Inner-City Arts: An Artistic Outlet

There are so many families that do not have the resources to allow their children to take extracurricular courses outside of school. However, many schools in Los Angeles have stopped instituting artistic courses, leaving children unable to broaden their creative aspects. 

 

According to statistics provided by the Inner-City Arts, 29% of California’s public schools do not offer any purely art based classes, and most students in California do not receive instruction in the arts even at the level required by state law. 

Inner-City Arts is a non-profit organization that can help less fortunate children from grades K-12 learn artistic skills that they would not have an opportunity to in their ordinary schools. Students can come to the Inner-City Arts campus for free during their programs throughout the school year and the summer, learning skills like visual arts, media and design, film-making, drama, dance, and music.

 

The Inner-City Arts has many programs that support the public schools in Los Angeles. For instance, there is their partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) and local charter schools where Inner-City Arts invites elementary and middle school classes during the school day to learn all sorts of art forms. 

 

Classes happen about twice a week and lasts for seven to eight weeks. There is also afterschool and weekend programs for middle and high school students, so that they may experience what having an extracurricular activity feels like. During the summer, children have the opportunity to learn about the arts too as they have summer workshops for middle and high school students. 

Through their many programs and attempts at outreach to different schools in Los Angeles, the organization has proven to be very successful. Students now have the chance to learn about their creativity and artistic skills to benefit them in the future; new discoveries and opportunities are right at their fingertips.

 

Many art-experienced volunteers come to help these students experience the creative aspects of life, allowing them to take these skills into their later lives. You can help too! If you are interested in working with children and have experience in the art fields, you can help with one of the programs, studio volunteerism, where you can work alongside teaching artists and assist the students attending the program. 

 

“Inner-City Arts helps children develop essential life skills for the 21st Century economy; in our studios, students explore innovative solutions, learn from mistakes, and tap into their imagination to solve complex problems,” says Bob Smiland, the President and CEO of Inner-City Arts. Not only can they broaden their knowledge of the creative world, but children can also learn about what they can do for their future careers and better the many years in their lives that are to come. 

 

Judith Park, Grade 11

Palos Verdes High School