Venice Arts

Venice Arts: 23 Years Of Impact

 

Venice Arts is a media-based mentoring and education organization whose mission is to ignite youths’ imagination, mentor their creativity, and expand their sense of possibility through high quality, accessible media-based arts education programs. Our programs also serve 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. Our core programs include:

Art Mentoring & Education Program

• Meaningful, close mentoring integrated with deep arts and digital media education.
• A dynamic learning environment that develops creativity and critical thinking.
• Sequenced, standards-based programs from beginning to Advanced Studies.

Student Snapshot:

• 425 youths, ages 6 to 19, enroll annually and 40% stay for multiple years.
• 95% are poor to low-income and participate in our programs free.
• 43% Hispanic/Latino (75% from immigrant families), 27% White, 19% African American, 9% Mixed race/ethnicity, 1% Asian/Pacific Islander, 1% Native American
• 60% live in Venice and West LA; 40% live throughout Los Angeles.
• 90% of graduates go to college, many with full scholarships, including University of Chicago, NYU, Reed, UCLA, Cal Arts, and more.

Documentary Programs

• From participants such as homeless women in LA to children orphaned by AIDS in Mozambique, Documentary Programs teach underserved children and adults to create and share their stories through photography, film and multi-media.
• Work is shared in community forums, through media, in exhibitions and screenings, and in meetings with decision makers to educate and advocate for positive change.

Exhibitions & Public Programs

• Each year, 2,000 patrons attend an average of 4 exhibits with work by emerging and mid-career media artists, and up to 12 public programs including artists’ talks, panels, and film screenings.

Consulting & Training

• Expanding our impact by building the capacities of nonprofits and foundations
• Consulting & Training programs include curriculum development, participant-produced projects, and artist and NGO staff training in places ranging from San Francisco to Hong Kong, Senegal, and Cambodia.