These students are among the nation's neediest, and many face the challenges of limited English skills, poverty, homelessness, violence and crime. Classes and workshops are offered in visual arts, ceramics, dance, music, drama, creative writing and animation.
All classes are free of charge.
School principals are responsible for identifying which classes from their schools will participate in each session. Students attend three sessions per year in three different art forms. Major ongoing sources of public funding are the U.S. Department of Education Title VII grant, the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, the California Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts. One new element will be expanded programming in order to build on the work begun with elementary school students during their middle and high school years. This includes plans for a new multimedia center for young adults and a theater program for high school students.