The Arts Council of Placer County (ACPC) recently chose the Hacker Lab in Rocklin as their new home, which is fitting: The space is a mesmerizing two floors of worktables, wires, wood, and ingenuity, making up a medley of unique and fascinating works in progress.

ACPC recently rebranded and has been looking for ways to better connect with local artists. This relocation places their main office in a concentrated hub of activity and a more central county location.

“We’re the designated local arts partner for Placer County and the California Arts Council. ACPC brings all art organizations together, and we’ve done a good job of that so far,” ACPC Executive Director Jim Crosthwaite said.

ACPC serves the communities of Placer County by presenting quality visual arts exhibits, tours and events. The organization also offers Community Arts Grants to support the work of artists in the region.

One of these grants went to the City of Rocklin’s “Off the Rails” mining cart public art project in celebration of the City’s 125^th anniversary. Artists submitted designs and budgets to transform plain carts and five were chosen to create their masterpieces. The completed works of art have been unveiled and will be installed around the community later this year.

Twiana Armstrong-Bryant, the Chair of Rocklin’s Parks, Recreation, and Arts Commission, was appreciative of the grant that helped make “Off the Rails” possible and sees great value in ACPC’s relocation and work in the community.

“Hacker Lab is a concentrated database of art, and the relocation compliments what ACPC is trying to do. Jim is focusing on the students and hearing their voices,” Armstrong-Bryant said.

With ACPC now at the Hacker Lab, artists of traditional painting and sculpting mediums are more easily able to join forces with a new generation of artists, typically dubbed as “makers.” Makers use a variety of different and new mediums, especially pieces with electronic components.

“We’re molding traditional painters and the new style of art makers,” Crosthwaite said. “ACPC recognizes all different mediums of art, and we’re stretching artists to try something new.”

An example of this is the Placer Artists Gallery, a partnership with Hacker Lab and Sierra College’s maker spaces. The public art display is rotated every three months, and it gives students and other users of the Hacker Lab opportunities to showcase their work.

ACPC receives approximately 75 percent of its funding from Placer County and the California Arts Council. Important funding also comes from sponsorships during the Arts Studio Tour and other donations. Last year, the organization provided $85,000 in grants to artists, with $80,000 in awards planned for 2019.