New Directory Hopes to Put Santa Ana Arts and Culture on the Map

Artists posed for photos that will be uploaded with their profiles in the city's new arts registry. / Annie Lam / el Don — Artists posed for photos that will be uploaded along with their portfolios and profiles in the city’s new arts registry. / Annie Lam / el Don

Santa Ana will soon have a comprehensive culture map and artist directory, after 150 art community members participated in the first-ever registry roundtable Aug. 27.

Hosted inside Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, the day-long event was filled with artists lining up to explore Santa Ana’s artist-networking website, have their pictures taken, plot their studios on the map, make their portfolios and register into the database across all four floors.

The roundtable was organized by a collective of Santa Ana businesses along with arts and education leaders. The goal, according to invitations that listed it as a call for artists, was to connect galleries, studios, organizations and local artists with curators, buyers, sponsors and employers.

“I think [attending events like this] goes along with being an artist and being proactive and creating something that has been missing: the unity,” Gene, a sculpture artist who goes by a pseudonym, said. “There hasn’t been an organization that has everybody’s resource in one place. It’s great, especially for up-and-coming artists.”

Artists, arts organizations and arts administrators plot their locations what will become the new Santa Ana arts and culture map. / Annie Lam / el Don

The online registry, which will be made public this fall, contains the locations, portfolios and pictures of the artists for the networking website. Artists of all genres, mediums and work roles – including writers, performance artists, musicians, photographers and more – will be included.

The floor-sized map will be made into a searchable online version.

Santa Ana College was heavily involved in the event. Dean of Fine and Performing Arts Eve Kikawa serves on the steering committee for the effort to unify the city’s artists, and photography students volunteered their time to help take photos of the artists for the registry.

“I felt very strongly that Santa Ana College should play a big part of this event because we represent the community and we also are the higher education institute of the community and the closest to the community,” Kikawa said.

Artists who could not attend the event will be able to register when the website is launched in a few months.

Staff writer Annie Lam contributed to this report.