With Arts Connection - The Art Council of San Bernardino County
We're dedicated to fostering a vibrant creative community, supporting arts education, and advocating for cultural equity across our region. Join us in shaping a county where everyone has access to inspiring cultural experiences. Subscribe to our newsletters and stay connected!
Hi Reader! As we near the end of the year, our team is feeling grateful for the momentum our community continues to build. December is full of programs, partnerships, and creative moments that remind us why this work matters, and there is still plenty to celebrate before we close out the season. Here is a quick look at everything happening with Arts Connection this month and how we are continuing to support artists, families, and neighborhoods across San Bernardino County.
Honoring the Generosity of the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation
Arts Connection is honored to be selected as a 2025 Giving Tuesday grant recipient by the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation. Receiving fifty thousand dollars in support is a transformative investment in our mission to advance arts and culture programming while increasing access for residents across San Bernardino County.
This gift will strengthen our ability to support local artists, deepen creative learning opportunities for young people, and bring more culturally grounded programming to communities throughout the region. It reflects the Tribe’s long standing commitment to community wellbeing, cultural stewardship, and collective wellbeing.
We are grateful for this partnership and for the confidence the Yuhaaviatam of San Manuel Nation has placed in our work. Their leadership continues to uplift organizations across the Inland Empire and Indian Country, and we are proud to carry this support forward in service of our county’s artists, families, and cultural future.
The Tribe’s official Giving Tuesday announcement can be found by clicking on the button below
The 2025 Estudio Aire Artist Residency has come to a close, and we want to acknowledge the work of this year’s AIRs: Kiki Chavez, Gabrielle Dorado, Brandon Allen, and Nicole Dumaguindin.
Throughout their time in the studio and through their Estudio Aire Happenings, the artists explored a wide range of creative research including staged theatre readings, large-scale and suspended soft sculpture, developing poetry works with local voices to build a community anthology, play development rooted in socio-cultural stories that explore the dynamics in non-nuclear familial relationships, and the early design of shadow puppetry. Together, their projects reflect the heart of Estudio Aire, which invites artists to create through a social art lens grounded in community belonging, experimentation, and socially engaged art practices that center the communities we serve.
We thank Kiki, Gabrielle, Brandon, and Nicole for their commitment, creativity, and the meaningful work they developed during their residency. Their contributions this year have helped deepen the role of Estudio Aire as a space for thoughtful inquiry, shared learning, and community-rooted artistic practice.
Click the button below to learn more about Estudio Aire - Artist In Residency.
Celebrating Día De Los Muertos with our Community Partners!
Arts Connection spent last month honoring Día de los Muertos with partners KVCR, SB Parks and Recreation, and the San Bernardino County Museum. It was a space to remember our ancestors, celebrate loved ones, and come together as a community. This year we collaborated on two altars with SB Parks and Rec and the County Museum, featuring artwork created by students in our Arts Avenue after school programs across San Bernardino City Unified. Our instructors introduced students to the meaning behind Día de los Muertos, then guided them through projects that became part of each altar. Davidson Elementary created alebrije puppets, Kendall Elementary made sugar skull masks, Lincoln Elementary designed papel picado, and Golden Valley Middle School contributed candles.
Arts Avenue is an after school program that provides free arts and culture workshops for youth K-12. Workshops span painting, drawing, ceramics, photography, dance, creative writing, music, and more. We partner with local professional artists to bring hands on, culturally rich experiences to multiple school sites across the county.
Microgrant Spotlight: Jenn Henry + Melissa Daniels
Superbloom Waltz: December 3rd | 6:00 PM
Founders Plaza ( Near Lunar Bakery) | 57090 Twentynine Palms Highway, Yucca Valley, CA 92284
The Desert Nutcracker: December 5th - 7th | Time Varies
The Joshua Tree Retreat Center - Sanctuary | 59700 29 Palms Hwy, Joshua Tree, CA 92252
Arts Connection is highlighting Microgrant recipients Melissa Daniels and Jenn Henry of the Dance Mojave Performance Collective, who are presenting this year’s production of The Desert Nutcracker. Their reimagined take on the holiday classic swaps traditional winter themes for the plants and wildlife of the Mojave, blending classical ballet with contemporary movement to tell a story rooted in the desert. This year’s show at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center builds on last year’s performance with new choreography and additional characters. Dance Mojave will also share a preview of their Superbloom Waltz at the Yucca Valley Tree Lighting on December 3.
The Art’s Connection Microgrant Program provides direct funding for artists to develop community-driven projects that celebrate culture, spark connection, and inspire creative innovation across San Bernardino County.
A.R.T Afrikan Reality Training: December 7th | 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
African American Advisory Alliance (AAAA) Community Center | 406 W. 2nd St., Pomona, CA 91766
Arts Connection is highlighting Microgrant recipient Makeda Kumasi, whose exhibit A.R.T: Afrikan Reality Training is now on view at the African American Advisory Alliance Community Center. The show brings together paintings and photographs created over the past two decades, including work developed through Makeda’s study of African-centric theory, West African culture, and Kemetic language. Featured pieces include “Betrayal,” previously shown at Claflin University; “Women Who Weave Womb Worlds for the Walking Woke,” displayed in a virtual museum curated by Sharon Lee Minor, PhD; and “Nzinga Ratibisha Horemakhet,” a new mixed-media watercolor on papyrus finished with sand from the Nile. The exhibit is open through December, with a reception on Sunday, December 7th, supported by the AAAA Community Center.
The Art’s Connection Microgrant Program provides direct funding for artists to develop community-driven projects that celebrate culture, spark connection, and inspire creative innovation across San Bernardino County.
Join us at Sole Alley for this month’s Grounds for Connection, a community gathering co hosted with Creative Grounds. If you’re a local artist, culture bearer, small business owner, or part of a community organization, this space is for you! Pull up to connect, share ideas, and help strengthen the creative network shaping the future of Downtown San Bernardino.
We’re also inviting everyone who attends to bring a toy to supportNavidad en el Barrio, San Bernardino’s annual community holiday celebration on 7th and Mt. Vernon, taking place on Saturday, December 21. This celebration brings families together with food, music, activities, and photos with Santa, and the heart of the event is making sure every child receives a gift.
What To Bring:
New and unwrapped toys for all ages, stocking stuffers, age specific gifts for infants, toddlers, and teens, plus small art kits, books, and board games.
All donated toys collected at Grounds for Connection will be delivered directly to the Navidad en el Barrio toy drive.
Miracle on Court Street + DTSB Art Walk
Saturday, Dec 13th | 5:00 PM-9:00 PM
Downtown San Bernardino | 468 W. 5th St., San Bernardino, CA 92401
Miracle on Court Street is bringing a full lineup of holiday activities to downtown San Bernardino with daily snow, letters to Santa, arts and crafts, a s’more station, storytime, and ten dollar ice skating sessions. Alongside the seasonal fun, the DTSB Art Walk is creating space for local artists and makers to showcase their work and offer unique, handmade gifts for holiday shoppers. The Art Walk does more than fill the street with creativity. It gives local artists a steady platform to share their work, brings people into the heart of downtown, and supports a growing ecosystem of arts driven community building in San Bernardino. It’s an easy way to enjoy the season while supporting the artists who keep our region’s creative culture moving forward.
The DTSB Art Walk is currently accepting artists, creatives, community partners, and food vendors for the December Art Walk. All food vendors must have valid permits. Those interested in participating can apply to join the lineup.
Arts Connection- The Arts Council of San Bernardino County | 468 W 5th Street, San Bernardino, CA 92401
Goldy S. Lewis Community Center | 11200 Base Line Rd., Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701
Arts Connection is highlighting Microgrant Recipient Elsa Ouyang, whose microgrant project is the 3rd Annual Harmony of Hearts Young Art Exhibition 2026: "Boundless".
Now in its third year, the Harmony of Hearts Young Art Exhibition invites K–12 student artists from across San Bernardino County to submit artwork that imagines a world without limits—of creativity, culture, dreams, and possibility. the exhibition theme, "Boundless", aims to encourage young artists to reflect on how art can cross borders, connect communities, and open new pathways for the future.
To support county-wide access, Arts Connection is also serving as an alternate artwork drop-off location for families who may find our San Bernardino office (468 W 5th Street) more convenient than the Rancho Cucamonga site. Artwork may be dropped off January 7–31, 2026, Monday–Friday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.
The Art’s Connection Microgrant Program provides direct funding for artists to develop community-driven projects that celebrate culture, spark connection, and inspire creative innovation across San Bernardino County.
We are seeking passionate and experienced Community Teaching Artists to join our team for the Spring 2026 Arts Avenue afterschool semester. Teaching Artists will lead arts-based classes for elementary and middle school students, creating spaces where young people can build confidence, develop new skills, and explore creative problem solving. This role includes designing and implementing lesson plans that align with VAPA standards, support diverse learning styles, and help students create meaningful work rooted in their own voices and experiences. This is an ongoing recruitment and applications will be reviewed as they are submitted.
Volunteers needed for Miracle on Court Street + DTSB Art Walk
Saturday, Dec 13th | 5:00 PM-9:00 PM
Downtown San Bernardino | 468 W. 5th St., San Bernardino, CA 92401
Arts Connection is looking for volunteers to support Miracle on Court Street and the DTSB Art Walk on Saturday, December 13th from 5pm to 9pm in downtown San Bernardino. Volunteers help keep the space welcoming, organized, and running smoothly for families, artists, and visitors throughout the evening.
We’re recruiting helping elves for multiple stations including the hot chocolate booth, info booths, vendor check in, the crafting booth, and Miracle on Court Street activities like letters to Santa, the s’mores station, traffic flow support, and the holiday train.
If you’re interested in lending a hand, we’d love to have you join us.
Arts Connection and the San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools invite all high schools to join this year’s Poetry Out Loud competition, supported by the California Arts Council. The program celebrates the power of poetry and performance, giving students a chance to find their voice and represent their school on a larger stage. Last year, San Bernardino County’s own Toochi H. Samsylvanus placed 2nd at the State Finals—a reminder of the creativity and heart our students bring to this program.
An information session will be held soon to guide teachers and coordinators through organizing their school competitions. We hope you’ll join us in continuing this tradition of expression and storytelling across the county.
With Arts Connection - The Art Council of San Bernardino County
We're dedicated to fostering a vibrant creative community, supporting arts education, and advocating for cultural equity across our region. Join us in shaping a county where everyone has access to inspiring cultural experiences. Subscribe to our newsletters and stay connected!
