Inner-City Arts Is A Los Angeles Nonprofit Saving Art And Creativity In Public Schools

In an IBM survey conducted last year, 1,500 CEOs identified creativity as the number one competitive edge of the future. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan recently wrote that dance, music, theater, and visual arts "are essential to preparing our nation's young people for a global economy fueled by innovation and creativity." And yet, high-quality arts education is often nowhere to be found in today's public schools, due to budget cuts and other factors.

Nevertheless, a 23-year-old nonprofit named Inner-City Arts based in downtown Los Angeles, CA, is offering immersive artistic experiences to every public student in Los Angeles (the LAUSD),regardless of financial situation. They seem to be thriving in an important niche which appears to have been ignored by many. The hope is that students develop an appreciation for art,learn to create for themselves, gain a sense of community, and in essence master a new medium of communication.

Liz Dwyer, the Education Editor at GOOD, has the full story here.

Public School Art graphic from Library of Congress.