The Central Coast Coalition of Arts Leaders presents the inaugural Spark the Arts Festival, which features a variety of events held between April and June. The purpose of the festival is "to ultimately reinvigorate local arts groups as they return to in-person events," according to press materials from the coalition—which was founded by Anna James Miller, executive director of the SLO Symphony, and Chris Miller, managing director of the PAC—as "a way to foster collaboration and increase communication between SLO County arts organizations and venues."

Participating organizations in the festival include Arts Obispo, Ballet Theatre SLO, Cal Poly Arts, Cal Poly Performing Arts Department, Cambria Center for the Arts, Canzona Women's Ensemble, the Clark Center for the Performing Arts, Cuesta Concord Chorus, Festival Mozaic, Opera SLO, Paso Robles Youth Arts Center, SLO Rep, and several other groups.

"This festival takes place at a critical juncture in this return-to-stage season for our local performing groups, as we try to end the fiscal year in a strong cash position and launch next season," Anna James Miller said in a statement. "Last year's shuttered events impacted each group in some way, whether through budget cuts, reduced staffing, inability to hold annual fundraisers, and of course, empty stages across the country."

For the full event lineup, event tickets, and more info on the Spark the Arts Festival, visit sparktheartsfestival.org. Δ