Local artist awarded upstate individual artists fellowship

Placer County local Ray Gonzales has been selected as one of 15 fellows across California's Upstate Region to receive a prestigious Upstate Individual Artists Fellowship. Administered by Nevada County Arts & Culture in partnership with the California Arts Council, the fellowship delivers unrestricted funding directly to individual artists and culture bearers at key moments in their careers. Gonzales, an established ceramic artist, community organizer and long-time art professor at Sierra College, was born in Auburn. His home and studio are located in Lincoln. Gonzales was awarded a $50,000 award in the top Legacy tier in recognition of his work in the Visual Arts. Gonzales replied, "I've always known I was going to be an Artist and that clay was the way. My personal Artworks are inspired by memories, observations, wishes and influences. The Art in Public Places commissions I've completed all tell a story of the community they are located in. This fellowship will provide the resources to deepen and continue that commitment to continue this work to a broader audience." The 2026 cohort honors exceptional creative vision, aesthetic excellence, and deep community impact spanning visual, performing, literary, media, traditional and Indigenous arts disciplines across Northern California. The selection process involved months of regional outreach and a rigorous multi-round peer review process evaluating 243 submissions. "It is an honor to serve the state in this way, and we are pleased that in this cycle we were able to ensure that the Upstate Region would be funded more generously than in past cycles," says Eliza Tudor, Executive Director at Nevada County Arts & Culture. "Investing directly in artists and culture bearers is foundational to the health and vitality of our entire region. Unrestricted funding empowers artists at pivotal career moments - providing the freedom and stability needed to deepen their creative practices, sustain ancestral traditions, and continue uplifting the cultural and civic fabric of California's rural and mountain communities." Speaking on the competitive nature of the award, Sofia Vivanco Airaghi, Grants Manager for the Upstate Individual Artists Fellowship, noted: "Evaluating these applications through a rigorous peer review process revealed the sheer depth, diversity and resilience of Northern California's artistic workforce. We couldn't be more proud to uplift this remarkable cohort of 15 fellows as leaders and changemakers in their communities." Gonzales states, "I am both honored and humbled to be recognized and selected for this prestigious fellowship. This support will allow me to continue the hard work of personal, public and community art engagement as well as further my opportunities to travel abroad for research and further studies that I can then bring back home to share with our region." To learn more about Ray Gonzales work, visit raygonzalesartworks.com and Instagram: raygonzalesartworks. To view the full list of 2026 Upstate Individual Artist Fellows, visit www.upstateiaf.org/2026fellows.