Teaching arts to 28,000 students in Los Angeles

During the fall of 2011, 56 LA’s BEST After School Enrichment Program sites celebrated the accomplishments of children in some of After School Arts Program’s (ASAP) most ambitious and diverse residencies yet!  ASAP Culminating events showcased the talents of children and were attended by hundreds of friends and family members.  Children at Bradley Magnet and Cienega Elementary learned the fundamentals of drawing with ASAP instructor Kenneth Beavers; for their culmination, these young artists exhibited self portraits and colorful still lives.  At Flournoy and Weigand Elementary children were introduced to theatre and teamwork through residencies designed and led by Franklin Performing Arts.

Also in the fall, students from Cabrillo visited Slanguage Studio and participated in workshops led by Slanguage artists and founders Karla Diaz and Mario Ybarra Jr.  (Slanguage is an artist group headquartered in Wilmington, California, a harbor area of Los Angeles.  Currently, members make art, produce events, lead art-education workshops, curate and exhibit their work throughout the world.)  Slanguage residencies are among some of the newest ASAP programs which will be being offered at LA's BEST sites, others include; drum-circle percussion, collegiate step, contemporary dance and chorus.

ASAP residencies consist of professional artist-educators providing one hour workshops in either the visual or performing arts for two groups of children, twice weekly for ten weeks.  Each artist-educator designs and submits a unique residency curriculum that is aligned to the California Visual and Performing Arts Content Standards.  The residency plan is then reviewed by ASAP staff to ensure it is consistent with the programming standards of LA's BEST.  The current selection of residencies is varied and includes costume design, popular dance, print-making, Latin percussion, Cameroonian dance, sculpture, painting, drawing, mask making, Polynesian dance and photography.   Once a residency has been approved, Traveling and Site Staff work with an ASAP Arts Coordinator to place the residency at a site.

Although school is out of session for most students during the summer months, children involved in LA’s BEST have many opportunities to continue to develop academic and social skills and knowledge while having fun in a safe and supervised, engaging and encouraging environment.   During the period of July 1, 2011 to September 30, 2011, LA’s BEST After School Arts Program (ASAP) provided more than 60 professional artist/educator lead visual and performing arts residencies benefiting 2,500 children ages five to 12 who attend under-resourced public schools, reside in low-income communities, and would otherwise lack access to arts education and exposure.  Moreover, LA’s BEST leadership staff and partners in arts education planned for the upcoming school year, which includes expanding the ASAP String Project at one site and launching the Project at an additional site, so up to 100 more children in need will receive classical music education and instrumental instruction this academic year.

Over the summer LA’s BEST partnered with an organization called “Found Animals”, and participated in the “Animals Are Our Friends” Campaign, which engaged children in conversations about the important roles animals play in our lives and the need for people to treat animals with compassion.  LA’s BEST ASAP students at 131 sites contributed over 1,000 works of art which illustrate the message, “Animals Are Our Friends”.  Further, in partnership with the Skirball Cultural Center, LA’s BEST ASAP students helped paint 100 foam animals that were part of a Noah’s Arc exhibit.

During the reporting period, students in the LA’s BEST After School Arts Program visited a number of exciting locations to experience and enjoy art first hand, including the Norton Simon Museum of Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Tolerance, La Plaza de Cultura y Artes, and the Skirball Cultural Center.