Micha Scott has been named the 2026 Santa Cruz County artist of the year by the county’s arts commission.
Scott is a professional dancer, choreographer and teacher who has performed on stages around the world as a 13-year member of Garth Fagan Dance.
The annual award is presented to local artists for outstanding achievement in the disciplines of performing, visual or literary arts who also have made a substantial contribution to the cultural enrichment of Santa Cruz County.
Since moving from New York to Santa Cruz in 2008, Scott has been involved in the local dance community, with particular focus on being an advocate for Black youth dance.
Since 2011, she has been the artistic director of the Tannery World Dance and Cultural Center (TWDCC). In 2021, she also became the executive director, using her roles to highlight the artistic traditions passed on to her by dance pioneer Garth Fagan.
In 2022, Scott started the annual Deep Roots Dance Fest, bringing artists of the African diaspora to perform original contemporary dances rooted in their traditional forms to Santa Cruz stages.
Scott served on the grants panels at Arts Council Santa Cruz County from 2021 to 2025, on the California Arts Council in 2023-24 and recently served as a guest panelist for The Great Cabrillo Arts Design Challenge at Cabrillo College. She has secured more than $120,000 in grants over the past four years to bolster TWDCC’s youth scholarship program.
For information on previous artist of the year winners, visit the Santa Cruz County Parks website.
A profile performance will be held at the Museum of Art & History on June 5 from 7 to 9 p.m. Admission is free, though seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis the night of the event.
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