Creative Conversations: Rural & Unincorporated San Diego County

 by Patricia Frischer, Photos by Kira Corrillo Corser

TACA: right to left - Kira Carrillo Corser, Carol Zaleski, Karen Tapane, Nancy Heins-Glaser, Debra Muzikar, and Deanne Salleh.

Creative Conversations: Rural & Unincorporated San Diego County was held on Feb 24, 2026 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido – Conference Center. It was presented by San Diego ARTMatters (Bob Lehman and Felicia Shaw)  and co-hosting  with North County’s newly formed TACA: The Arts and Culture Alliance of Rural North County San Diego.

If you have never been to an event like this, you have missed a great opportunity for networking with your fellow colleagues. The format after the usual thanks you and introductions was to rotate attendee to different tables after certain time limits. The question posed were the usual asks for needs, barriers and opportunities. Sharing information, getting to know each other, and generating new connections was the real focus.

We were lucky to have a wonderful poet Kara Cordero do a call and respond work so we could all shout out that “Art is not a luxury.” Art is essential and we who were gathered know this down to the very pit of our stomachs, event with a lovely breakfast and lunch served by CCA Escondido. 

Christine Jones newly appointed County of San Diego Manager of Art, Film, and Creative Industries.  

Many VIPs were in attendance including Christine Jones, and a selection of members of the County Arts Commission (not in an official capacity) including Sharlene o"Keefe  from Poway, Jim Gilliam from Oceanside who are also members of the NCAN board. 

What follows is just a sample of a very few of the more interesting, news that was gathered just from a few tables.

The Ramona Art Center is trying to get more Latino involvement as so much of their community is connected. This relatively small community was able to generate 20k in grants  this year. Fallbrook and Julien were all represented and contributed.

Vets Arts is no longer in Fallbrook but has moved to a new facility in Vista where they don’t have a foundry but do have a glass and ceramics lab where last year 700 vets were involved in their programs.  

Local history institutes like Encinitas History Society (EHS) are not just about the past. But  how the community comes together now and in the future. EHS has identified over 900 works of art on view to the public in this one city.

The Front Porch in Carlsbad was told about lesson plans from teaching artist especially about local artists, but not just for students but for seniors. The overriding view was that these and all projects need to be flexible and designed with an open mind to the differences and needs of different cultures, ages, and ethnicities. Senior don’t want to be treated like 3^rd graders.

Rural areas can seem foreign to city dwellers. Many of these communities see themselves as pass through cities. You couple that with the truth that many artists have chosen rural areas because they are isolated. The term Back County Artist was used a number of times. But the mood in the room was that they want to be seen. So, the question remains how do they put out a “Welcome mat”. In fact, what does that welcome mat look like.

There was talk of coming together for joint grants for events that united whole areas together. Studio tours, art walks, concerts, festivals, poetry slam but brought together with fresh food markets, restaurant  and hotel promotions/suggestions. The need for a county wide Public Relations Agency just for the arts.

Ending this conversation was a call for all events in April during Arts, Culture and Creativity month in California. the theme this year is Joy, Action and Power. Please list all visual arts events on SDVAN and all others on NCAN.