The Ojai Arts Commission on Oct. 16 heard public presentations from two dozen local arts organizations seeking portions of a $100,000 grant pool the city allocated for arts projects.

Commission Chair Smitty West opened the meeting by noting the increased funding this year and thanking applicants for participating; commissioners and an ad hoc committee described the schedule that will move the requests toward a final decision.

Why it matters: The commission said the $100,000 represents a large increase from earlier years and is intended to expand arts programming across the valley. Commissioners stressed that the commission makes recommendations but the City Council gives final approval, expected at the council’s December meeting.

What the commission will do next

Bridgette, the commission’s city staff liaison, confirmed that the ad hoc review panel of community members and commissioners — Louise Sandhaus, Carolyn Wagner, Michael Addison and Elizabeth Herring — will meet Saturday, Nov. 1 (with Nov. 2 reserved if more time is needed) to review and score applications. Commissioners will receive full application packets and supporting materials after that review; the commission is scheduled to consider recommendations at its Nov. 20 meeting and the City Council will act in December.

Applicants and highlights

Commissioners heard 23 presentations during the meeting from a range of organizations including theater companies, visual-arts groups, festivals, youth programs, and film and radio projects. Presenters emphasized community education, accessibility, and career-development for local artists. Examples from the evening’s presentations included:

- Carolyn Glasso Bailey Foundation (CGBF) requested $10,000 for an artist residency program that sends Ojai artists to residencies and hosts visiting artists locally. CGBF vice president Chris Bailey described cross‑country exchanges and partnerships with national residency programs.

- Dance Ojai sought $15,000 toward a planned full‑day multicultural “World Dance Festival” scheduled for Mother’s Day weekend 2026; Treasurer Theresa described a projected $95,000 festival budget and said the Ojai event drew roughly 2,000 attendees in its second year.

- Several education- and youth‑focused organizations presented. Ojai Youth Entertainer Studio said it serves between 150 and 200 children annually and currently maintains a wait list; presenters asked for support to expand capacity after relocating to a larger rehearsal space formerly owned by the school district.

- Taft Gardens Art and Nature Residency, Ojai Film Society, Ojai Playwrights Conference, Ojai Music Festival, DevDance Theater, and numerous smaller groups (Taft Gardens, Ojai Pottery and Clay School, Shine a Light Theater, OPAT, Ojai Studio Artists, Beatrice Wood Center, among others) gave overviews of projects and budgets; some speakers described past attendance, scholarship programs and community partnerships.

Numbers and process clarifications

Commissioners and staff gave these procedural and numeric clarifications during the meeting: the commission received 29 grant applications; one application was disqualified for incompleteness, leaving 28 eligible asks with a combined request exceeding $400,000; the city set aside $100,000 for distribution. The ad hoc committee will grade applications against the commission’s rubric, produce recommendations for the full commission, and the commission’s recommendations will be forwarded to City Council for final approval in December.

Quotes and tone

“This is our favorite meeting of the year,” Chair Smitty West said at the start of the session, welcoming applicants and volunteers and highlighting the larger grant pool this year. Applicants repeatedly emphasized mentorship, youth education and community access in their brief remarks.

What the presentations did not decide

No awards or formal allocations were made at the Oct. 16 meeting. The ad hoc committee review and the commission vote are the next formal steps; the City Council will make final approvals in December.

Ending

Commission staff will post application materials and scoring rubrics to commissioners after the Nov. 1 ad hoc review. The commission expects a public recommendation vote Nov. 20, followed by council action in December.