Community Volunteer Awards

2024 Honoree

Rancho Cordova Arts

Outstanding Community Organization

Rancho Cordova Arts

Few treasures gleam more brightly than the community work of Rancho Cordova Arts.

The organization began with a single art show in City Hall in 2012, appropriately named “Genesis.”  From there the group evolved to host a Holiday Pop-Up gallery followed by a Plein Air outdoor painting event at Kilgore Cemetery. A series of art shows at local breweries called “Brushes and Brews” ensued and there was no turning back.

Now a force of 250 artists and lovers of art, Rancho Cordova Arts is always busy around our city, collaborating with the Mills Station Arts and Culture Center (MACC) and Cordova Community Council to provide fun, free art activities for the public.

They are at Kids Day welcoming hundreds of children to make something and take it home. 

You will see them at iFest where they have demonstrated the skill of outdoor painting and how to paint tribal masks.

They show off their best during the annual Members Show at the MACC and demonstrate how they do it during Open Studios weekend every September. The holiday season is not complete until you make a visit to the MACC for Winter Art Fest and pick out a gift created by the artist next door.

Rancho Cordova Arts members share their artistic wisdom by involving themselves in city planning including development of Rancho Cordova’s Arts Strategic Plan and Mills Crossing multi-use project, which will lead to a more vibrant Art Block, as identified in the plan.  They helped the city celebrate the 20th Anniversary of incorporation during “Paint the Town” – a live speed painting performance by the acclaimed painter David Garibaldi.

They partner with the Chamber of Commerce to provide event information and art supplies for Explore Rancho Cordova swag bags to welcome newcomers to town.

They are the worker bees behind Art at City Hall exhibits and receptions, held four times a year right here in City Hall.

They help local artists grow during workshops and other activities with a goal of broadening the reach and improving the quality of art in the community.

All that would be enough, but Rancho Cordova Arts may shine brightest when paying it forward with their annual MicroMasterpieces event.

In this amazing activity, artists donate 6-inch by 6-inch pieces of original art they have created, and then the fun begins.

In a robust online auction, these masterpieces are bid on and battled for by the community, with proceeds earmarked for art supplies for Rancho Cordova school children. In 2023, the Micro Masterpieces auction raised a total of $14,000 for art supplies which went to 59 teachers in 19 Rancho Cordova schools.  Over four years, this group of volunteer artists has raised more than $35,000 for students in our schools --  and they are on target to hit $50,000 this year, growing the next generation of creative thinkers.

The beauty of art lies in its ability to transcend boundaries, evoke emotions, and inspire human imagination. It encompasses a vast array of forms, styles, and expressions that captivate and move individuals in unique ways.

The wonderful work of Rancho Cordova Arts proves it by enriching the character of our community.  In this search for volunteer treasures, it’s not “x marks the spot.”  Rather, it’s “art marks the spot.”

Congratulations to Rancho Cordova Arts, honored as the 2024 Outstanding Community Volunteer Organization.