to as “the lettuce curtain”.
People of Latino descent are approximately 59%; Whites (30%) Asian (5.7%) and Black (2.7%) About 51 percent speak a language other than English at home (national average -14%) with 84 percent of them speaking Spanish. There are 27,819 K-12 English learners out of 78,000 students countywide. Over 9,400 of our students qualify as homeless and 72% received free or reduced meals.
Mission
The mission of the Arts Council for Monterey County is to improve the quality of life for everyone in our region through the arts.
Vision Statement
To continue promoting Monterey County as one of the most vibrant places in the world to live, work and visit, powered by dynamic and welcoming arts and cultural sectors.
Value Proposition
We advocate, support and provide access to diverse arts experiences within our community.
Core Values- Passion: We are passionate about instilling a life-long love for the arts that will enrich the lives of everyone we serve.
- Integrity and Diversity: We are committed to individual and artistic integrity and inclusion. We promote and respect self-expression, a wide range of ideas, and diversity in all its forms.
- Collaboration: We value the power of collaborating with other organizations to enhance our collective strengths.
- Leadership: We aspire to excellence in governance and be the lead advocate for the arts in our community.
- Education: Promote the essential need for the arts and encourage life-long learning.
Strategies
The Arts Council for Monterey County supports artists, programs, and organizations that preserve culture, create community, promote arts as a universal language, and stimulate the creative economy. The organization’s overarching strategy is to advance social equity through the arts by supporting artists, programs, and organizations that are emerging, under-resourced, or underrepresented. In doing so, the Arts Council pursues the following strategies in programs and operations:
- Facilitate access to entry for under-resourced, nascent, emerging, or typically underrepresented groups in accessing Arts4MC’s resources and services.
- Form partnerships with leading local organizations at the forefront of social equity issues in Monterey County.
- Expand Arts4MC’s scope of work to include and recognize less traditional and conventional art forms.
- Stimulate the creative economy through development of artists and arts organizations.
- Ensure the financial stability of the Arts Council through strong leadership and transparency.