The California Art Supply Mutual Aid Network aims to foster solidarity in our changing world, and highlight the vital role of art in the human experience.
We believe that effective methods for preserving, organizing, and equitably distributing art supplies are crucial for our communities and the planet, especially during times of crisis. We recognize that personal circumstances and limited access to resources can often lead to an increased dependence on expensive or unobtainable materials.
Our conscious effort is to support our state’s inhabitants’ access to creative information or materials.
In 2023, funded by the California Arts Council, Sacramento-based arts nonprofit Broad Room launched the California Art Supply Mutual Aid Training Program. Its goal was to shape a sustained network of people working with their communities to provide art supplies at no cost. The training included individuals, groups, and pre-existing organizations from areas such as Long Beach, San Francisco, Truckee, providing mentorship and focusing on community building.
Today, participants from the training program are working together as the California Art Supply Mutual Aid Network. Our aim is to create new channels of communication between neighboring counties and strengthen pre-existing bonds to facilitate resource sharing, redistribute art supplies, minimize waste through sustainable practices, and provide online assistance to each other as needed.
Thank you to the CAASMA committee members who are working behind the scenes and dedicating their time to maintaining the platforms that the California Art Supply Mutual Aid Network to relies on – from this website, to the Discord server where peer support and organizing work takes place.
Vannia is located in Riverside, CA. Her primary responsibilities within the CAASMA committee include facilitating committee meetings and progression toward project milestones. Vannia is a therapist and artist who founded Mental State Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit that includes the Mental State Free Art Supply as one of its programs. When she is not working or participating in Mental State or CAASMA activities, Vannia likes to sing/write music, write short science fiction, paint, and learn.
Claire is the Founder of Broad Room Creative Collective, home of the Free Art Supply Closet, in Sacramento. Claire is a community organizer and creative with a passion for mutual aid. As a member of CAASMA, Claire has taken on the administrative tasks of facilitating All-Member meetings, supporting committees, and bookkeeping. In her free time, Claire enjoys reading (mostly socialist non-fiction) and playing cozy games. Claire is the Founder of Broad Room Creative Collective, home of the Free Art Supply Closet, in Sacramento. Claire is a community organizer and creative with a passion for mutual aid. As a member of CAASMA, Claire has taken on the administrative tasks of facilitating All-Member meetings, supporting committees, and bookkeeping. In her free time, Claire enjoys reading (mostly socialist non-fiction) and playing cozy games.
Sedona Patterson-Smith is the program lead for the Free Art Supply Pantry at the Third Space Art Collective in Davis, California. Serving her community is important to her, as a writer and visual artist with CAASMA, she has further developed administrative and organizational skills essential for supporting artists' creative processes. When not working, Sedona enjoys socializing, creating art, and cooking.
Love is a multidisciplinary artist and community organizer whose creative practice bridges art, mutual aid, and accessibility. With experience in radio, public art, and workshop facilitation at her local maker space, she fosters connection through collaborative making and shared resources. As part of the California Art Supply Mutual Aid Network, Love is committed to supporting artists with limited access to materials, promoting creativity as a collective and healing force.