A voice for the arts

Supervisor Kuehl appoints Agoura resident to the county arts commission



AN EYE FOR BEAUTY—Constance Jolcuvar, an ar t consultant, has been appointed to the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

AN EYE FOR BEAUTY—Constance Jolcuvar, an ar t consultant, has been appointed to the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.

Agoura Hills art consultant Constance Jolcuvar was appointed to the Los Angeles County Arts Commission by new Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl last month.

Jolcuvar, a former documentary producer and costume designer known for topping the heads of celebrities with one-of-a-kind hats, has been a volunteer art consultant for the City of Agoura Hills for more than four years.

Her duties with the commission will focus on identifying people and groups to receive monetary grants to support their work. Some restrictions apply— only nonprofit artists will be eligible for grants, and public art and art education projects will move to the head of the line as possible grant recipients.

“ It is the arts that bring that extra layer of value to the community,” Jolcuvar said. “The arts give a community a voice—it gives people hope and a different kind of personal development and freedom.”

Jolcuvar and the city’s Cultural Arts Council have been helping the city finetune the visibility of art in Agoura Hills for several years on a shoestring budget. Jolcuvar and the council have built programs through the city’s department of community services, helped position the city as a budding artists’ hub with commissioned sculptures—there are two at the new recreation center—and created an array of programs centered around the annual Reyes Adobe Days.

“I am beyond excited,” Jolcuvar said of her new role with the arts commission. “It’s such an honor.”

She said people often assume that the L.A. County art scene doesn’t need any funding.

“That’s not true,” she said. “I believe the commission can be helpful in furthering the arts here in a positive way.

Jolcuvar is particularly interested in promoting art education programs throughout the county.

Kuehl said Jolcuvar was chosen for the position because of her artistic sensibility, her commitment to civic affairs and her keen business acumen.

“As an artist, milliner for so many productions, costumer for several summer Olympics, smallbusiness woman and spark plug behind the Reyes Adobe Days and the Art Scene, Connie has shown a deep understanding of the roles of entrepreneurial artists,” Kuehl said. “She will bring a civic engagement focus to the commission.”

Grant applications begin in September. To qualify for a grant, an artist must have an established nonprofit status for two years.

“We fund projects large and small, from the building of the Motion Picture Academy’s museum to a small dance company,” Jolcuvar said. “I like to think of myself as an ambassador. I will go around the community letting people know what’s available and how to go about it.”

Most applicants receive some amount of funding, although the amount of money granted is up to the commissioners to decide.

Jolcuvar has been running the Creative Hub in Agoura Hills for several years. The production company provides design work, creative consultations and production services to industries such as fashion, art, film, television and live entertainment.

Due to Jolcuvar’s influence, the Agoura Hills Department of Community Services devotes about $12,000 per year to the arts. The arts council identifies projects and programs for the year.

For grant information, visit: Organizational grant program at www.lacountyarts.org/grants; Civic art at www.lacountyarts.org/civicart; Arts education at www.lacountyartsforall.org; and Ford Theatres at the website www.fordtheatres.org.


THE MUSE—Constance Joculvar keeps sketches and ideas for her work in a frame at her Agoura Hills home.

THE MUSE—Constance Joculvar keeps sketches and ideas for her work in a frame at her Agoura Hills home.

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