Arts Consortium Community Meetings
Come meet the Arts Consortium staff plus network with artists and fellow art lovers. Each meeting we present Arts Consortium news and updates and have a presentation, artist talk, demo, or other art related content.
Location:
340 E Oak Ave, Suite 112
We are located inside the Peter N. Carey Gallery at The Lofts at Fort Visalia
Meeting Time:
Second Tuesday of every month @ 5:30pm
August 12, 2025
Artist Talk Presentation
Adam Perez Artist Talk
Adam Perez is an independent director, photographer, and organizer born and raised in Visalia, CA.
He is currently a Catchlight Global Fellow, working on a year-long storytelling project with migrant farmworkers. He is also the lead organizer of Tierra Mia, an arts festival honoring our farmworker communities, located in Popular, CA.
Perez is a frequent contributor to the New York Times and his work has appeared in TIME magazine, The Los Angeles Times, and The New Yorker, Airbnb, Adobe, AT&T, and Apple, among others.
His work about farmworker communities in California’s Central Valley has been supported by The Emerson Collective, The Center for Cultural Power, The California Arts Council, and the Academy of Arts and Sciences.
"Voices from the Fields"
Adam Perez has his exhibit “Voices from the Fields: A Collection of work from the Tierra Mia Festival 2024 on display in the Arts Consortium-managed Peter N Carey Gallery. His show will run from August 1st – October 28th 2025. Gallery hours: Tuesday – Friday 10am – 3pm.
Were to find Adam
Website: adamgperez.com
Instagram: @adamperez22
Donate to Tierra Mia by scanning the QR Code below.
June 10, 2025
Joy Collier Artist Talk
Joy Collier’s large scale acrylic and oil art pieces of Red Rock Canyon, Death Valley National Park, and Giant Sequoias are on display at the Arts Consortium managed Peter N. Carey Gallery from May 2nd to July 18th 2025. Community Members have the opportunity to meet Joy and ask her question and learn more about one of our local artists.
Artist Bio and Educational Background (an Excerpt)
“‘ I care most about capturing the strength of the form, the subtle richness of the color and tonal relationships, the way your eyes travel through the entire composition caressing the form, every curve and turn, enjoying the rich colors, the warmth of the sun and the coolness of the shadows.’
All of 2007 I was so excited. Me a baby boomer turning 60 years old in December and I just couldn’t wait, I was looking forward to this time so much that I began to plan what I was going to do with the rest of my life, yikes!
Don’t get frightened, it’s a simple plan. It includes getting back to art and nature.
But what was most exciting to me is the fact that I feel free to do this. I feel free to go back to my roots, to create lots & lots of art, and to share the incredible gifts I’ve been given.
Fast forward to 2025 and I am still painting.
A few things have changed, I’ve converted from oils to acrylics, which at first was foreign to me but I now love acrylics. I can paint indoors without the fumes and the fast drying time has sped up the whole process. I no longer have to wait between layers to make changes. I paint in layered colors with less mixing and at first I thought that I would not get that richness of color that oils provide, but not so… in fact, often I can’t remember which media a painting was done in…”
You can find the rest of Joy’s artist bio and educational background posted in the gallery along with her show. The gallery is open Tuesday – Friday 10am – 3pm.
Where to Find Joy
“Check out my blog articles on my website at www.joycollier.com. I have included reviews of several of my favorite trails and the paintings that have been created from those trails.
And please: Sign up for my Mail list – Never spam, just occasional updates on shows and painting adventures.
If you have a view that you would love a painting of, I do commissions. (check out Jane’s Entry Way on my blog).”
2025- 2026 Artist of the Year and WATERMARK Art Contest Winner Announcements
We will be announcing the 2025 – 2026 season’s Artist of the Year PLUS the WATERMARK art contest winner! Both of these recognitions have the opportunity to be featured in our annual WATERMARK publication. Come out and support!
May 13, 2025
California Arts Council: Grant Workshop
The California Arts Council (CAC) takes over our May Community Meeting! Read below on what the CAC Grant Workshop will entail.
From the California Arts Council…
May Is Grants Workshop Month
California Arts Council will host grant workshops statewide from May 1 to May 15
We’re coming to a venue near you! Our Arts Program Specialists will be hitting the road in May, traveling throughout the state to offer the arts and cultural community a dozen live, in-person grant workshops.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT? Learn how to apply for state arts funding! At these free 90-minute workshops, we’ll provide an overview of our grant programs for 2025, share tips and insights into the state grant process, and guide participants in best practices for putting together a successful application.
WHO SHOULD GO? Local arts and culture nonprofits, community and social service organizations are encouraged to attend and discover which of our grant programs are the right fit for your organization.
Registration is required.
…
Tuesday, May 13, 5:30 p.m. – Visalia
Click here to register
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All dates and registration links can also be found at
https://arts.ca.gov/grants/
Details for the 2025 state arts grant opportunities are available below. Moreinformation, including grant-specific details, dates, guidelines, and staff contacts can be found at https://arts.ca.gov/grants/
All application submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. on June 5, 2025.
March 11, 2025
Preview Screening of THIS IS HOME
THIS IS HOME; A VISALIA DOCUMENTARY PREMIERES ON YOUTUBE, A PERSONAL JOURNEY OF A HOMETOWN’S FOOD, COMMUNITY AND CHALLENGES
VISALIA, CA February 28, 2025 – A new documentary, This is Home, premiering on YouTube on March 24, 2025, explores Visalia through four meals and four conversations, offering an intimate look at what makes a hometown feel like home.
The 30-minute documentary produced and presented by local Visalia filmmaker, Niccolo Go, considers the question, “What makes your hometown a wonderful place to live?”
Filmed in 2019, “This is Home” begins with a meal and goes into a deeper discussion around what makes a hometown special for its residents. Go visits his favorite local eateries, starting with breakfast at Component Coffee Lab, followed by stops at Bangkok Noy, The Vintage Press, and Tacos Lucha. He also takes a break from dining to visit Sequoia Kung Fu and Yoga for a mid-morning Yoga flow.
“Through food and conversation, I wanted to capture what makes Visalia more than just a place on a map,” said Go. “It’s the people, the flavors, and the stories that turn a city into a home.”
As a Visalia transplant, Go joins his guests in reflecting on the opportunities and challenges of putting down roots in this growing Central California city. This is Home explores what makes a community truly feel like home. While Go and his guests celebrate Visalia’s vibrant culture, tight-knit community, and opportunities for growth, they also address the city’s challenges, including homelessness and the impacts of rapid expansion. The documentary invites viewers to reflect on how a hometown shapes identity and belonging.
“Visalia is a city full of contrasts. It’s rich in culture and community, but it faces the challenges that come with growth,” said Rosalinda Verde Alexander of Green Rose Productions. “ ‘This is Home’ doesn’t shy away from these complexities. It’s an honest look at what makes our city special, while also acknowledging the work still to be done to ensure it remains a great place for everyone.”
The documentary features an engaging lineup of local voices, including Chef Chris Gonzales, known for his pop-up Tacos Lucha;, Mary Jo Eastes of The Arts Consortium; Marina Rojas of the Fox Theater; artist Antonio Cuellar, Maya Rodriguez of Sequoia Kung Fu and Yoga; Rosalinda Verde Alexander of Green Rose Production;, and journalist Paul Myers of The Sun Gazette.
“This is Home” will premiere on Youtube at 6PM on March 24, 2025, just in time to celebrate the return of the highly popular pop-up Tacos Lucha by Chef Chris Gonzalez, running March 30-April 5, 2025. You can catch a preview screening at the Arts Consortium at 5:30pm on March 11.
For updates, follow @gocreativegroup and @joaquin.around on Instagram
Youtube premiere on www.youtube.com/@
About the filmmakers
THIS IS HOME was created and filmed by Matt Mealer, and Evan Christensen; produced, written, and hosted by Niccolo Go, CEO of Go Creative Group; and co-produced and photographed by Theresa Soares. The film was a passion project pre-pandemic, and has been shopped to major networks.