VENICE ARTS
13445 BEACH AVE, VENICE, CA 90292 www.venice-arts.org

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Organizations Filed Purposes: VENICE ARTS' MISSION IS TO IGNITE YOUTHS' IMAGINATION, MENTOR THEIR CREATIVITY AND EXPAND THEIR SENSE OF POSSIBILITY THROUGH HIGH QUALITY, ACCESSIBLE MEDIA-BASED ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMS. VENICE ARTS ALSO SERVES AS A CATALYST FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, LIVING IN LOW-INCOME OR UNDERREPRESENTED COMMUNITIES, TO CREATE AND SHARE PERSONAL AND COMMUNITY STORIES THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY, FILM AND MULTI-MEDIA.

ART MENTORING & EDUCATION: IN 2019, WE SERVED OVER 460, ETHNICALLY DIVERSE, LOW-INCOME YOUTH, 53% OF WHOM LIVED IN POVERTY. FIFTY FOUR PERCENT (54%) LIVED IN VENICE, MAR VISTA, AND OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS WITH HIGH POCKETS OF POVERTY ON LOS ANGELES' WEST SIDE; 46% CAME FROM THROUGHOUT LOS ANGELES, MOST RESIDING IN SOUTH L.A., INGLEWOOD, AND MID-CITY, AND SOME COMING FROM AS FAR AS NORWALK, THE ANTELOPE VALLEY, AND THE SAN FERNANDO VALLEY TO PARTICIPATE IN OUR PROGRAMS. ALL LOW-INCOME YOUTH PARTICIPATED FREE-OF-CHARGE ACROSS ALL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES. VENICE ARTS' UNIQUE MODEL IS HIGHLY EXPERIENTIAL AND CHILD-CENTERED PROGRAM WITH AN EMPHASIS ON LONG-TERM ENGAGEMENT AND CLOSE MENTORING THAT DEVELOPS YOUTHS' CAPACITIES ACROSS A RANGE OF DIMENSIONS. BOTH ACADEMIC YEAR AND SUMMER CLASSES HAVE NO MORE THAN 12 STUDENTS PER CLASS, WITH AN ARTIST- MENTOR RATIO OF 1:1 TO 1:3. YOUTH PARTICIPATED IN THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES: 1.460 NEW AND CONTINUING YOUTH ENROLLED IN A 24-WEEK ACADEMIC YEAR CYCLE AND A DAILY, SUMMER MEDIA ARTS CAMP. BOTH OFFER A SEQUENCED (BEGINNING TO ADVANCED) CURRICULUM IN PHOTOGRAPHY, FILMMAKING, ANIMATION, AND MULTIMEDIA. THE ACADEMIC YEAR CULMINATES IN AN EXHIBITION AND FILM SCREENING OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. 2.75 YOUTH ENROLLED IN OUR ADVANCED STUDIES TRACK, WHICH OFFERS COLLEGE- CALIBER CLASSES, SUPPORT FOR INDEPENDENT PROJECTS, AND PORTFOLIO AND REEL DEVELOPMENT. 100% OF GRADUATES OF OUR ADVANCED STUDIES PROGRAM WENT ON TO COLLEGE-MOST THE FIRST IN THEIR FAMILIES. 3.NEARLY 100 YOUNG PEOPLE ENROLLED IN ONE OR MORE OF THE ACTIVITIES OFFERED THROUGH OUR CREATIVE PATHWAYS PROGRAM WHICH INCLUDE: COLLEGE DAY, PROVIDING SUPPORT WITH THE APPLICATION, FINANCIAL AID, AND SCHOLARSHIP PROCESS; ESSAY, RESUME, AND PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS; 1:1 COLLEGE COUNSELING; CREATIVE CAREERS DAY AND MULTIPLE, PROGRAM-SPECIFIC CREATIVE CAREER PANELS; AND FIELD TRIPS TO CREATIVE COMPANIES. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS ADDITIONALLY RECEIVE 1:1 MENTORING AND SUPPORT FOR PERSONAL ESSAYS AND THE COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS. EIGHTEEN STUDENTS RECEIVED PAID INTERNSHIPS WITH CREATIVE COMPANIES, INCLUDING THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES MAYOR'S EVOLVE ENTERTAINMENT INITIATIVE. SIX INTERNED AT VENICE ARTS, INCLUDING ONE ALUMNI IN A PART-TIME SUMMER INTERNSHIP. EACH OPPORTUNITY CONTRIBUTED TO YOUNG PEOPLE BUILDING THEIR CREATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND WORKPLACE SKILLS. IN ADDITION TO REACHING YOUTH THROUGH OUR ON-SITE ART MENTORING & EDUCATION PROGRAM, VENICE ARTS' PARTNERED WITH PHOENIX CONTINUATION HIGH SCHOOL, A SCHOOL OF "LAST RESORT,- AND MARK TWAIN MIDDLE SCHOOL. WE ALSO PILOTED A ONEW PARTNERSHIP WITH TAMWOOD CAMPS, WELCOMING 30 YOUNG PEOPLE FROM TAIWAN, WHO PARTICIPATED IN A SPECIAL WEEKLONG ANIMATION WORKSHOP.

PARTICIPATORY DOCUMENTARY PROGRAMS: IN 2019, VENICE ARTS CONTINUED CONSULTING WITH A NATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY ORGANIZATION ON THEIR PHOTO EDUCATION PROGRAM, AND WITH A NETWORK OF GOVERNMENTAL AND NGO REPRESENTATIVES IN NOTTINGHAM, UK ON THE DESIGN OF A HEALTH-BASED PARTICIPATORY VIDEO PROJECT WITH LOCAL YOUNG PEOPLE.

GALLERY & PUBLIC PROGRAMS: IN EARLY 2019, OUR LONG-TIME STAFF MEMBER WHO RAN OUR GALLERY WENT ON TO ANOTHER JOB. NONETHELESS, WE WERE ABLE TO PRESENT A RANGE OF ACTIVITIES OF INTEREST BOTH TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE AND TO THE BROADER COMMUNITY. THIS INCLUDED A THREE-PART FILM SCREENING SERIES THAT CONTINUED OUR YEAR-LONG (2018-2019) PROGRAM FEATURING ARTISTS EXPLORING "IDENTITY," INCLUDING THE NARRATIVE FILM, JINN, BY FORMER VENICE ARTS' ARTIST-MENTOR NIJLA MUMIN; HOME + AWAY, A DOCUMENTARY FILM ABOUT YOUNG PEOPLE CROSSING THE U.S.- MEXICAN BORDER TO ATTEND SCHOOL, BY FILMMAKER MATT OGENS; AND, AMERICAN NATIVE, A DOCUMENTARY FILM BY STEVEN ORITT TELLING THE STORY OF THE RAMAPOUGH LENAPE INDIANS. WE EXHIBITED THE POWERFUL PHOTOGRAPHIC WORK OF MAGNUM PHOTOGRAPHER DIANA MARKOSIAN, IN COLLABORATION WITH MONTH OF PHOTOGRAPHY LA; HOSTED OUR YOUTHS' CULMINATING EXHIBITION AND SCREENING; HELD FIRST VOTE, WHICH REACHED A BROAD AUDIENCE OF YOUNG PEOPLE AND INCLUDED A FILM, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND COMICS EXPLORING ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE TO YOUNG PEOPLE AS THEY READIED THEMSELVES TO CAST THEIR FIRST BALLOT IN 2020; AND CLOSED THE YEAR WITH A GROUP PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBITION FEATURING LOCAL EMERGING AND ESTABLISHED PHOTOGRAPHERS.

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