Arts4MC Sol Treasures new office
Representatives from Arts Council for Monterey County and Sol Treasures gather with local officials and community members Oct. 2 to cut the ribbon celebrating Arts4MC’s new office that will offer support to South Monterey County residents. (Sean Roney)

SALINAS VALLEY — Artists from South Monterey County will be better able to access services from Arts Council for Monterey County (Arts4MC) after the Oct. 2 opening of its new office in King City.

The office is located within Sol Treasures, at 519 Broadway St., after a collaboration between the two arts organizations. The appointment-only service will assist artists and nonprofits with resources and support.

“We’re here to nurture, support, promote the arts,” said Arts4MC Executive Director Jacquie Atchison.

Klara Hickmanova, Arts4MC programs manager, is slated to be the regular contact for King City artists. Hickmanova said she expects to help with grant applications and general information at first. Her wealth of knowledge goes back to 2010, as the longest-serving staff member for the Arts Council.

“In the King City area, we will be serving underserved artists and helping them with any questions they might have,” Hickmanova said.

Maria Turner and Jude Yriarte, co-directors of Sol Treasures, expressed their enthusiasm for the collaboration.

“This is a full circle moment for us,” Turner said. “The Arts Council gave us our very first grant and that opened up so many possibilities. And now fast forward to today, and we are full of more hopes and dreams.”

Yriarte added, “We have a lot of local artists that possibly don’t have the information about the artist grants that the Arts Council provides, and I feel like this is going to open that up for our local artists.”

Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez was among the local officials who attended the opening celebration.

“Artists can come from anywhere,” Lopez said. “A place that fosters your vision and can assist you in getting your first grant or help in finding a scholarship.”

Arts4MC Sol Treasures new office
Arts4MC Board Chair Chris Long (left), standing next to Executive Director Jacquie Atchison, speaks during the Oct. 2 grand opening of the organization’s new office located inside Sol Treasures in King City. (Sean Roney)

Atchison explained the Arts Council keeps a directory of artists who sign up.

“We feel like there’s more people out here we don’t know of,” she said.

Nelly Otsu, Arts4MC communications director, added, “There’s a lot of resources that we have access to and can bridge that information gap for the residents of South County.”

One current program Otsu mentioned was the Monterey County Poet Laureate.

“We have poets all over the county, but do they know they can apply or nominate someone to be the next poet laureate?” Otsu said. “Or do you know someone who is interested in becoming a teaching artist in the area?”

She added that having artists in action would further demonstrate to families that arts have emotional and expressive value, and inspire youth to create art.

“Having this physical location gives us the ability to make our presence known and make those connections with community stakeholders,” Otsu said.

She also noted the Arts Council hosts a college art scholarship for high school students, with only some involvement from South Monterey County schools in past years.

Hickmanova brought up the subject of immigration, as she is an immigrant herself. She said her personal experience could be useful for fellow immigrants who wish to pursue the arts and gain resources to do so.

“I cannot write the grant applications for them, but I can tell them this is how I could do it,” Hickmanova said. “Everybody knows how to do it, they just need a little push.”

In his speech at the opening event, King City Mayor Mike LeBarre said, “I’ve always felt that art makes a well-rounded individual. It helps you see things from a wider perspective, and more importantly … opens possibilities.”

“Whether you live in Big Sur, Monterey, Carmel, King City, Greenfield, nobody feels that the arts are too far away for them as a form of expression or to make a living,” added Lopez before the grand-opening crowd. “Having an office here lowers one of the key barriers we have here in South County, which is transportation.”

Artists and nonprofit organizations can set up appointments to meet with personnel from the Arts Council by calling the main office at 831-375-9711.

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Sean Roney is a freelance reporter for King City Rustler and Salinas Valley Tribune, a unified publication of Greenfield News, Soledad Bee and Gonzales Tribune. He covers general news for the Salinas Valley communities in South Monterey County.

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