In 2023, each of the Leadership Award recipients collaborated with artists to create a project that helped them share their community’s stories, connect with people in new ways, and draw attention to the issues that matter most to them. These creative collaborations allow their messages to stand out in a crowded media landscape, using the power of art to spark conversation, inspire change, and expand the reach of their work.
As artist and activist James Baldwin once said, “Art is a vehicle for social change, a way of challenging the status quo.” These projects illustrate how art can be a catalyst for shifting mindsets and driving systemic change, offering new perspectives on critical issues and inspiring scale and replication of the recipient’s work.
Place Where I Belong
Leadership Award Recipients: Blair Kreuzer and Delia Sharpe
Participating Artist(s): Christopher Nataanii Cegielski
Medium: Short Film
Content Advisory: This video contains mention of abandonment, isolation, and foster care system involvement. Video description: The documentary shows scenery from Humboldt county including redwood forests and a reconstructed Yurok village. The video shows a young woman, Wakara, leading cultural workshops and in community with friends and family.
Blair Kreuzer and California Tribal Families Coalition (CTFC) decided to produce a short documentary highlighting the Indian Child Welfare Act’s (ICWA) positive impact on tribal families’ well-being. Navajo filmmaker Christopher Nataanii Cegielski directed the film, which features Wakara Scott. Scott descends from a rich tapestry of tribal heritages, including Yurok, Karuk, Siletz, Tolowa, and Tohono O’odham. The film showcases ICWA’s role in supporting tribal family resilience, aiming to raise awareness and reinforce advocacy efforts for ICWA. CTFC plans to use the short film as an educational tool during workshops, and other engagements with policymakers, county workers, and tribal leaders.
Everyone Deserves A Fair Wage
Leadership Award Recipient: Saru Jayaraman
Participating Artist(s): Tre Borden / Co
Medium: App
Video description: The documentary shows a billboard truck driving through a city with graphic art messages about minimum wage and the cost of living. Restaurant employees are shown working, and people gather in the streets with signs to advocate for fair wages.
Saru Jayaraman and One Fair Wage worked with the Awards team to produce a digital app for visualizing and comparing living wages across communities, alongside an animated slideshow displayed on LED trucks. The display was unveiled in the fall of 2023 at an event in Los Angeles, CA with the California Living Wage for All Coalition. The accompanying digital billboard created an engaging, educational tool through which the organization can activate participants in events. Specifically, the tool will collect user data and create opportunities to educate Californians on the disparity between current wages and living wages in their geographic area.
Voices from State Prison
Leadership Award Recipient: Dorsey Nunn
Participating Artist(s): Tre Borden / Co
Medium: Guerilla Projection
Content Advisory: This video contains mention of suicide, dismemberment, and workplace injuries. Video description: The documentary shows art projected onto buildings at night in Sacramento. The art depicts the experiences and testimonies of people forced to work in prisons.
A guerrilla projection art project, called “Voices from State Prison,” aims to help Dorsey Nunn and Legal Services for Prisoners with Children advocate for dignity and freedom for people affected by incarceration. The initial concept aimed to raise awareness about the exploitative labor practices in prisons by displaying the art and personal stories of incarcerated individuals on billboards. However, billboard operators canceled the campaign despite initially accepting it. In response, the team pivoted to projecting the prisoners’ artwork and letters onto significant buildings in Sacramento, including the state capitol, the county jail, and the headquarters of the billboard operators. This protest amplified the voices of incarcerated workers, who, despite contributing billions to the economy, are forced to work for free, highlighting the urgent need for justice and reform.
The New Beginning
Leadership Award Recipient: Chris Contreras
Participating Artist(s): Hedy Torres
Medium: Mural
Image description: The image shows a mural of narcissus flowers covering the front of the Temple Apartments development.
“New Beginnings” is a mural project created to honor the launch of Brilliant Corners’ new Alvarado & Temple Apartments in Los Angeles’s Westlake community. Designed by Brilliant Corners staff artist Hedy Torres, the mural is both a celebration of place and a tribute to the people who will soon call it home.
The design features narcissus flowers, long associated with renewal, to represent the promise of a fresh start. The mural transforms the building’s exterior into a symbol of hope and resilience, generating conversation about the importance of affordable housing in creating strong, inclusive communities.
Replate
Leadership Award Recipient: Maen Mahfoud
Medium: Digital Activation
Image description: The image shows an example of the Replate dashboard on the homepage of their website.
A digital activation campaign led by Replate set out to transform how Californians engage with food waste and recovery. With direct funding support, Replate launched an initiative to boost stakeholder awareness through search engine optimized content, designed to reach businesses and communities across the state.
Project Moving Forward
Leadership Award Recipient: Linda Ventriglia-Navarette
Medium: Digital Billboard Ads
Image description: The image shows 2023 Irvine Awards recipient Dr. Navarette
To reach more students and families, Project Moving Forward launched a digital billboard campaign spotlighting its innovative curriculum and beloved digital teacher, Mrs. Panda. The organization strategically placed ads to build awareness and momentum towards their goal of serving one million students by the end of the 2025–26 school year.