Venice Arts

VENICE ARTS' MISSION IS TO IGNITE, EXPAND, AND TRANSFORM THE LIVES OF LOS ANGELES' LOW-INCOME YOUTH THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY AND FILM EDUCATION, AND TO USE OUR PARTICIPATORY STORYTELLING PRACTICES TO AMPLIFY THE VOICES OF UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES AROUND THE WORLD.

ART MENTORING AND EDUCATION: IN 2021, VENICE ARTS' ENROLLED 350 LOW-INCOME YOUTH IN ART MENTORING AND EDUCATION'S SEQUENTIAL (BEGINNING TO ADVANCED STUDIES) PHOTOGRAPHY, FILMMAKING, ANIMATION, AND SEQUENTIAL ARTS (COMICS) PROGRAMS. WHILE THIS IS LOWER THAN THE 460 PARTICIPANTS WE TYPICALLY ENROLL-A REFLECTION OF COVID SAFETY PROTOCOLS PUT IN PLACE TO PROVIDE IN-PERSON SERVICES-WE REMAINED ONE OF THE ONLY CREATIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATIONS IN LOS ANGELES WORKING WITH YOUNG PEOPLE ON-SITE. WE ELECTED TO RETURN TO ON-SITE WORK IN JUNE 2020 TO HELP REDUCE THE SOCIAL ISOLATION THAT SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING. IN ADDITION TO OUR MEDIA ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMS, YOUTH ALSO RECEIVED: A.1:1 MENTORING AND SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL AWARDS AND COMPETITIONS. 21 WERE RECEIVED, INCLUDING A MELLON UNDERGRADUATE CURATORIAL FELLOWSHIP AT LACMA. B.3 FULL SCHOLARSHIPS TO SUMMER PROGRAMS AT OTIS COLLEGE OF ART & DESIGN. C.1 FULL SCHOLARSHIP TO IDYLLWILD ARTS' TWO-WEEK SUMMER ARTS RESIDENCY. D.SUPPORT FOR COLLEGE, INCLUDING TWO COLLEGE DAYS, COLLEGE COUNSELING, AND 1:1 SUPPORT WITH PERSONAL ESSAYS AND NAVIGATING THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS. 100% OF OUR ADVANCED STUDIES GRADUATES WENT ON TO COLLEGE-MOST ELECTING TO ATTEND REMOTELY-AND MOST OF WHOM WERE THE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILIES TO ATTEND COLLEGE. OUR PARTICIPANTS WERE RACIALLY/ETHNICALLY DIVERSE (85% YOUTH OF COLOR), AND 98% WERE LOW-INCOME, WITH 53% OF FAMILIES LIVING IN POVERTY. FORTY-EIGHT PERCENT (48%) LIVED IN NEIGHBORHOODS WITH HIGH POCKETS OF POVERTY ON LOS ANGELES' WESTSIDE AND 52% CAME FROM THROUGHOUT LOS ANGELES, WITH MOST RESIDING IN SOUTH L.A., INGLEWOOD, AND MID-CITY, AND SOME TRAVELING FROM AS FAR AS NORWALK, THE ANTELOPE VALLEY, AND THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY TO PARTICIPATE. 100% OF LOW-INCOME YOUTH ATTENDED VENICE ARTS COMPLETELY FREE-OF-CHARGE.

CENTER FOR CREATIVE WORKFORCE EQUITY: IN DECEMBER 2020, WE WERE CONTRACTED BY LOS ANGELES COUNTY'S BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND ITS WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT DIVISION (WDACS) TO BUILD AN INNOVATIVE FILM AND DIGITAL MEDIA CAREER PATHWAYS PILOT (FDM) SERVING SOME OF LA'S MOST DISENFRANCHISED YOUNG PEOPLE. THE FDM PILOT PROVIDED AN OPPORTUNITY FOR VENICE ARTS TO SCALE UP ITS EXISTING CREATIVE PATHWAYS PROGRAMS, AND TO BEGIN TO BUILD-OUT ITS CENTER FOR CREATIVE WORKFORCE EQUITY. THE FDM TARGETED LOW-INCOME, CREATIVE YOUNG PEOPLE AGES 16-24, WITH PRIORITY GIVEN TO FORMER OR CURRENT FOSTER, HOMELESS, JUSTICE INVOLVED, AND/OR LGBTQ YOUTH. 425 YOUNG PEOPLE ENROLLED IN CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS, A SERIES OF VIRTUAL CREATIVE CAREER PRESENTATIONS, JOB SHADOWS, AND FIELD TRIPS THAT WAS THE FIRST LEVEL OF THIS 4-LEVEL PROGRAM. YOUTH PARTICIPATED FROM EACH OF THE COUNTY'S 5 COUNTY DISTRICTS, AND AN AVERAGE OF 200 YOUTH ATTENDED EACH OF 13 EVENTS, INCLUDING A PRESENTATION ON INTERVIEW AND RSUM PREP WITH UNITED TALENT AGENCY'S (UTA) HR TEAM; SOUND DESIGN IN POST-PRODUCTION WITH DISNEY'S VP OF POST AND HER LEAD SOUND DESIGNER; AN ANIMATION PANEL FROM DREAMWORKS; A PRESENTATION ON THE ANIMATION PIPELINE BY SONY; A WORKSHOP ON SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY WITH SNAP; GAME DESIGN WITH RIOT; WORKING AS A TEAM TO PRODUCE CONTENT WITH A NATIONAL ADVERTISING FIRM MOTIVE; AND ARTISTS, DIRECTORS, AND PRODUCERS WORKING IN BOTH NARRATIVE AND DOCUMENTARY FILM AND TELEVISION. THIS VIRTUAL SERIES WAS FOLLOWED BY AN IMMERSIVE "BOOTCAMP- AND AN INTENSIVE 12-WEEK TRAINING PROGRAM-149 PARTICIPANTS APPLIED FOR ONLY 30 SLOTS-IN SHORT-FORM VIDEO CONTENT CREATION. 100% OF PARTICIPANTS WERE LOW- INCOME; 40% FROM AFOREMENTIONED PRIORITY GROUPS; AND 37% BLACK AND 37% LATINX, WITH THE BALANCE REPRESENTING A DIVERSE CROSS-SECTION OF YOUNG PEOPLE; 14% IDENTIFIED AS NONBINARY, WITH THE BALANCE EVENLY DIVIDED BETWEEN FEMALES AND MALES. THE TRAINING PROGRAM BUILT STUDENTS' KNOWLEDGE AND TECHNICAL PROFICIENCIES IN STORYTELLING, AND PRE-PRODUCTION, PRODUCTION, AND POSTPRODUCTION IN VIDEO CONTENT CREATION. TWENTY-TWO (22) PARTICIPANTS WERE PLACED IN PAID INTERNSHIPS AT COMPANIES ACROSS THE CREATIVE SECTOR, AND SEVERAL WERE HIRED FOR FULL-TIME, PERMANENT POSITIONS. VENICE ARTS ALSO RESEARCHED, WROTE, AND PUBLISHED A REPORT FOR LA COUNTY TITLED, "EXPANSION OF PRE/APPRENTICESHIPS INTO THE FILM & DIGITAL MEDIA INDUSTRY,- AND IS BUILDING OUT THE COUNTY'S FIRST CREATIVE SECTOR PRE- APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING PROGRAM IN FALL 2022.

GALLERY & PUBLIC PROGRAMS: IN 2021, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF SOME VIRTUAL PROGRAMMING, VENICE ARTS' EXHIBITIONS AND PUBLIC PROGRAMS REMAINED DORMANT DUE TO THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC.

PARTICIPATORY DOCUMENTARY PROGRAMS: IN 2021, VENICE ARTS' PARTICIPATORY DOCUMENTARY PROGRAMS, LARGELY COMPRISED OF CONSULTING AND TRAINING SERVICES TO OTHER NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, FOUNDATIONS, AND COMMUNITY GROUPS WERE LARGELY CURTAILED BY THE GLOBAL COVID-19 PANDEMIC.