DOWNIEVILLE - Sierra County Arts Council and Nevada County Arts Council co-hosted an Upstate California Creative Corps Listening Session at the Yuba Theater on Wednesday, January 11. Information presented prompted an open dialogue concerning how artists can help communities tackle issues most critical to them. Modeling the most successful components of the Federal Art Programs of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), launched in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the Creative Corps aspires to put artists to work. The Upstate Listening Tour spans 19 counties thanks to California's 2021-22 State Budget, which included a $60 million one-time General Fund allocation for the California Arts Council to implement the California Creative Corps pilot program. County arts agencies across California's Upstate Region are eager to work with one another on a new workforce development opportunity for artists and cultural practitioners, arts and social service sector organizations, and agencies. This campaign increases awareness around public health, water, and energy conservation, climate mitigation, emergency preparedness, relief, recovery, and social and racial justice. Fourteen organizations administer the Creative Corps across nine regions with a grant activity period that launched on October 1, 2022. Executing a regranting program for Upstate California, putting to work $4,230,216 in workforce development funds for artists, arts, and social service falls in the lap of the Nevada County Arts Council. Artists hopefully will be employed between early 2023 and late 2024, Some interested community participants representing a wide variety of Sierra County Organizations include Golden Rays, Sierra County Chamber, Sierra County Historical Society, Downieville Improvement Group, The Mountain Messenger, Sierra City Improvement Group, Musica Sierra, Sierra County Land Trust, and the Sierra County Arts Council. Artists include Sierra Turnpike Players, Katie O'Hara-Kelly - North Yuba Naturalist, photographer, and fine artist, and Marjorie Voorhees - Stained Glass Artist. The campaign is not limited to the above participants, and all interested parties are welcome to explore this opportunity. According to Sierra County Arts Council Executive Director B.J. Jordan, "The guidelines and dates for the grant application are scheduled to be released February 1. There will be category tiers available, from individual projects to community projects to regional projects. We currently do not have the capacity within the county to apply for regional projects as we are surrounded by much more populated counties with regional organizations. We expect Sierra County will be able to tap into between 50,000 and 200,000 for the program. Please remember that most of the funding should pay artists to do the work." Jordan explains, "We find common ground in Sierra County around projects that would create awareness around our environment about our watershed and forest health. As a county, we could unite around a common theme that could strengthen our applications. Our Future Forest has been suggested or something to do with our watershed, including the North Yuba and the Feather River watersheds." Another idea Jordan offered is connecting with the nine-county, state, and federal organizations and agencies involved with the North Yuba Forest Project for fuel mitigation on 151,000 acres in the North Yuba watershed could boost application and funding for projects. Other ideas Jordan proposed include a stained glass installation in Loyalton with Marjorie Voorhees, a Musica Sierra project, and a mural on the Community Hall Downieville facilitated by the Downieville Improvement Group. Artists' projects revolving around the beauty of our natural world and education with public exhibitions and juried shows utilizing Katie O'Hara-Kelly are other avenues to explore. Another meeting, soon on the horizon, will discuss the direction the county would like to take. Everyone will be able to apply for these grants in Sierra County. Also, since there is a challenge in procuring local artists, one may choose to employ artists to come to Sierra County from within the California Upstate Region. For more details about the program consult upstatecreativecorps.org or sierracountyartscouncil.org