About Sebastopol Center for the Arts

WHO WE ARE: Sebastopol Center for the Arts is an award-winning, community-funded art space in western Sonoma County, California, which attracts over 50,000 artists and art enthusiasts annually.

WHAT WE DO: We produce, promote and present artists from local and national to international – through nine curated gallery exhibitions, two annual open studio events and an acclaimed documentary film festival. We host arts lectures, poetry readings and concerts and provide arts education for adults and children. We also provide our community a state-of-the-art ceramics studio.

PRESS CONTACT FOR INTERVIEWS: Serafina Palandech, Executive Director: spalandech@sebarts.org, (707) 829-4797 x 1006

Sebastopol Center for the Arts Receives
$30,000 National Endowment for the Arts Grant

SEBASTOPOL, Calif., Jan. 14, 2025 Sebastopol Center for the Arts (SebArts) is thrilled to announce it has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) as part of the NEA’s highly competitive Grants for Arts Projects (GAP) program. This funding will support the launch of an artist residency program, furthering SebArts’ mission to foster creativity, connection, and innovation through the arts.

NEA grants are among the most prestigious and competitive arts funding opportunities in the nation, with only a select number of organizations receiving support. It is particularly exceptional for a community arts organization like SebArts to receive a grant of this size from the nation’s preeminent arts funding organization. This recognition underscores the importance of SebArts’ work in enriching the cultural fabric of Sonoma County and beyond.

The NEA’s Grants for Arts Projects program is a cornerstone of national arts funding, designed to strengthen the arts and cultural ecosystem across the United States. The program provides expansive opportunities for public engagement with the arts, arts education, and the integration of arts into strategies that promote community health and well-being. Additionally, it supports the development of arts organizations, improving their capacity to serve their communities.

“We are deeply honored to receive this NEA grant, which reflects our commitment to nurturing creativity and connecting our community through meaningful artistic experiences,” said Serafina Palandech, Executive Director of Sebastopol Center for the Arts. “This grant will enable us to establish an artist residency program that will not only provide space and resources for artists, but also foster public engagement with their creative processes and work.”

The Sebastopol Center for the Arts has long been a hub for artistic innovation and cultural enrichment in Sonoma County. With the support of this grant, SebArts’ new residency program will bring exceptional artists to Sebastopol to create, collaborate, and share their work with the local community. This initiative aligns with the NEA’s mission to advance arts participation and sustain an environment where the arts benefit everyone.

About the National Endowment for the Arts - Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the largest public funder of the arts and arts education in the United States. By catalyzing public and private support for the arts, the NEA fosters opportunities for all Americans to participate in and benefit from the arts. For more information, visit arts.gov.

Auction 2020

Film Arts

Visual Arts

Ceramics

Distance Learning

Performing Arts

Sonoma County Art Trails

Broadcasts/Radio

Sebastopol Center for the Arts is proud to have been featured by KRCB and KQED and Sonoma Spotlight. 

Education