SUMMER | 2011
summer volume The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH) had a busy summer, which included hosting another fantastic Summer
Youth
of
ART(202)
the
youth
Employment
perspectives
Journal and
the
Program! shares unique
The the jobs
summer
agency’s and
issue
summer
professional
development opportunities that these DC youth experienced. If you’ve been following the work of DCCAH, you’ll hear us talk a lot about the impact of the city’s “creative economy.” This concept acknowledges that DC’s arts activities and cultural industries are a significant contributor to the city’s economic growth and development. Key to the creative economy are its employees – over 90,000, roughly 12%, of District jobs are associated with creative jobs in businesses, nonprofits and federal agencies. The DC Commission wants to ensure that DC youth understand the variety of creative career pathways that exist in the city, so that they can pursue training and educational opportunities, resulting in exciting and lucrative jobs. With our dedicated partner, the Department of Employment Services (DOES), DCCAH placed sixty students at eight worksites where they learned a variety of skills: marketing, sales, technical theater, arts administration, acting, painting, writing, set design and art conservation. Our agency paired these internships with weekly trainings and field trips that exposed them to the skill sets and prospective careers in the fields of their choice.
EDITORS • CARLYN MADDEN • DAVID JOSEPH | CONTRIBUTORS • ERICA SCOTT • MAGGIE MENDITTO | DESIGNER • ROD LITTLE
2
Through collaboration with DOES for the One City Summer Youth Employment Program, the Commission invested over $120,000 in the creative economy through SYEP salaries, support from the worksites and unique programs that lent insight to creative career pathways.
Our gratitude goes out to DOES and the worksite
supervisors that recognize the importance of these summer job opportunities. Congratulations to all the participants – we were happy to have worked with you this summer.
We wish you much luck in pursuing future creative careers!
Ayris T. Scales |Interim executive director
3
contributors
Erica Scott • 20 years old • University of Delaware • Studying Fashion Merchandising • Art is: Different for everyone.
For some people it’s expressing yourself, for some people it’s creating beauty, for others its being inventive and creative.
4
Maggie Menditto • 16 years old • Woodrow Wilson Senior High School
• In Wilson’s Humanities,
Arts and Media Academy
• Art is: Anything that
requires creativity
5
about the creative economy According to the Washington DC Economic Partnership’s 2010 study, Creative Capital, arts and culture is a huge economic driver for the city. The business generated from all things arts and culture is known as the “Creative Economy.” Did you know that DC’s creative economy generates roughly $5 billion in wages in one year? Or that 12 percent of all of the city’s jobs are provided through the creative sector– making 90,000 creative career opportunities in the nation’s capital? In the District of Columbia, The Arts Mean Business, which is the reason DCCAH partnered with the Department of Employment Services (DOES) to create a summer program that provided exposure to career pathways in creative businesses and organizations. Through the 2011 One City Summer Youth Employment Program, DCCAH placed DC teens in internships at arts nonprofits such as Capital Fringe, City Arts, City at Peace, Foto DC, Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop, Gala Hispanic Theatre, Guerilla Arts and the Theatre Lab School for Dramatic Arts. Over the course of six weeks, 60 youth were employed at local arts nonprofits, learning skills as stage hands, box office assistants, marketing assistants, writers, actors, visual artists, event planners and art administrators. Each Friday, the interns participated in a series of weekly field trips that paired professional development workshops with career panels and visits to local arts institutions and media companies. Check out Page 7 to learn more. DCCAH’s Summer Youth Employment Program enabled the city’s youth to explore and capitalize on their creative talents. The program provided access to a creative outlet that encouraged students to reach their full potential as a professional in the arts!
6
7
about DCCAH SYEP This summer, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities (DCCAH), in partnership with the DC Department of Employment Services (DOES), hosted sixty creative youth through the 2011 One City Summer Youth Employment Program. Students came from all over the city, representing a wide range of high schools, including Duke Ellington School of the Arts, Woodrow Wilson Senior High School, Phillips Academy, Spingarn Senior High School, Ballou High School, The Seed School, Maya Angelou Public Charter School, as well as colleges throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
8
These sixty youth were placed in internships at eight arts-focused nonprofits throughout the District, including Capital Fringe Festival, City Arts, City at Peace, FotoDC, Free Minds Book Club and Writing Workshop, GALA Hispanic Theatre and the Theatre Lab for the Performing Arts. For six weeks, students gained hands-on work experience in various arts-related fields, including multimedia, technical theater, arts administration, performance design, marketing and visual design. In addition to their onsite internships, the students participated in a weekly workshop series called Friday Fundamentals.
Each Friday, youth gathered at Cultural Development Corporation’s
Mead Theatre Lab to learn about different career pathways in the arts, and gain the skills necessary to advance in the workplace. Workshop topics included basic business skills personal finance, social media in the workplace, resume building, and college access.
Urban Alliance A key partner in the success of Friday Fundamentals was Urban Alliance – a DC-based nonprofit organization that prepares teens to join the workforce through paid internships, formal training, and mentorship. Since 1996, Urban Alliance has partnered with more than 100 businesses to provide 1,000 students with internship opportunities. In collaboration with DCCAH, Urban Alliance presented workshops on basic business skills, personal finance, networking and resume-building – all necessary to the SYEP youths’ future success in the workplace!
9
eXposure tour BY ERICA SCOTT
With the group eXposure, our Friday, July 15 was spent outside our normal worksites, touring news stations in downtown, D.C., where we were exposed to many careers in media arts and communications. Our day began with a tour of Al Jazeera English, where we met both behind the scenes investigative journalists and public television reporters that explained their work. At the Washington Bureau of ABC and ESPN, we learned the ins and outs of working in a news station, from the control rooms to the studios where the shows are filmed. We visited the set of the sports talk show, “Around the Horn,” which had a lively, modern set that inspired many of the aspiring set designers, graphic designers, and photographers in our group. After the media tours, we went to the Flashpoint Theatre for a panel on communications and media arts, where we got the opportunity to learn from many artists successful in their fields. Writers of Capitol File Magazine discussed how getting internships can further our careers. Vanessa Camozzi discussed her work as a freelance reporter for the blog and television segment “DC on Heels.” They were followed by Chris Gardner, a video producer for NBC Universal and Comcast Sports, Kenya Farmer, a production manager for BET Honors and Justine Love, a host for WPGC Radio who gave a motivating presentation on networking and “selling” yourself.
10
field trips BY MAGGIE MENDITTO
Smithsonian American Art Museum: On our visit to the Smithsonian American Art Museum we were given to free range to explore. Some people were fascinated by the New Directions in the Art of the Moving Image collection while others roamed the Close to Home: Photographers and their Families exhibit.”I liked the nontraditional forms of art from the Art of the Moving Image collection,” said DCCAH Social Media Intern Erica Scott, 20. The Museum features different exhibits every year as well as rotating collection installations.
Corcoran Gallery and College:As a part of the weekly field trips, the group went on a tour of the Corcoran Gallery which included a walk through the College located in the basement. Guided by two Corcoran students, we saw the inside of many art classes including a photography class, a sculpting class and a classroom for foundation & design. Many of the participants were excited by the tour and inspired at the possibility of attending the College. “This school has what I’d like to learn,” said DCCAH intern Deisy Umanzor, 17, as we made our way up the stairs to the Gallery. On our tour of the Gallery we saw the exhibit, Washington Color and Light, which features art from artists associated with the Washington Color School and their contemporaries. Each of the pieces in the exhibit were connected in their focus on light and color. After we toured the exhibit we were left to roam the Gallery and explore the rest of the exhibits.
11
Daniel perez
• 17 years old • Senior, Washington International School, Worked at GALA Hispanic Theatre
• Writer/Actor/Theater
perez
daniel
12
Tech
Q: How has the program affected you? A: When I started here I was so shy about [my art]. But this environment is so accepting about whatever I do. By the third day we were all already friends. It has showed me that there are so many things I am able to do. Q: What type of art do you hope to pursue? A: Aside from acting and writing: lighting and design. Being [at GALA Hispanic Theatre] I’ve learned that the things you don’t see are equally important. Theater is not a one person job, all parts [of the production] are important.
gala hispanic theatre Since 1976, GALA (Grupo de Artistas Latinoamericanos) Hispanic Theatre has developed and produced works that explore the breadth of Latino performing arts. GALA provides opportunities for Latino art, educates youth, and engages the entire community in an exchange of ideas and perspectives. Each year, GALA offers a range of educational activities for youth. Now in its 18th year, Paso Nuevo is an after-school workshop for at-risk youth ages 13 – 17 where students explore issues of identity and cultural differences, articulate their values, increase self-esteem, and gain bilingual skills to enhance academic performance and future career opportunities. In addition to Paso Nuevo, GALA trained nine SYEP workers, who were introduced to a variety of theatrical techniques, including acting, movement, dance, stage combat, and musical exploration. Together, these programs culminated in two new and original productions: “La Familia Lobato” and “Young and Collected”, both showing on August 13th.
13
critical exposure Critical Exposure is a nonprofit whose mission is to use the power of photography and their youth voices to become effective advocates for school reform and social change. By focusing on youth empowerment, public engagement, and policy change, Critical Exposure hopes to make citizens and policymakers aware of the issues that affect youth on a daily basis. Founded in 2004, Critical Exposure has worked with more than 800 youth in Washington, DC and around the country. As part of the 2011 One City Summer Youth Employment Program, Critical Exposure met twice a week with students from DCCAH to teach skills in documentary photography, leadership, and advocacy. Their training culminated in an exhibit showcasing the students’ photographs, which all related to the theme of “The Confidante” “The partnership between Critical Exposure and DCCAH has been a great opportunity to provide our combined training and resources to a very talented group of young women. Their photos and stories documenting the lives and challenges faced by girls in DC can teach us as a community how we can provide better support.” –Adam Levner, Executive Director, Critical Exposure
14
15
Delta ford
• 14 years old • Freshman, Woodrow
ford
delta
16
Wilson Senior High School, Worked at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities in the Public Art Department
• Dance & Poetry Q: How has the program affected you? A: It has broadened my horizons. You know, you meet new people, and that’s when you get exposed to new things. Q: What type of art do you hope to pursue? A: I’m doing everything that I like to do. I like to dance, I do that, and I write poetry, and I do that.
dccah’s public art The Art Around is an online comprehensive map of all the art in DC. The site allows anyone to view or learn about public art that is installed either permanently or temporarily throughout the District of Columbia. Viewers can search by the type of art they are interested in (i.e. murals, statues, guerrilla art, museums, etc.), by neighborhood and also by ward. This summer two SYEP students visited nearly every public art project that DCCAH commissioned. These young scholars took detailed pictures of each of the projects, researched the artist, medium and uploaded the important details to theartaround.us. In addition, to their work on theartaround.us, the SYEP student created condition reports for each of the visited public art projects. The SYEP students took measurements and noted if the work needed any repairs. Both of these projects have greatly assisted the public art department. Their invaluable time and effort has made DCCAH’s public art collection more accessible to the online community and will help the agency determine what art work is in need of repair.
17
multi-media training institute Founded in 1982, the Multi-Media Training Institute (MMTI) is a nonprofit media production and training corporation located in Ward 5. Using the tools of media, computer technology, the performing arts and entrepreneurship, MMTI has endeavored to inform, educate and inspire youth and young adults, reaching more than 1,000 people in the Washington, DC region during the last twenty years. DCCAH has partnered with MMTI on various projects since 2002. In partnership with the Department of Employment Services (DOES), DCCAH commissioned MMTI to produce a 60-second spot that showcased the 2011 One City Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP) by training 29 youth workers involved in the DOES summer jobs program. DOES will use the video to recruit DC youth for the 2012 summer jobs program. “Preparing Tomorrow’s Leaders Today” features the important role SYEP plays in the lives of DC youth – from innovative worksites and skill sets to the careers held by past SYEP participants. Mr. Lyn Dyson, President of the Multi-Media Training Institute, explains that the youth have learned a variety of skills involving the media arts. “These young people will have skills in several areas: producing, writing, editing, camera, lights and sound. They will be able write a script for a client, they will be able to shoot a camera and get good picture and sound, some of them can do basic editing, some of them will have the skills to produce a show and understand all the elements of pulling a show together from scheduling, equipment, personnel and talent in addition to post production which includes editing.” The DC Commission is thrilled that these students had such a rewarding experience!
18
19
Chantal Robinson,
• 18 years old • Freshman, Virginia
20
Robinson
Chantal
Commonwealth University, Worked at FOTO DC
Q: What does art mean to you? A: Art means expressing your feelings but also trying to convey a message that people can understand. Q: What inspires you/ your art? A: Many things such as the Internet, my thoughts and what makes me laugh.
Q: How has the program affected you? A: It has helped me understand that there are many forms of art.
foto dc Founded just three years ago, FOTO DC has evolved from a local photography festival to a nonprofit organization dedicated to yearround exhibitions, programming and collaborations featuring inspiring and provocative local and international photography. Whether through photojournalism, fine art photography, or the work of emerging artists, FotoWeek DC provides a dynamic, evocative, engaging experience for photographers, cultural institutions, galleries, curators, schools, area residents and tens of thousands of visitors to the Nation’s Capital.
21
thank yous The DC Commission could not have had such successful Summer Youth Employment Program without the assistance of its partners, worksite supervisors, staff and wonderful SYEP workers. Our sincere thanks go out to all of you! DCCAH appreciates the coordination, teamwork and patience it took manage our agency’s many different SYEP components. We believe that the SYEP workers’ summer experience exposed them to a variety of opportunities to build careers in the arts, and look forward to their many contributions to our city’s creative economy! Our special thanks to the Department of Employment Services, who believed in our program from the beginning – Gerren Price, Whitney Hopkins and Lisa Mallory – thank you!
22
worksites Keith Curran Demetrius Simms
Cristian Baez Joel Battle Diana Castillo Jessy De Leon Christopher Donald Tyrone Lumpkins Angel Perez Antonio Simpson Tessa Thomas Shabre West
Dolores Bryant Travis Burress Lonnell Butler Natia Contee Monet Corbett Victoria DeLaine Faizah Holder Donna Hough Makayla Jackson
Michelle Johnson Aryonna Lucas Vincent Moore Justyce Nelson Jahi Sule Malaysia Tyree Jazmine Wilson Brandon Workman
Jasmine Benton Anscia Brown Delta Ford Jereese Johnson Dachele Kent Maggie Menditto Erica Scott Deisy Umanzor Tanisha Walker
Cindy Canas Reginald Conway Cindy Cruz Kristin Ellis Julia Jensen Abiana Patton-Toure Paige Pender Daniel Perez Christian Sanchez
Tiara Fletcher Steven Glanville Deshawn La Haupt Cameron Sneed
Chantal Robinson
Kenny Howe
Kyndall Brown Courtney Chase CD Duncan
23
artbank Through its partnership with Critical Exposure, the agency commissioned 22 new photographs to add to the DC Commission’s Art Bank Collection. The Art Bank Collection is comprised of 2,100 works of art, purchased from local artists, which is installed in public areas of District of Columbia government agencies.
24
25
mission The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities provides grants, programs and educational activities that encourage diverse artistic expressions and learning opportunities, so that all District of Columbia residents and visitors can experience the rich culture of the city. Staff Ayris T. Scales | Interim Executive Director Moshe Adams | Director of Grants and Legislative Affairs Ebony Blanks | Associate Grants Manager Mary Beth Brown | Outreach Coordinator Tim Conlon | Social Media Coordinator Rachel Dickerson | Public Art Program Manager Deirdre Ehlen | Public Art Project Manager Kamau Hunter | Media and Production Manager Erin Jackson | Grants and Operations Assistant Sharon Jeffries | Executive Assistant Charlese Jennings | Receptionist David Joseph | Summer Youth Employment Coordinator Yuyeon Kim | Graphic Designer Carlyn Madden | Arts Education Manager Steven Mazzola | Grants Program Manager Carolyn Parker | Office Manager Keona Pearson | Associate Grants Manager Marquis Perkins | Director of Marketing and Communications Aliza Schiff | Public Art Program Assistant Earica Simmons | Finance Manager Zoma Wallace | Curator and Arts Collections Manager
26
Dolores Kendrick | Poet Laureate of the District of Columbia
commissioners Judith Terra | Chairman, Ward 4 Marvin Bowser | Vice Chair, Ward 8 Susan Clampitt | Ward 6 Christopher Cowan | Ward 3 Lou Hill Davidson | Ward 2 Rebecca Fishman | Ward 2 Rhona Wolfe Friedman, J.D. | Ward 2 Phillipa Hughes | At-Large Rogelio Maxwell | Ward 3 Tendani Mpulubusi | Ward 8 Bernard Richardson | Ward 1 Deborah Royster | Ward 4 Michael R. Sonnenreich | Ward 2 Lavinia Wohlfarth | Ward 5 Gretchen Wharton | Ward 2
27