Evonne Gallardo ’96

Much of Evonne Gallardo ’96’s professional life is guided by her personal mantra: “I love art, but I love artists more.”

Her work demonstrates this dedication every day. Gallardo is a senior program director at Community Partners, a national nonprofit based in Los Angeles that connects public and private funders with individuals and organizations working for social change. A lifelong advocate for artists, she’s worked in arts and culture management for more than two decades, and is driven by her love for the artists and their creative processes.

“Artists and art are not the icing on the cake,” Gallardo says. “To me, they are essential for any healthy society.”

Gallardo develops programs to connect working artists with resources that support their work in their communities. Most recently, she collaborated with the California Arts Council to lead the California Creative Corps for Los Angeles and Orange Counties, which gave $100,000 each to 33 artists and culture bearers — those who carry on cultural traditions and practices like food, film and dance — who live or work in historically underserved and underinvested communities in Southern California. Their work centers on themes like public health, civic engagement, climate change and social justice; the grants allowed them to pursue these projects without needing to worry about living expenses for a year. The artists were also able to pay volunteers who’d been helping them with their work, leading to job creation and greater community engagement with their art and cultural practices.

The fellowship ended in 2024, but Gallardo continues to work on sustaining the program and is still in touch with the artists who received grants, especially in the aftermath of this year’s wildfires in Los Angeles. As grantees worked in their communities to help those who were affected, Gallardo said, their response highlights the essential role of artists in times of crisis.

“In our sector, we often say artists are second responders in times of crisis,” she says. “Artists work in tandem with first responders in a way that serves our spirits and mental health.”

— Emily Dreihaus