Three local arts organizations recently received significant grants from the California Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. The 29 Palms Artists Guilds received a matching grant of $59,958 for the Creative California Communities program, for its project, Sand to Stone: Contemporary Native American Art, in partnership with Joshua Tree National Park. The multidisciplinary project includes an art exhibition and outdoor performances of cultural significance to the four tribes affiliated with the national park. Arts Connection San Bernardino County received a $10,000 grant from the Veterans Initiatives for the Arts program for the Mil-Tree program in Joshua Tree. Veterans and their families, in collaboration with Joshua Tree National Park, will make paper from invasive plants and then use the paper in creative projects. And the Morongo Basin Cultural Arts Council received a $6,840 matching grant from the Local Impact program earmarked to supplement its marketing budget for its Hwy 62 Open Studio Arts Tour in state and national publications and venues. The 2015 art tours, held in mid-October, feature over 140 artists who open their studios in the Morongo Basin for art lovers to buy art directly from the artists.
