Santa Maria Arts Council

News Release

Santa Maria Arts Council

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 2018

Contact: Craig Shafer

(805) 928-7731 ext 4100

Arts Council Announces Grants Competition

with a total of $13,100 to be awarded to emerging artists

This spring, the Santa Maria Arts Council will award a total of $13,100 to emerging artists with grants of $1500 and $1000 in each category of Dance, Drama, Music, and Visual Arts. Three additional grants are also awarded: the Nat Fast Memorial Grant for performing artists, the Ian M. Hassett Fund for visual artists, and the Los Padres Artists Guild Scholarship for student artists.

Artists interested in applying for the Santa Maria Individual Grants in the Arts Competition must be at least 12-years old and have studied art in Northern Santa Barbara County for a minimum of two-years. Visit the Arts Council web site www.smartscouncil.org for an application, application guidelines, and more information.

One application provides eligibility for all grants.

Application deadline is March 21.

The awards culminate with the Grants Showcase on Monday May 7 in the Marian Theatre on the Allan Hancock College campus.

The grants are given annually in the name of an honoree or honorees. This year’s honorees are artists, art supporters, and art advocates Craig and Linda Shafer.

Since 1972 the Santa Maria Arts Council has awarded (as of May 7, 2018) $300,000 in grants to over 300 locally trained artists.

For more information contact:

Marti Fast at

Visit www.smartscouncil.org

BIO - Santa Maria Arts Council 2018 Honorees Craig and Linda Shafer

Linda and Craig Shafer have been actively involved in the arts community in Santa Maria for nearly 40 years.

Craig’s first love was music which he was able to express by DJing for such local radio stations as KZOZ, KXFM, and KTYD and in short time led to a career in broadcast journalism along with producing and hosting talk shows including KUHL’s “On Line” which regularly focused on the arts and was his introduction to PCPA's immense pool of talent.

In the early 80s Linda was bitten by the dance bug after seeing a summer dance concert at the fair and said, “I could do that!” She quickly enrolled in dance classes at Allan Hancock College. It wasn't long after that Craig would add dance to his arts studies that had included painting, sculpture, and piano.

The Shafer’s seriousness in dance rapidly grew with continued training in jazz, ballet, and modern (mostly modern!), as students, as performers, and choreographers under the tutelage of then director Linda Maxwell, and dance instructors Candace Rivera, Val Kline, and Dianne McMahon. The couple created about 25 original dance works for the main stage for AHC adult and youth programs.

In 1994 Craig left broadcasting to join PCPA as its publicist, and Linda was recruited a year later to work in the PCPA box office and soon became the Box Office Manager; both were still dancing and choreographing at that time. Having previously choreographed for Leo Cortez on the original musical Karaoke Queens of the St. James, they were asked to choreograph for PCPA's original Outreach production of 98, 99, 2000written by Leo and directed by Gale Fury Childs.

In 2004 Craig had an exciting opportunity to join the Santa Maria Sun as a writer and Arts Editor. During his 3 1/2 years with the Sun he worked daily to advocate for the arts and local artists. It was during this time that he was asked to serve as Chair of the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission and he was also approached by the Santa Maria Arts council to join and was soon after voted president, a post he held for over 10 years. During the same time Linda became an active member in the Arts Council. Craig would later return to PCPA to continue duties of promoting the outstanding work of the students and professionals at this amazing performing arts institution, a mission in which Linda constantly excels, in addition to her training of employees in the art of exemplary customer service.

Together the Shafer’s accomplishments for the arts council include work on various committees and projects including:

Grants showcase

Student art show

Public art

Birdhouse fundraiser providing cash awards to student artists

General fundraising for operating expenses

Membership

Publicity

Web design