A Statement by the Professional Community
of Los Angeles Artists, Arts Organizations, and Cultural Institutions
October 5, 2009
In the aftermath of severe budget cuts to education and the arts,
and in support of the Wallace Foundation's efforts to further anchor
arts education within LAUSD and the County of Los Angeles, local
community arts providers have engaged in reflection about the role
of professional arts organizations working within schools and in
the community. Here are the results of our reflection.
We are a broad cross-section of arts and cultural organizations
- large and small - dedicated to working in partnership with Los
Angeles County agencies, school districts, parents, and civic leaders
to strengthen arts education for all students.
Our mission is to ensure that the creative vitality of professional
artists, arts organizations, and cultural resources in Los Angeles
is utilized for maximum impact to support learning in and through
the arts for all students.
As a world-class creative capital, Los Angeles will be known for
the well-rounded education - including arts education - provided
to its young people. To realize the goal of quality arts education
for all, county agencies, school districts, and individual schools
will align and coordinate efforts to maximize the positive impact
on student learning and teacher growth. In addition to the instruction
provided in schools, all students and families will feel welcomed
in our region’s arts and cultural venues, and enjoy a sense
of connection to the resources artists provide.
This is a critical juncture for arts education - and indeed for
all education - across California. Important progress in rebuilding
arts education is bumping up against severe budget cuts. More than
ever, we need to make sure we are making the optimal use of every
available resource. We cannot afford to work in isolation, competition,
or ignorance of potential partners.
Students deserve access to Music, Dance, Theatre, Visual and Media
Arts. The California Visual and Performing Arts content standards
provide the scope of student learning in each of the art forms:
students are expected to demonstrate technical skills, create art
work, place art in a historical and cultural context, express informed
judgments about the qualities of an art work, and make connections
to other disciplines. Arts education is not a single school subject.
Achieving these goals for students requires a team approach. No
one can do it alone.
We therefore recognize the need for an overall framework of ‘shared
delivery’ for arts instruction which defines the roles and
responsibilities of: 1) classroom teachers, 2) arts specialists,
and 3) community arts providers. Drawing on the strengths and expertise
of each member, this team approach is essential to helping all students
achieve in and through the arts.
Truly effective partnerships and collaborations require time to
plan. If such planning is to be “built-in” to our schools
on a systemic basis, it requires more than the good will of the
individuals involved. It requires supportive policies and funding
at the school and district levels. The same spirit of partnership
and collaboration needed in the classroom needs to exist around
the decision-making tables of county agencies and school districts
in order to create robust, sustainable approaches to sequential
arts learning for all students.
We believe the distinguishing trait of arts education programs is
the ‘shared delivery’ model. This innovative format
connects schools to their communities and engages professionals
in the education of future generations. At a time when we seek to
reduce the isolation of our schools, arts education programs provide
a powerful model for reaching out to all students.
Professional community arts providers:
• create opportunities for children to interact with professionals
in meaningful ways
• are models of creativity, sharing the resources and experience
of professional artists working in the field
• offer targeted, cost-effective services to school districts
• work in concert with classroom teachers, arts specialists,
and other stakeholders to ensure the instructional excellence, artistic
quality, and creative vitality of programming
• elicit awe and promote cultural engagement and understanding
through live arts experiences
• allow students and teachers to visit art and cultural institutions,
deepening their relationship with their community
• provide models of interdisciplinary teaching strategies
through professional development programs
• bring the arts to classrooms that do not otherwise receive
regular instruction
• supplement or assume the delivery of discrete technical
skills
• complement and illuminate mandated curriculum, helping students
develop cognitive skills
• showcase career options in the arts, linking classroom study
with personal and professional worlds
• are key partners in developing and sustaining safe, tolerant
environments for children’s expression and personal growth
• build community and bridge generations through the arts
• constitute a model for 21st century learning partnerships
and a gateway to innovation in education
• contribute ongoing research and development to the field
From professional development to performance,
from residencies to after-school programs, community arts providers
are woven into the fabric of arts education K-12 throughout Los
Angeles County. Through greater collaboration and coordination,
we aim to take the impact of our efforts to the next level.
Our aim is to:
o give community arts providers a united voice which represents
their best interests and best practices
o work together with county agencies and school districts to design
new models and delivery systems in alignment with community arts
resources
o make it easier for districts and individual schools to make informed
decisions about which community arts resources can best support
their specific needs and learning goals
o assist in the evaluation of current arts plans, curricula, and
programs at county, district, and school levels
o collaborate in the development of an evaluation template to help
determine both the quantitative and qualitative impact of programs
o provide mentorship and professional development to emerging providers,
arts specialists, parents, district administrators, and classroom
teachers
o document and share our experience delivering arts education programs
throughout the county
o increase the quality and impact of programs through improved communication
and peer interaction
o collaborate in a systemic manner with arts education stakeholders
(Los Angeles County Arts Commission, Los Angeles unified School
District, Arts For All Districts, PTA, civic leaders, etc.) and
regularly inform the field of community arts providers
o coordinate and align our advocacy work with other leadership organizations,
such as Arts for L.A. and California Alliance for Arts Education
o heighten visibility and appreciation for our work
By this statement, we declare our resolution to come together as
a consortium of professional Los Angeles artists, arts organizations,
and cultural institutions dedicated to supporting learning in and
through the arts for all students,
The following organizations endorse
this statement:
Bluepalm: Art Culture Education
Music Center: Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County
We Tell Stories
Louise Reichlin & Dancers/Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers
Rock the Classroom
24th Street Theatre – A Theatre Arts Organization
P.S. ARTS
Animaction, Inc.
Will& Company
Barnsdall Arts/FOJAC
La Danserie
CalArts Community Arts Partnership Program (CAP)
California Institute of the Arts
Flights of Fantasy Story Theatre
Enrichment Works
Judy Leventhal
Adventures in Creativity
(more next page)
ETEAH, Stacey Jack
Learning is M.A.G.I.C.
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles
Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum
Gillian Mc Carthy
Inspire Teaching and Learning
City Opera/World Music Partners
CONTRA-TIEMPO
Theatre Of Hearts/Youth First Artist-In-Residence Program
Open Top Creativity
Southland Opera
Visual Understanding in Education/Visual Thinking Strategies
The Los Angeles Dream Shapers
Learning Through Character
T4T – Trash For Teaching
Muv Dance and Yoga
L.A. Troupe, Theatre-in-Education
The Armory
AFRICABOK DANCE AND MUSIC
Education through Music-Los Angeles (ETM-LA)
CRE Theatre
About Productions
The HeArt Project
LA Opera
Shakespeare at play
San Pedro City Ballet
Flamenco Los Angeles
MARSHALL DANCE COMPANY
This is Where I Live, Jennifer Russell
youTHink/ Zimmer Children's Museum
Royer Studios, Animate Your Learning
Sri Dance Company
Art Storm – The Art of Kings
Faces of Culture/Creating Documentaries
Theater of Will
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Keshet Chaim Dance Ensemble
California Dance Institute
(Out)Laws and Justice
Media City Ballet of Los Angeles
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