Robin Garcia to Lead Nevada County Arts & Culture

NEVADA COUNTY — Robin Garcia will become executive director of Nevada County Arts & Culture on October 5, succeeding Eliza Tudor after her ten years leading the nonprofit.

The nonprofit administers the Grass Valley–Nevada City and Truckee California Cultural Districts. Formerly the Nevada County Arts Council, it introduced its current public name in June. Its work includes artist directories, a community arts calendar, public art, and the MUSE arts and culture guide.

The board selected Garcia after a four-month search that drew nearly 140 applicants, according to its September 23 announcement. Tudor will remain executive director through September 30 and advise Garcia and the board through at least the end of the year.

Garcia most recently served as a postdoctoral fellow in arts leadership at the University of Virginia. The organization said her 20 years of experience include arts and cultural policy, government, community engagement, and higher education, with work for the New York City Mayor’s Office, Los Angeles County, and Santa Monica.

Her university work included a student project that turned a vacant lot into a sculpture garden. An April university report described a collaboration between Garcia’s course on memory, monuments, and public space and sculptor LaRissa Rogers’ class. Students created the artwork and handled tasks including marketing, curation, and production.

In Nevada County, Garcia will help implement Culture Forward 2026–2032, a six-year arts and culture action plan developed with the two cultural districts. Its goals include accessible cultural events throughout the year, education and career opportunities for artists, and investment in cultural spaces and partnerships. Separate parts of the plan address regional marketing, funding, and creative careers.

The organization is also raising money to sustain its work. On its Cultural District Resilience Fund page, the nonprofit says state funding for the county’s two cultural districts ended June 30. It is seeking $50,000 in donations to match a donor’s $50,000 pledge, with support intended for artist grants and services, youth arts, public art, and Culture Forward implementation.

“My first priority will be to listen,” Garcia said in the appointment announcement, identifying artists and cultural workers, residents, businesses, public leaders, and community partners as the people she wants to hear from.