Above photo: 2024 Art Project for The Source LGBT+ Center
The James Irvine Foundation is building on its commitment to creative storytelling by continuing to elevate the voices of its Leadership Award recipients through art. What began as a pilot project has now grown into maturity in its fourth year—one that blends community advocacy with creativity to help recipients reach new audiences in powerful ways.
These collaborations highlight the urgency of the issues they champion, while also opening fresh ways for communities to connect, reflect, and imagine what’s possible.
We’re excited to share a glimpse into the projects that are taking shape this year:
Annenberg Inclusion Initiative
Leadership Award Recipients: Stacy L. Smith
Participating Artist(s): Tre Borden / Co
Completion Timeline: Spring 2026
Medium: To Be Announced
An upcoming campaign will spotlight new research from Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. Building on their research in inclusion in the entertainment industry, the project will communicate findings and spark dialogue to inspire action. More details to be announced.
BLACK Wellness & Prosperity Center
Leadership Award Recipient(s): Shantay Davies-Balch
Participating Engineer(s): CRWN Magazine
Completion Timeline: Early 2026
Medium: Print and Digital Media
This project is a collaboration with CRWN Magazine exploring maternal health and the role of doulas. By blending firsthand stories with powerful visuals and detailed information, the guide will be the first comprehensive, visual resource covering the birth experience from this perspective.
Central California Environmental Justice Network
Leadership Award Recipient(s): Nayamin Martinez
Participating Artist(s): Tre Borden / Co
Completion Timeline: Early 2026
Medium: Immersive Installation
Through interactive storytelling this upcoming pop-up event will spotlight the daily dangers that farm workers face. The project will combine firsthand accounts with creative installations to deepen public understanding, spark conversation, and highlight the need for safer working conditions.
Hispanas Organized for Political Equality (HOPE)
Leadership Award Recipient(s): Helen Torres
Participating Artist(s): Camila Flaquez
Completion Timeline: Winter 2025
Medium: Photography
This new photo series is rooted in the leadership and vision of Latina communities. Developed with community input, it will imagine Latinas in a wide range of leadership roles and be shared online and at events to inspire, affirm, and expand the narrative of who leads.
LA County Library
Leadership Award Recipient(s): Skye Patrick
Participating Artist(s): NuSalt Lasers
Completion Timeline: Fall 2025
Medium: Light Installation
Image description: A light installation reading “All Titles Welcome” on the side of the Library.
At the LA County Writers Festival, an immersive light installation will celebrate the power of storytelling and community imagination, honor local voices, and invite reflection on shared histories and futures. During the event, attendees can create and take home a special tote bag celebrating the literary works most meaningful to them.
Rou Dalagurr Food Sovereignty Lab & Traditional Ecological Knowledges Institute
Leadership Award Recipient(s): Cutcha Risling Baldy & Kaitlin Reed
Participating Artist(s): Tre Borden / Co
Completion Timeline: Spring 2026
Medium: Wood, Paint, Screens
An art installation at Cal Poly Humboldt campus, guided by Indigenous knowledges and deep ties to place. The temporary work will honor a buried stream and reconnect the campus with its original landscape and the stories that flow through it.
Check back here as the projects continue—new updates will be shared over the next few months!
Learn more about the 2025 Award recipients here.