Modern Royals work for a living. Traditional state visits and speeches to subjects remain important. But setting an example and focusing media attention on priority topics have become even more important in the age of 24/7 news and social media. The decision by Prince William and Duchess Catherine to visit Inner-City Arts as part of their three day visit to Southern California will focus much needed attention on the importance of arts education throughout our region.
Inner-City Arts has provided studio art education programs for 150,000 students in need since 1989. Fifty-five area schools benefit from its education programs. It also operates an art summer camp in Central Los Angeles at its Kohler Street facility. Approximately ninety-percent of the students who participate are Hispanic and can take pride in the vibrant and colorful traditions of Hispanic artists from both ancient civilizations and award winning contemporary art of the Twenty-First Century.
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is especially well prepared to build on this increased awareness of the benefits of arts education.. LACMA’s acclaimed “Evenings for Educators” program leverages the great resources of the museum’s collections and archives to make continuing education for art instruction easy, effective and affordable. At the same time this program enhances the expertise of studio art and art history instructors, it also encourages inclusion of art education in related subjects, such as world history, foreign languages, literature, chemistry and mathematics. Many parents recognized the value of arts education well before the Royal Visit; LACMA’s summer art education programs for children are already sold out.
Two local museums, the Getty Center and museum of Contemporary Art, have already developed resource sharing programs to benefit Inner-City Arts. The non-profit works together with local universities UCLA and USC to enrich its programs. The success of Inner-City Arts can also benefit the growth of art therapy research and education at Chapman University in Orange. Chapman is one of the few universities that is energetically demonstrating the many benefits that art education can add to health, wellness and recovery from prior illness.
The positive example that real royals are setting can also help heal the damage to L.A.’s reputation by self-anointed “Hollywood Royalty.” Their antics of the past two years have embarrassed the entire region with domestic violence, foul-mouthed rants, forced hospitalization and foreclosures. Seeing the positive example of real royalty supporting the arts and recognizing the benefits of helping the less fortunate just might set the reset button needed for Hollywood Royalty to get the art therapy treatment it needs for itself.
You can join this important effort. Inner-City Arts is hosting a fundraiser ”Summer on 7th” on July 30. Details are at this link. The organization also raises funds by auctioning artwork donated by local artists.
Read more about how the UK royal couple is supporting charity at this link:
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