By City Hearts: Kids Say Yes to the Arts | Project Leader
Over the course of the 2024-2025 school year, City Hearts will have taken nearly 500 young people from inner-city Title 1 public schools in Los Angeles County on 16 transformative field trips. Exploring the world-class Arts institutions of Los Angeles, students have journeyed across the county—from the Westside to Downtown to Pasadena—immersing themselves in inspiring creative spaces.
Students have toured The Hammer Museum, known for its cutting-edge contemporary exhibitions and commitment to social justice in the Arts; MOCA, home to one of the most significant collections of postwar contemporary Art; A Noise Within Theatre, a classical repertory theatre renowned for its dynamic interpretations of Shakespeare and other canonical works; and LACMA, the largest Art museum in the western U.S., offering an expansive collection spanning centuries and cultures.
Most of our students (94%) reported that their City Hearts field trip was their first time visiting that cultural venue—a testament to the lack of access these young learners typically face. These opportunities expose young people to new ideas, cultures, and possibilities beyond the classroom.
Even more, City Hearts recognizes that within Arts-underserved schools, students with special needs receive even less access to Arts programs. To address this, City Hearts provides a scaffolded, year-long, project-based 4th-grade SPED Visual Arts program. Students celebrated their learning with a visit to MOCA, where they explored the works of pop artist Claes Oldenburg, making real-world connections between their classroom projects and the professional Art world.
During our tour of MOCA Grand Ave’s “Long Story Short” exhibition, 5th graders engaged deeply with a range of contemporary artists, including Barbara Kruger, Jackson Pollock, and Robert Rauschenberg. One of the most impactful moments was their discussion of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s triptych “Six Crimee.” Initially, students described the figures as zombie-like and noted the numbered grids that reminded them of playground games. As they spent more time with the piece, their interpretations deepened—recognizing themes of innocence, injustice, and the lack of autonomy implied by the missing facial mouths and ears on some of the figures.
At The Hammer Museum, students gained a firsthand look at contemporary Art in all its forms—from trash sculptures to paintings tackling modern social issues to an evolving, time-based piece actively being created by bees. One of the most exciting moments was an impromptu artist talk with L.A. native Ron Finley, creator of the Gangsta Garden housed at The Hammer and known for his urban gardening activism. Growing up in the same neighborhood as our students, he spoke about self-worth, resilience, and turning obstacles into superpowers—messages that resonated deeply with students, many of whom referenced his words after the field trip was over.
At a time when Arts education is under threat and opportunities for students to learn beyond the classroom are increasingly rare, City Hearts is ensuring that young people experience the power of creative expression firsthand. Our classroom partners emphasize how urgent and necessary these experiences are for young learners—providing exposure, inspiration, and a bridge to career pathways in the Arts.
Los Angeles is home to one of the richest and most diverse creative industries in the world, yet too often, access to these spaces is limited to those with wealth and high profile connections. From fine arts and photography to theatre, music, and design, the city's vast cultural landscape should be a resource for all, not just a select few. City Hearts is committed to breaking down these barriers, ensuring that every student, regardless of economic status or where they’ve grown up in the city, has access to a lifetime of cultural experiences—because the next generation of artists, innovators, and storytellers should keep reflecting the diversity of the city itself.
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By Charles Maceo Thornhill | Executive Director
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