720 Kohler Street, Los Angeles, CA 90021 | 213.627.9621 | Fax: 213.627.6469 | Map | inner-cityarts.org
A: Inner-City Arts is a non-profit arts education center that was founded in 1989 to enrich the lives of inner-city children through a total arts program. Since 1989, Inner-City Arts has provided over 100,000 students the opportunity to explore the arts through hands-on activities taught by working artists in real studio environments.
Q: Why was Inner-City Arts founded?
A: In the late 1970s, arts instruction was eliminated from Los Angeles public schools. Believing in the positive impact the arts can have on individuals and communities, co-founders Bob Bates and Irwin Jaeger established the center in order to restore arts education to children in and around Los Angeles’ inner-city neighborhoods.
Q: What kinds of classes are offered at Inner-City Arts?
A: Classes and workshops are offered in visual arts, ceramics, dance, music, drama and animation. All classes are free of charge to the children.
Q: How often do students attend classes?
A: Elementary school students are bused to Inner-City Arts during their regular school day, twice per week. For the duration of the 7 to 10-week session, they receive 75 minutes of instruction in one art form, each time they visit.
Q: How many children does Inner-City Arts serve and who are they?
Up to 450 children a day receive exceptional instruction in the visual and performing arts. Many of our students are classified as homeless by the local school district and 100% of the children we serve participate in Title I free or reduced lunch programs. To qualify for the program, a single parent with one child must earn less than $12,830 annually.
Q: How do Inner-City Arts’ programs impact the children served?
A recent evaluation of Inner-City Arts programs by the University of California Los Angeles provided conclusive evidence that classes whose children and teachers actively participate in Inner-City Arts’ programs scored up to 26% higher in areas such as Math, Reading and English on the Stanford 9 test than did children who had no association with Inner-City Arts.
We also provide instruction for 6 th graders during intersession. Each day for five weeks, students in our Middle School project come for a four-hour intensive program that includes visual and performing arts, as well as a strong language arts component.
Q: Where do the Inner-City Arts students come from?
A: Currently, more than 30 local elementary schools participate in programs. Students from two middle schools are served via our 6 th grade AIM (Arts in the Middle) Project. Weekend programs serve 4 local high schools.
Q: How are classes selected to participate in Inner-City Arts?
A: Staff works closely with administrators at each of the schools currently involved in the program. School principals are responsible for identifying which classes from their schools will participate in each session. Students generally attend two sessions per year in two different art forms.
Q: Is there any way to sign up individual students for art classes at Inner-City Arts?
A: We currently do not offer individual classes for children, however we do offer an adult painting and drawing class twice a year. We also offer a high school animation class on Saturdays, which is open to any high school interested in learning more about animation. Check the events section of our website or contact us for a schedule of upcoming classes.
Q: How is Inner-City Arts funded?
A: Inner-City Arts relies on a combination of public and private funding and receives support from government sources, private foundations, businesses and individuals.
Q: What plans does Inner-City Arts have for the future?
A: In 2003 Inner-City Arts completed Phase 1 of a $10 million campus expansion campaign, in anticipation of a period of growth in the depth and scope of our services. A 10,000 sq ft. Visual Arts Complex was added to the existing 16,000 Performing Arts Center. Phase 2 will bring the addition of a second ceramics studio, a library resource center, a children’s garden and a theater.
A: Inner-City Arts encourages you to get involved by telling everyone you know about us!
If you haven’t already seen our beautiful campus, please come for a visit and see the children in class. Guided Tours are scheduled monthly, with dates available on our website. Please RSVP, since we are a closed campus.
You can also make a donation. Only $140 will support classes for one child for an entire year, but even a smaller contribution will help us buy paint, clay, brushes, glue sticks….
Interested in making an in-kind donation? Please check out our wish list to see what we REALLY need.
If you would like to join our team of invaluable volunteers, all applicants (who must be 16 years or older) are required to complete our volunteer training program, which consists of a 6 to 10 week series of classes that cover Inner-City Arts' philosophy & history, and policies and procedures. Please note that your involvement and placement as a volunteer remains the prerogative of Inner-City Arts. Position availability is not guaranteed, but dependent upon department needs.