That doesn\u2019t mean making art is easy. Many of the arts-focused businesses, nonprofits and venues in Sacramento are struggling. They have not recovered since the pandemic, whether due to shifting consumer habits, increasing costs of doing business, hardships related to finding reliable employees or lack of community investment. This struggle, we have found, applies across the board and includes live music venues, theater groups, performance arts, galleries, and does not discriminate between small and new or legacy organizations.<\/p>\n
But sometimes we don\u2019t miss something until it\u2019s gone. Here, Solving Sacramento and its news partners spoke to representatives of six local arts organizations to see how they are surviving the times \u2014 and what would be lost to our city if one day they went away.<\/p>\n
~ Sena Christian<\/p>\n
Celebration Arts<\/p>\n
In a time of intense restructuring in 2025, some suggested that Celebration Arts, the 40-year-old nonprofit theater that has focused on showcasing Black stories, playwrights and directors, should just close its doors and celebrate what it was able to accomplish with a going away party. Instead, Executive Artistic Director Erinn Anova decided to continue fighting for its survival.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
This commitment was largely fueled by a respect for the work of mentors like Founder James Wheatley and the organization\u2019s first artistic director, Myrtle Stephens, as well as theater pioneers like the late Woody King Jr.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese people didn\u2019t do all this work for theaters to close,\u201d Anova says.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Celebration Arts doesn\u2019t just stage theater productions. It also educates the next generation of actors, directors and stage managers in programs<\/a> like Kids Time and Teen Magic. Now, Anova is working toward making the theater a \u201cthird space,\u201d opening its doors to other theater groups and museums to become a hub where art, wellness and cultural history work in tandem to serve underrepresented communities.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The fight to sustain Celebration Arts has been difficult, including a board restructuring in November that prioritized members focused on coming up with fundraising solutions to cement the theater\u2019s fiscal sustainability. The 100-seat theater can only make so much from ticket sales, so it has to rely on donors and grants to fund staff, production and facility costs, according to Anova.<\/p>\n In 2025, the community joined the fight in force. For the 2025 Big Day of Giving, Celebration Arts was able to fundraise $18,000. Then, after setting a $40,000 fundraising goal by the end of June, 2025, supporters donated $57,000 to the theater.<\/p>\n Thanks to community support, Celebration Arts is able to offer programming through 2026 with productions like \u201cDon\u2019t Touch My Hair\u201d by Douglas Lyons and \u201cus & the rest of \u2018em\u201d by Anthony D\u2019Juan, as well jazz concerts in May and October, and a new Chautauqua (historical theater) series and the \u201c916 New Plays Festival\u201d in March.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat would it be like if the one Black [theater] organization that\u2019s been here for 40 years was just gone? What would that be saying to the community? It\u2019s not OK,\u201d Anova said. \u201cThe community has spoken. She [Celebration Arts] belongs to the community.\u201d<\/p>\n ~ Cristian Gonzalez, Solving Sacramento<\/p>\n Harlow\u2019s<\/p>\n On J Street in downtown Sacramento sits the music and entertainment venue Harlow\u2019s and, upstairs, The Starlet Room. The ground-level venue has been around since 1982 and is a cornerstone of Sacramento\u2019s arts and culture scene.\u00a0<\/p>\n For the last four decades, Harlow\u2019s has grown from a local music spot to a nationally recognized venue for artists and touring acts. International artists such as Phoebe Bridges and Jack Harlow, as well as local music heroes like Hobo Johnson & The LoveMakers have graced the stage.<\/p>\n But like many other music venues in town, Harlow\u2019s and The Starlet Room are facing financial challenges. Owner Jim Cornett, who also is part owner of Cafe Colonial (and helps manage the Colonial Theatre), says none of his establishments make a profit.<\/p>\n Cornett is also the co-director of the California Capitol Venue Coalition<\/a>, which is a local nonprofit that helps the music and entertainment scene.<\/p>\n \u201cMost music venues don\u2019t make much money as it is, and now \u2026 no one\u2019s making any money,\u201d he says, noting a survey of arts groups conducted by the National Independent Venue Association and released in 2025<\/a>. \u201cIt showed that only 36% of the venues are profitable right now all across the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n Harlow\u2019s is considered a smaller venue with a 500-person capacity, which makes things harder, according to Cornett. He also mentions the high costs of rent, insurance, and talent and touring, along with a decline in alcohol and concession purchases at his venues.<\/p>\n \u201cRight now, even with ticket sales doing OK, our expenses have gone way up, rent\u2019s gone way up. Insurance has gone through the roof for us all, our expenses have gone up, and with music venues, we share our income with talent \u2014\u00a0almost 50% of our income goes to paying talent out,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, as busy as you think we are, half our income goes off to someone else, which, without them, we can\u2019t do shows.\u201d<\/p>\n Cornett is booking 450 bands and shows a year at Harlow\u2019s and The Starlet Room, and 250 bands at Cafe Colonial.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cornett says there are ways to alleviate some financial struggles through grants and community support, enabling more people to see shows at Harlow\u2019s. \u201cHonestly, the best thing you can do is support. Go to shows.\u201d<\/p>\n ~ Keyshawn Davis, CapRadio<\/p>\n Axis Gallery<\/p>\n Axis Gallery is home to art that gallery Vice President Heather Hogan calls \u201cchallenging.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe show modern art that is challenging and different and, frankly, weird,\u201d Hogan says.<\/p>\n Founded 35 years ago, the artist-cooperative-run gallery<\/a>, at 625 S St. in Sacramento (located here since 2014), sublets its space from the larger Verge Center for the Arts. Each of its 20 artists pays a monthly rent on the gallery space, ensuring them a month-long show in the gallery once every two years. Those shows have no parameters, giving artists complete freedom over how they use the space.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s no gatekeeping. \u2026 There\u2019s no curator to tell you \u2018no.\u2019 There\u2019s no financial burden to make money off the art you\u2019re showing,\u201d Hogan says.<\/p>\n While the cooperative model is designed to keep Axis self-sustaining, it\u2019s far from immune to declining funding for the arts, and from general government budget cuts as well. Hogan says a $10,000 city grant in 2024 helped sustain the gallery when its rent doubled. But with budget cuts, those assists from the city are becoming increasingly limited.\u00a0<\/p>\n No artist at Axis financially sustains themselves on their art alone. Many are educators or have other arts-adjacent jobs. \u201cA lot of our members are teachers, a lot of professors at Sac State,\u201d Hogan says. \u201cI\u2019m also a professor at Sac City College. We have professors at other colleges around the region. We have people who work at other museums, the Crocker or the Shrem.\u201d<\/p>\n So it\u2019s not just arts funding that keeps Axis running; it\u2019s education budgets as well. \u201cIf support for the arts was suddenly gone, support for arts education would be gone,\u201d Hogan says, noting that arts positions in higher education are among the first cut when education funding decreases. And as those cuts impact individuals, things like gallery membership can be among the first to go.<\/p>\n If that combination of economic factors continues, it has the potential to disarm what Hogan says is an important community asset. \u201cIt\u2019s complete freedom to explore your creativity.\u201d<\/p>\n ~ Lindsay Oxford, Sacramento Business Journal<\/p>\n Teatro Nagual\u00a0<\/p>\n Anchored by a list of 10 core values and guided by the principles of activist Cesar Chavez, Teatro Nagual<\/a> (TeNa) is not just another Sacramento theater group. Founded in 2006 by Richard Falcon, the nonprofit is celebrating its 20th year of bringing Latinx-centered theatrical programming to the region.\u00a0<\/p>\n For Falcon, the mission goes far beyond a love of the stage. He sums up the work with three pillars: creating quality theatrical programming; mobile social justice theatrical experiences; and growing the next generation of Latinx art educators. Whether focused on community healing or civic education, programming at TeNa includes theater workshops for youth and adults, hosting community pop-up activations and collaborations with other organizations for its 100% mobile productions.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2025 TeNa also co-hosted the first regional Theater-con, showcasing how the collective can work together to promote the arts. Falcon is proud that the organization is also known for paying its actors; something that is rare in community theater. For last July\u2019s production of \u201cEl Borracho\u201d at The Sofia, lead actors, the director and the stage manager were each paid $2,000. This was made possible by a generous donation from a union-represented actor.<\/p>\n Twenty years in, the financial landscape has shifted but TeNa is doing what it always has \u2014\u00a0 finding new ways to get its programming into the hands of the people. This includes diversifying its productions, collaborating with others and accepting the fact that government funding isn\u2019t as reliable as it once was.<\/p>\n \u201cI was part of so much when it comes to developing the things that the city and county of Sacramento are doing today, and they have not come to fruition,\u201d Falcon says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to fix that. \u2026 We need to put the power in the hands of the artists and help the community to realize a return on investment.\u201d<\/p>\n While grants may be fewer and farther between, Falcon is hoping to lead artists to new opportunities in cross sectors of health, immigration and science. Diversifying is key for artists and nonprofit organizations to become sustainable, according to Falcon.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe will survive this,\u201d Falcon says. \u201cWe will survive it because we, as a people, are resilient and we refuse to give up. Will there be pain? Will there be heartache along the way? Yes. [Is it] going to get worse before it gets better? Yes. But the one thing I have learned, especially as a Latino, as a proud Latino, as a Chicano, because we fight, is that we don\u2019t give up.\u201d<\/p>\n ~ Marie-Elena Schembri, Solving Sacramento<\/p>\n Hmong Youth and Parents United<\/p>\n Cultural arts preservation has been important to Hmong Youth and Parents United<\/a> (HYPU) since it was established in Sacramento in 2008. Preserving art and culture allowed the Hmong people to hold on to their identity and stay deeply connected to their heritage, even as they rebuilt their lives and adapted to a new country after the Secret War, when the U.S. covertly bombed Laos in the 1960s and \u201970s.\u00a0<\/p>\n Cultural arts \u201cis what really brings the community together. HYPU is a grassroots organization created by the families of Sacramento who really wanted to do cultural enrichment programming for their children,\u201d says Director of Program Douagee Cheng. Families approached Sacramento City Unified School District, which is how they started Hmong Saturday school and then a summer enrichment camp.<\/p>\n HYPU\u2019s cultural arts program includes language preservation, dance and performance arts \u2014 including community performers, singers, painters and cultural fashion shows that both celebrate artistic expression and promote local artists. Each year, the center serves about 140 students, reaching over 5,000 youth during the lifespan of the program.<\/p>\n Cheng says that despite recently receiving $600,000 over three years for its cultural arts program, HYPU has been unable to secure additional funding to maintain the program. Fundraising is a challenge, she says, because of lack of investors or big donors to Hmong-related causes.<\/p>\n HYPU has been able to maintain its cultural dance program through the reliance on volunteers, according to Cheng. \u201cWe have so many community members who constantly come back to HYPU and say that they are willing to volunteer their time \u2014 willing to make sure that a dance program survives here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n But without funding, HYPU is unable to continue supporting other cultural arts programs, including an annual art exhibition called \u201cThe Hmong American Who Journeyed\u201d that takes place at its center in North Sacramento. The exhibition showcases local Hmong artists, including artist Ashlyn, fashion designers Mang and Shang Thao from Hill Tribe Fusion<\/a>, and senior artist Ly Tou. HYPU has canceled the exhibition this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even with financial challenges, HYPU continues to demonstrate commitment to cultural preservation. One of the organization\u2019s primary goals is to continue to support cultural enrichment by developing partnerships with new Hmong artists and art programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe still want to open our doors to any community members or any artist who wants to collaborate,\u201d Cheng says. One of HYPU\u2019s partners is Culture Through Cloth<\/a>, a community studio dedicated to preserving and promoting the Hmong textile art called \u201cpaj ntaub\u201d or flower cloth, which hosts its workshops at HYPU\u2019s headquarters in North Sacramento.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur team is not making any money from it, we\u2019re not getting paid to do it. \u2026 [the] paj ntaub circle is providing a service for the community, to bring people together and we\u2019re opening our doors for people to come in and do collaborative work.\u201d<\/p>\n ~ Macy Yang, Hmong Daily News<\/p>\n Latino Center of Art & Culture<\/p>\n When the Latino Center of Art & Culture in Sacramento faced a federal funding cut last year<\/a>, the nonprofit quickly mobilized its community through a dance fundraiser in order to start recuperating the funds lost. The center partnered with a DJ and local businesses to host a successful night of philanthropic support and dance as a form of resistance and resilience.\u00a0<\/p>\n While the center still has a ways to go in raising the rescinded funds, that kind of community support is what has enabled LCAC<\/a> to grow throughout the years, according to Board Chair and Interim Executive Director Alma L\u00f3pez.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cLCAC has demonstrated that with commitment, with a lot of creativity, but most absolutely with community will is what has allowed the Latino Center to thrive\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Founded in 1972, LCAC has been housed in its current location on Front Street since 2012, and serves as a cultural anchor for the community, hosting a variety of arts programming, including workshops, exhibitions and vibrant events like the annual Day of the Dead celebration El Pante\u00f3n de Sacramento.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n LCAC is largely volunteer run and currently relies on one part-time contractor to sustain day-to-day gallery operations and visual arts programs, down from a staff of five prior to the grant retraction last year, according to L\u00f3pez. The center has also seen its fair share of leadership transitions, most recently in 2024 and again in 2025 with former Executive Director Bridg\u00e9tt Rangel-Rexford stepping down in September. L\u00f3pez has served as interim executive director during both transitions and recognizes the need for more operational funding as the center seeks new leadership and to develop supporting roles like HR and fundraising.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s more opportunity for program-specific funding,\u201d L\u00f3pez says, pointing to a lack of funds that go toward personnel and organizational management. \u201cThat\u2019s been the big challenge, that the commitment for the organization to be kept running is much larger than what we are able to afford. And so, I think, for our board and also our volunteers, it\u2019s also realizing that aspect of, how do we make sure that we have a structure that\u2019s also taking care of the people and not burning them out.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the challenges, L\u00f3pez sees this time as an opportunity for growth, and adds that investment \u2014 both from funders at large and community involvement \u2014 continue to be key.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGiving back financially is a big aspect of help, but oftentimes, too, sharing our posts or spreading the word \u2026 those aspects go a long ways in terms of the possibility of supporting monetarily,\u201d she says, adding, \u201cI would say, always continue to show up.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n ~ Katerina Graziosi, Solving Sacramento<\/p>\n This story was funded by the City of Sacramento\u2019s Arts and Creative Economy Journalism Grant to Solving Sacramento<\/a>. Following our journalism code of ethics and protocols, the city had no editorial influence over this story and no city official reviewed this story before it was published. Our partners include California Groundbreakers, CapRadio, Hmong Daily News, Russian America Media, Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento News & Review and Sacramento Observer. Sign up for our \u201cSac Art Pulse\u201d newsletter here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Sena Christian, Keyshawn Davis, Cristian Gonzalez, Lindsay Oxford, Marie-Elena Schembri, Macy Yang, Katerina Graziosi Ask anyone what…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":173213,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[47110,121,123,122],"class_list":{"0":"post-173212","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sacramento","8":"tag-celebration-arts","9":"tag-sacramento","10":"tag-sacramento-headlines","11":"tag-sacramento-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=173212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/173212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/173213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=173212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=173212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=173212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Richard](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SolvingSac_TeNa_1_.jpg\")
Richard Falcon founded the Latinx theater nonprofit Teatro Nagual on the principles and work of activist Cesar Chavez. (Photo courtesy of Richard Falcon)<\/p>\n