Eight Gilroy-based artist-driven projects have been selected to receive funding from SVCREATES. They include festivals that will activate the city’s downtown and celebrate cultural heritage, workshops and public showcases, and free art exhibitions that will engage local community residents.
The Gilroy Elevate the Arts Grant program, now in its third year, is made possible with funding from the City of Gilroy and the County of Santa Clara. It was launched, with initial support from The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, by countywide arts agency SVCREATES to elevate artists and the arts community in Gilroy by demonstrating the role arts can play in equitable community empowerment, activation and revitalization, says a press release from SVCREATES.Â
The grants seek to provide more resources to arts in a geographic region that has been particularly marginalized in Santa Clara County.
Designed with input from local residents and artists, this program funds projects that seek to raise the visibility and voice of local artists; support the creation and presentation of culturally relevant artistic work; engage the community and activate public spaces through the arts; catalyze capacity and resilience in the arts; and rally public support for the arts as a fundamental part of Gilroy’s economic and urban development.
An open call for applications from artists and arts organizations in the greater Gilroy area went out in the summer. Through a community-based panel process, eight projects were selected to receive funding to support their programs or artistic installations, which will take place or be completed in central Gilroy between September 2025 and August 2026, says the press release.
The selected projects are listed below.
2026 exhibitions series
Facilitated by 1202 Contemporary, printmaking artists from Gilroy and surrounding communities will display their work in an immersive installation that will include community participation during two, eight-week art exhibitions in downtown Gilroy.
Fourth Annual Chalk Festival
A chalk arts competition and festival presented by MANOS will engage artists, families and youth of all ages with music, dance performances and vendors at Christmas Hill Park.
Third Annual La Ofrenda Festival and Wellness Fair
The third annual DÃa de Muertos Festival & Wellness Fair honors, celebrates and preserves indigenous traditions through a free, multi-generational celebration held in downtown Gilroy, bridging the gap between arts, culture and wellness.
ARTrepreneur Workshop Series
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County will host the ARTrepreneur Workshop Series, a series of creative and business-based workshops designed to help artists in the Gilroy area get a start in the art world, including art as an income source as well as creative expression.
Gilroy summer mariachi workshops
An educational workshop run by the Silicon Valley Mariachi Foundation with an emphasis on mariachi music including group and individual instruction with mariachi instruments (violin, trumpet, guitar, vihuela, guitarrón) as well as voice and mariachi history, will culminate in an evening showcase for family and friends of the participants.
Casa de Cultura Summer Art Nights
A free, two-day community activation series presented by FAB Productions at Casa de Cultura y Arte (CDCA). The series blends interactive visual art, themed live painting and bilingual engagement to help transform downtown Gilroy into a family-friendly hub for creativity, connection and cultural pride.
Fifth anniversary Folklorico showcase
A public showcase of the students of MANOS Folklorico, featuring over 50 dancers and celebrating the music and dance of all the states and regions across Mexico, from marimba to mariachi.
Poppy Jasper International Film Festival
The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival (PJIFF) is a multi-day, volunteer-led film festival and cultural celebration that screens more than 300 films from more than 40 countries each April across South Santa Clara and San Benito counties, with Gilroy serving as the heart of the festival.
SVCREATES will continue to work with these selected projects to ensure project success and champion this exciting artistic work in Gilroy, says the press release.Â
