Oxnard Performing Arts Center receives $35k from National Endowment for the Arts

OXNARD, Calif. -- The Oxnard Performing Arts Center has been awarded a $35,000 grant to support its initiative to providing a creative space for underserved local teens.

A new program, OPAC Studios, offers free classes including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, textile arts and more for Oxnard teens. The program will help vulnerable communities like BIPOC, indigenous, at-promise and those experiencing homelessness.

The grant comes from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Creative Youth Development provided the framework for OPAC Studios.

“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects like this one from OPAC that help support the community’s creative economy,” said NEA Acting Chair Ann Eilers. “OPAC in Oxnard is among the arts organizations nationwide that are using the arts as a source of strength, a path to well-being, and providing access and opportunity for people to connect and find joy through the arts.”

OPAC said the new project is among 1,248 projects nationwide totaling more than $28.8 million that were selected to receive this first round of fiscal year 2022 funding in the Grants for Arts Projects category.

“We’re truly honored to be receiving our first ever grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and can’t wait for our teens to benefit from expanded classes, engagement opportunities, and career development and exploration,” said Carolyn Merino Mullin, OPAC’s Executive Director.

For more information on OPAC's Teen Art Program, click here.