.png){kind=small}
OVERVIEW
The Sacramento Arts Advocacy Lab (SAAL, pronounced “sail”) is a six-month pilot advocacy and civic engagement program supporting artists and cultural workers navigating local, statewide, and federal arts and culture policy spaces. Based in California’s capital city and connected to statewide advocacy efforts at the State Capitol, SAAL strengthens artist participation in public policy and civic life through mentorship, policy education, coalition-building, and legislative engagement opportunities.
SAAL responds to the growing need for artist-centered advocacy infrastructure that supports long-term civic participation within the public systems shaping arts funding and cultural investment across California.
WHO THE LAB IS FOR
SAAL is designed for Sacramento artists and cultural bearers seeking to deepen their engagement in advocacy, arts & culture policy, and civic leadership.
WHY NOW
As conversations around arts funding, cultural equity, and public investment continue to expand across California, artists are increasingly being called into advocacy spaces without equitable access to policy knowledge, mentorship, or institutional support. SAAL was developed to help bridge these gaps by connecting artists and cultural workers to advocacy education, leadership development, and civic participation opportunities.
AREAS OF FOCUS
-
Arts advocacy and legislative engagement
-
Public arts funding systems
-
Cultural policy and civic participation
-
Artist leadership and coalition building
-
Collective care and sustainable organizing
-
Cultural equity and community investment
-
Creative workforce and cultural sustainability
-
Statewide arts movements and collective organizing
-
Public speaking and storytelling
BUILDING ADVOCACY INFRASTRUCTURE
SAAL is building long-term support networks that connect artists and cultural workers to local advocacy efforts in Sacramento, statewide organizing efforts, and federal arts policy engagement while equipping artists to advocate, organize, and lead within public and policy spaces.
“We envision a future where artists are fully integrated into the public systems, policy conversations, and advocacy movements shaping California’s cultural landscape.”
JAYA KING
SAAL Artist Mentor & Advocacy Facilitator
Jaya King is a Sacramento-based muralist, educator, and arts advocate serving as Artist Mentor and a contributing Advocacy Facilitator for SAAL. King brings experience in public art, cultural organizing, and legislative advocacy, including statewide advocacy efforts connected to California Senate Bill 456 supporting protections for muralists and public artists.
jackie cole
SAAL Advocacy Strategist & Program Consultant
Jackie Cole is the founder of Volition Gardens, a change strategy practice cultivating systemic transformation in racial justice and urban planning. Cole brings experience in advocacy strategy, community engagement, and creating pathways and systems that connect underrepresented communities to the civic and policy processes shaping their lives.
FAITH J. MCKINNIE
SAAL Program Manager
Faith J. McKinnie, MSML, serves as Executive Director of Black Artist Foundry and SAAL Program Manager. Her work focuses on connecting artists and cultural workers to advocacy, funding, and civic engagement opportunities across California.
Partnership & funding Opportunities
SAAL is actively raising funding and building cross-sector partnerships to support advocacy education, pilot programming, mentorship, legislative engagement, and long-term artist leadership development across California.
the Sacramento Arts Advocacy Lab is organized by Black Artist Foundry, a Sacramento-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supporting artists through advocacy, artist development, public programs, and funding opportunities. Contributions are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law EIN: 41-5027285