Community Coalition’s Youth Arts Council Embarks on Summer Arts Field Trip Program
By Ernesto Rocha and Victoria Millet
CoCo Art + Culture Staff
Creative outlet is crucial all people, but our youth especially benefit as they expand their skills. Community Coalition’s Youth Arts Program offers South LA youth an arts rich space to explore various artistic disciplines. On Monday, July 8th, Community Coalition’s Youth Arts Council visited the LACMA to view the “Great Wall of Los Angeles” exhibit and witness a live mural painting demonstration. Our students spoke with current curators and artists who are painting the panels that will be installed as a continuation of the Great Wall of Los Angeles.
Our youth leaders have been exploring various art modalities as part of our Art & Culture Council curriculum. The Youth Arts Program also fosters intergenerational dialogue by involving local artists and community members. Workshops and events often feature guest speakers from diverse backgrounds, allowing youth to learn from the experiences of those who have navigated similar challenges.
These young creatives are learning about art forms, meeting with local South LA artists, and reading about the youth project of the Great Wall of Los Angeles. This project was started by Chicana muralist and professor Judy Baca, who has created opportunities for students of color to learn about and paint their people’s history and struggles in the United States for the last five decades. The Great Wall of Los Angeles is presently being expanded to capture the history of the Civil Rights Movement, the UFW Strikes, Gay Liberation, and the Black Power Movements, among others.
You can find more about the Great Wall of Los Angeles here.
On Tuesday, July 23rd, Community Coalition’s Youth Arts Council visited California African American Museum (CAAM) as part of our Summer Field Trips program to explore exhibits showcasing the African American experience. Our students gained a deeper and more expansive understanding of African American life and culture in California’s history.
The youth especially connected with the art in the exhibit Black California Dreamin’: Claiming Space at America’s Leisure Frontier, where they learned about the efforts of African Americans communities to create and access spaces of rest, relaxation, and recreation in Southern California. Additionally, the youth gravitated towards the We Are Not Strangers Here: African American Histories in Rural California exhibit, which highlighted the contribution of African Americans to the westward expansion of the United States and California’s Gold Rush during the mid-1800s. Following the exhibits, youth were able to share their thoughts and reflections on what they saw and felt during the field trip. Their insightful comments reflected larger societal and political norms and issues, sparking a meaningful conversation with their peers on the importance of representation in historical narratives.