Ryman Carroll Foundation

RYMAN ARTS TRANSFROMS LIVES BY CREATING ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR A DIVERSE COMMUNITY OF YOUNG ARTISTS THROUGH RIGOROUS EDUCATION IN FUNDAMENTAL ART SKILLS AND MENTORING.

2023 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTSRYMAN ARTS EXPANDED ITS COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES AND SPECIAL OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP STUDENTS TRANSITION TO COLLEGE AND BEYOND. NEARLY 800 STUDENTS, ALUMNI, AND THEIR FAMILIES PARTICIPATED IN THE FALL 2023 COLLEGE PREPARATION WEEKEND, A VIRTUAL TWO-DAY EVENT OF 34 SESSIONS, WHERE STAFF FROM COLLEGES AND ARTS SCHOOLS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY MET WITH RYMAN ARTS STUDENTS, REVIEWED PORTFOLIOS, AND HOSTED FINANCIAL AID AND OTHER WORKSHOPS FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS. ADDITIONALLY, OVER THE COURSE OF THE TWO SEMESTERS, STUDENTS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN FROM VISITING GUEST ARTISTS, RANGING FROM PROMINENT MID-CAREER ARTISTS TO PROFESSIONALS IN A VARIETY OF CREATIVE FIELDS.RYMAN ARTS DEEPENED ITS ALUMNI RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH WORKING WITH RYMAN ARTS ALUMNI WHO ARE IN THE CREATIVE WORKFORCE, ADDING A NEW LAYER TO OUR CAREER SERVICES AS OUR ALUMNI SERVE AS ROLE MODELS AND SHARE THEIR CAREERS IN THE ARTS WITH THE NEXT GENERATION. DURING THE SPRING 2023 CREATIVE CAREERS PROGRAM, RYMAN ARTS HAD 14 VIRTUAL AND IN-PERSON EVENTS OVER THE COURSE OF A MONTH. THE SESSION TOPICS RANGED FROM BALANCING A FREELANCE CAREER, TO THEME PARK DESIGN AND ENTERTAINMENT LICENSING. THE TOTAL ATTENDANCE FOR ALL EVENTS WAS 528, INCLUDING STUDENTS, ALUMNI, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.DRAWING ON RYMAN ARTS STRONG RELATIONSHIPS WITH EDUCATORS, COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND HIGH SCHOOLS IN LOW-INCOME COMMUNITIES, RYMAN ARTS WAS ABLE TO PROVIDE APPLICATION GUIDANCE AND PROGRAM ACCESS TO MORE UNDERSERVED YOUTH AND NEW COMMUNITIES THROUGH OUR OUTREACH INITIATIVE. IN 2023, RYMAN ARTS CONTINUED TO PROVIDE IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL OUTREACH PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS. THIS INCLUDED VIRTUAL INFORMATION SESSIONS, WHERE STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES JOIN ONLINE TO LEARN ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND HOW TO APPLY IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH, AND INVOLVEMENT IN VARIOUS VIRTUAL COMMUNITY EVENTS. WE BEGAN A MULTI-YEAR AGREEMENT WITH THE SANTA ANA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT(SAUSD) TO PROVIDE FREE PRESENTATIONS, ON-SITE DRAWING WORKSHOP, TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND VISITS TO CAL STATE FULLERTON, WITH THE GOAL OF CREATING A PIPELINE OF STUDENTS FROM SAUSD SCHOOLS TO THE RYMAN ARTS PROGRAM. THE COMBINED OUTREACH PROGRAMMING IN 2023 REACHED A TOTAL OF 1340 PEOPLE.RYMAN ARTS' COLLEGE ACCEPTANCE RATE CONTINUED TO REMAIN EXTREMELY HIGH WITH 97% OF STUDENTS REPORTING ON THEIR POST-HIGH SCHOOL PLANS CONFIRMING THAT THEY WOULD BE ATTENDING COLLEGE, A REAL ACCOMPLISHMENT IN OUR COMMUNITIES. STUDENTS WERE ACCEPTED TO COLLEGES ACROSS THE NATION, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING INSTITUTIONS: 10 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA CAMPUSES, 12 CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITIES, ARTCENTER COLLEGE OF DESIGN, CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS, CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY, DARTMOUTH COLLEGE, OTIS COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN, RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN, SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO, YALE UNIVERSITY, AND MANY MORE.