$21,276 raised by 12 donors
19% complete
$110,000 Goal
Verge Center for the Arts provides contemporary art and art resources to the Sacramento region through a combination of exhibitions, low or no cost artist workspace, and educational programming.
Located in Sacramento’s Southside Park neighborhood, Verge’s building contains 31 artist studios, two expansive gallery spaces, a classroom, and a fine art printmaking facility. Through the combination of these elements Verge has created an art center model similar to those seen in other California cities – Davis, Richmond, Los Angeles, San Francisco – offering resources to serve artistic professionals and the public.
Verge is proud to announce that we will be commencing construction on 4 new studios, plus lots of facilities upgrades, starting this summer! This project marks an exciting new chapter in Verge’s history. We are thrilled to soon be able to offer even more resources to the Sacramento region’s community of emerging and established artists.
These changes are made possible by a grant from the California Natural Resource Agency’s (CNRA) Museum Grant Program, a reimbursement grant that Verge was awarded in 2023. As we commence work, the state of California will reimburse Verge for expenditures. While we aim to minimize the impact of this major work project on our operations and programs, exhibitions in the gallery are on pause during construction. In anticipation that construction may impact our overall income, we are asking for your support to help with our operational costs as we implement these exciting changes.
Your help eases our growing pains as we embark on these important upgrades. As a thank you for supporting Verge on the Big Day of Giving, you will be added to our list of VIPs who will get a sneak peek at the planned facility improvements.
Since 2013, Verge has produced over 40 exhibitions that are free and open to the public, showcasing the work of cutting-edge locally and internationally recognized contemporary artists. In addition to exhibition programming, Verge offers a wealth of educational opportunities that attract artists of all ages and abilities. From kids camps to weekly drawing and clay labs, Verge’s educational programs serve thousands of community members every year.
The reach of Verge's programs is expansive, going well beyond our walls. Now in its 19th year, the Sac Open Studios tour has grown to feature over 260 local artists and attract 30,000 attendees annually. Participating artists are spread throughout Sacramento county and the tour is free to the public, making Sac Open Studios a uniquely accessible arts program within the region.
Following Verge's groundbreaking in 2013, the organization merged with the Center for Contemporary Art Sacramento (CCAS), a regional institution with over 25 years of history. The merger and new facility set Verge on a path towards sustainability, enabling the institution to concentrate on long term planning so that it can continue to deliver high-quality arts resources and programming to the Sacramento region for decades to come.
Verge Center for the Arts is the leading cultural institution in the Sacramento region for contemporary art and ideas. We have a mission to extend the dialogue about contemporary art to the central valley. Verge supports this mission by providing vital resources to local career and emerging artists as well as offering arts education opportunities for youth and adults.
As one of Sacramento's leading cultural institutions for contemporary art, Verge Center for the Arts is proud to present the 2024 Sac Open Studios tour. Now in its 19th year, the Sac Open Studios tour is one of the major ways Verge pursues its mission to expand access to contemporary art throughout Northern California. Sac Open Studios is open to any artist living and working in Sacramento or Yolo Counties and is the only non-juried exhibition opportunity of its kind in the region. Free for tour goers, Sac Open Studios encourages the public to look to their own neighborhoods for inspiration. Learn more about the program at SacOpenStudios.com.
**YOUR SUPPORT will help us as we develop new and innovative ways to evolve this wonderful program.
Verge's Education program is committed to providing arts resources to Sacramento's artists at every age, including kids getting their first introduction to different media through programs like our Kids Summer Studio Camps. From ceramics to murals to anime, our youth camps aim to share the wide world of artistic expression with the next generation of creative minds in a nurturing, supporting, and fun environment.
**YOUR SUPPORT helps to provide full and partial scholarships to Sacramento-area kids who would otherwise have limited access to arts education resources.
What exactly are unrestricted funds? Basically, they're free-wheeling, untethered dollars that are able to go to the areas of Verge that need help the most. By donating unrestricted dollars, you are sending us a message, loud and clear: that you believe in Verge and the work we do, and you trust us to put your financial contributions to work in the best way possible. Unrestricted dollars are particularly important for organizations since they help create cushions that guard against any unpredictable interruptions -- like a pandemic! By donating unrestricted dollars to Verge on the Big Day of Giving, you will help us build a strong, stable foundation that will be especially important for us as we prepare to reopen our doors to the public.
As Verge continues to grow, so do our operational needs! Our office and galleries are itching for a tech upgrade that will help us streamline administrative tasks, enhance the visitor experiences in our gallery and classroom, and make select public programs more ADA accessible.
**YOUR SUPPORT will help us invest in infrastructure upgrades throughout Verge, from our gallery to our classroom, as well as our staff offices.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR VERGE
Recommended by the Equity Committee
Preamble
Recognizing the historic national framework of systemic discrimination that to this day has been part of daily life in our culture, organizations, and communities, Verge is committed to becoming a more open and welcoming organization. Historic and systemic discrimination have created barriers to inclusion, participation, and opportunity that have excluded the embracing of different ethnicities, skin colors, gender identities and body types, religious beliefs, physical or cognitive challenges, or socio-economic standing. To be part of the necessary movement to achieve meaningful, authentic, and effective changes to this culture, Verge recognizes that only a complete and comprehensive mindset by everyone associated with this organization will achieve the results and hope for broader diversity and social justice.
Wherefore, the Equity Committee recommends the Board of Directors of VERGE Center for the Arts adopt and implement the following guiding principles:
VERGE Center for the Arts believes art is an essential part of our culture and commits to encourage, support, promote and preserve art through programming that is accessible and inclusive to all communities. We believe art can recognize and celebrate the differences among humankind. Art can help all of us develop and improve in our everyday lives and interactions.
As an arts institution VERGE must at all times:
1. CELEBRATE our unique characteristics through the arts by embracing the differences and similarities of all peoples and all communities within the Greater Sacramento Region.
2. ESTABLISH programming which is open, accessible, and appealing to all peoples and communities.
3. FOSTER, SUPPORT and PROMOTE the expansion of a vibrant arts scene; this is imperative to the diversity and sustainability of any thriving community.
4. ADHERE to the concepts of a governance structure reflective of the community we serve; set a living wage for its staff; establish fair value for artist’s work; and render reasonable assistance for those in need by allowing them full access to the Arts.
These guiding principles are Step 1 of our Equity Committee process and answer the basic question WHY; Why do we do what we do?
Step 2 of this committee’s work will answer the question of HOW; How do we execute these guiding principles?
For example, here are some of the “How’s” we are discussing:
Outreach strategies to break down barriers between people of different ethnicities or skin colors as well as different sexes, gender identities, and body types.
Organizational equity and diversity.
Governance which educates and promotes within this organization anti-racist ideas, beliefs, and strategies for broader inclusiveness among all peoples and communities.
Organization name
Verge Center for the Arts
2010
Tax id (EIN)
27-2378275
Mission Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Operating Budget
$500,001-$1 million
Organization Need
Funding: Program, Funding: Unrestricted, Technology
Demographics Served
General population
BIPOC Leadership
Board Chair
Local Counties Served
Placer, Sacramento, Yolo
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
625 S StreetSacramento, CA, US