20 Years o f Imp act Oakl an d Sch o o l fo r th e A r ts 2 002 – 2 02 2
In 2002, OSA fi r st opened i ts d o o rs at the Al i ce A r t s C en ter. In 2 0 0 4 , the scho o l l o st i ts o ri gi nal f a c ilit y and a temporar y campu s was cre ate d. Eve n while o p erati ng from a parki ng l o t wi th trai l e r c la ssro o ms and a per for manc e te nt, stu de nts we re t h riv ing! In 2 0 0 9, OSA moved to the gl o ri o u s ly ren ova t ed Fox T heater — a cultu ral tre as u re i n v ibra n t U ptown. Today, the sc ho o l adds v i tal a r t ist ic ener gy to the hear t of the ci t y.
“C rea tivit y ta kes c ou ra g e.” — Henri Matisse
A SCHOOL FOR THE HEART OF OAKLAND Executive Summar y An arts education can transform the lives of students. It can help them find their voices, their places to belong, and their opportunities to forge remarkable careers. It can also transform the world. Oakland School for the Arts has always shaped artists and thinkers who have the creative courage to take on society’s deepest challenges and elevate our shared humanity. Today, we look to our future knowing that OSA is a beacon of sustained artistic expression in the heart of Oakland. This year marks OSA’s 20th year as a top-performing, public secondary school in the city’s cultural and artistic center. However, public funding cannot cover the school’s highly specific, arts-related needs—such as studios for dancers, digital media equipment, and specialized arts teachers. Because of our dedicated partners, we continue to serve as a model school, providing our talented, hardworking students with intensive pre-professional arts training and a rigorous career and college preparatory curriculum—tuition free. Your investment in OSA’s future will ensure its place as a vital incubator of creative change in the Bay Area as we: • Hold fast to our grounding principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion by implementing a culturally responsive curriculum and equitable practices throughout the academic, artistic, and social fabric of the school. • Provide a high caliber arts education, taught by active artists in their fields, in the heart of Oakland. • Enhance our Student Support Services to address inequities the pandemic has brought to the forefront. • Ensure our students have access to today’s technology, preparing them for further education and careers in industry-relevant fields.
Each year, it costs OSA nearly $14,000 to train and educate one student and our annual per-pupil government funding is only approximately $12,000. We look to friends like you—who recognize the power of the arts to break down inequities and build community—to support OSA’s young artists and changemakers. Alongside OSA, we ask that you take a courageous step.
CONTENTS
We ask that you support OSA’s bold vision to offer an arts education in Oakland that can transform the world. As a partner with OSA, you can create change today and for decades to come.
Who We Are. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Innovative Career Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. . . . . . . . 5
Student Support Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Arts Programming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Arts Excellence and Impact. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Arts Partners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Financial Needs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Technology and the Arts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
A Future for Artists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
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M I S S I O N S TAT E M E N T
WHO WE ARE Started in 2002 with only 97 students and nine faculty members, the school is
O a k la nd School for t h e A r t s i s a di ver se a nd incl usi ve public 6 -1 2 char ter sc h o o l that blen ds i mmer si ve, ro b ust ar ts wi th c o m pre hensi ve a c a d emi cs, prov iding i ntegrated o ppo r t uni ti es for c o lla b orati on, exp ress i on and perso n al grow th.
guided by the ambitious vision of founder Jerry Brown, former Oakland Mayor and three-term California Governor: to provide an exceptional, tuition-free arts education program in the heart of Oakland. Now in its 20th year, with nearly 800 students and 74 faculty members, the school remains rooted in diversity and inclusion, with the goal of ensuring that a stellar arts education is open to all in Oakland’s artistic and cultural core. OSA offers students the opportunity to study in one of nine arts sub-pathways: Dance, Digital Media, Fashion Design, Instrumental Music, Literary Arts, Production Design, Theater, Visual Art, and Vocal Music. Arts programming consists of an average of two hours of industry-relevant specialized training daily for middle and high school students. OSA’s commitment to career and college readiness is an investment in our students’ future beyond high school. These efforts continue to yield impressive results, demonstrated by the list of acceptances to prestigious institutions earned by the Senior Class of 2021. These colleges and universities include San Francisco Conservatory, Peabody School of Music at Johns Hopkins University, Columbia University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts London, NYU, Stanford University, Yale University, Oberlin Conservatory, and Berklee College of Music. • There is an average of one arts faculty member for every 14 students at OSA. • Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, OSA achieved a 95% graduation rate. In a typical year, OSA celebrates a 99% graduation rate (Class of 2020). • 2020-21 awards include the California Exemplary Arts Education Award and California Distinguished Blue Ribbon School Award.
Hispanic/ Latinx 11% Asian 6%
OSA’s 115 teachers and staff and
Black 23%
250 volunteers now serve nearly 800 students. OSA serves youth from across the Bay Area with a preference for Oakland-based Pacific Islander 1%
MultiEthnic 22%
students. Of OSA’s students in the 2021-22 school year, 34% identify as White, 23% as Black, 22% as Multi-Ethnic, 11% as Hispanic/ Latinx, 6% as Asian, 1% as Pacific Islander and 3% declined to state.
Declined to State 3% 4
White 34%
Additionally, 40% of students identify as LGBTQIA+.
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JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
“Fo r the re i s always lig h t . I f o nly we ’re brave e n o u g h to s e e i t. I f o nly we’ r e brave e no u gh to be it .”
Oakland School for the Arts was conceived to expand opportunity in a city with substantial and entrenched inequities.
For two decades, the school has been anchored in the belief that an immersive arts education should be free to all students. OSA’s three-year Strategic Plan (2021-24) seeks to cultivate and prioritize a spirit of inclusivity into the academic, artistic, and social fabric of the school. OSA is strengthening its commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion ( JEDI), beginning with an enrollment approach rooted in equity. When families cannot afford arts lessons to prepare for competitive admissions, their children can be at a disadvantage in the audition process. To address this inequity, OSA has begun to phase out auditions and is prioritizing admission for students from schools in under-resourced neighborhoods. OSA is working to ensure that all school systems and structures support JEDI in 2021-22 with the addition of a full-time JEDI Coordinator and an Equity Task Force. The JEDI Coordinator is working with the entire school community to promote strategic priorities that close opportunity gaps, including: • Providing JEDI-focused professional development for all staff • Recruiting, hiring, and retaining diverse staff and leadership • Updating curriculum to ensure relevance and rigor • Empowering students and families of all affinity groups
— Amanda Gorman, first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate
• 52% of OSA’s sixth graders previously attended Title I elementary schools. • OSA affinity groups include: Asian and Pacific Islander Student Union, Black Student Union, The Board for Students of Color, Brothers of Color, Latinos Unidos, Queer/Trans (QT) Club, and Womxn of Color. • Since its inception in 2014, Step it Up has provided more than 10,000 hours of arts training to nearly 400 Oakland students.
Through its Step it Up program, OSA recruits youth from communities that have faced longterm disinvestment to discover OSA and prepare for enrollment. Step it Up delivers arts enrichment courses, along with support and tools, for fifth through eighth grade students. 5
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ARTS PROGRAMMING OSA’s programs build discipline and confidence, effectively preparing creative youth to achieve their potential both in and outside the arts. At OSA, students are encouraged to be their most authentic selves. Students and alumni
often share the sentiment that OSA is “their second home—an extension of their family.” As active artists in the Bay Area, teachers serve as role models for students, often forging lifelong mentorships.
Through small learning communities of career-oriented pathways, OSA offers intensive, individualized support to create the conditions for all students to graduate high school prepared to succeed in college and career. The pathways are composed of four essential elements: Rigorous Academics, Integrated Student Support, WorkBased Learning, and a Career Technical Education Sequence. We rely on the generosity of individuals, foundations, and corporations to support the robust arts programming, technology, and facility needs that make up about 25 percent of our overall annual operating budget. Due to the pandemic, OSA experienced an unprecedented set of challenges. Closure of the school’s facilities and the necessity of social distancing impacted various fundraising events and activities. This resulted in significant financial losses in both FY20 and FY21. Despite these hurdles, OSA returned to in-person learning in fall 2021 and remains an accessible, public institution that continues to serve nearly 800 students. • OSA prioritizes the employment of active Bay Area artists, providing real-world, specialized expertise and insight to each sub-pathway. • Of the 74 teachers employed at OSA, 36 are arts teachers. • In 20 years, the school has produced more than 665 performances and showcases.
Arts Partners OSA partners with local institutions and organizations that provide opportunities for internships,
master class instruction, collaboration, and scholarships. Selected partners include:
Asian Art Museum of San Francisco • Cal Performances • California College of the Arts (CCA) California Jazz Conservatory • City Arts & Lectures, Inc. • City of Oakland Creative Alliance: Black Choreographers Festival • Gold Beams, Oakland • Gucci • Kronos Quartet Left Coast Chamber Ensemble • Museum of the African Diaspora • Oakland East Bay Symphony Oakland Museum of California • Oakland Unified School District • Otis College of Art and Design Purple Silk Music Education Foundation • Recology San Francisco Artist in Residence (AIR) Program Report for America • San Francisco Ballet • San Francisco Playhouse • San Francisco Symphony School of the Art Institute of Chicago • School of Visual Arts, NYC • SFMOMA Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
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V I SI ON STATE M E NT
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OSA students wi l l be c re ati ve and cr i ti cal thi nker s w ho demonstrate a commi tme nt to e qui t y, communi t y, col l abo rati o n, and self-refl ecti on. T hro u gh meani ngful engag eme nt wi th pathway-i ntegrated cu rri cu l u m and wor k-based l earni ng oppor tuni ti es, graduate s wi l l be resi l i ent and r eady for co l l e ge and car eer. Al umni wil l exe mpl i fy t he essenti al val ue of the ar ts i n al l they do.
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TECHNOLOGY AND THE ARTS Today’s artists use technology to create, enhance, and exhibit their work. By providing state-
of-the-art technology and equipment for its students, OSA is preparing them for real world applications in their chosen fields and ensuring that they are ready for college or career on day one. During the pandemic’s all-remote learning phase, about one third of OSA students relied on the school to provide laptops in their homes. In 2021, OSA achieved its goal to provide one-toone laptop access at school and home for all students. However, all technology requires ongoing investment to maintain and OSA must periodically replace older, outdated equipment. Providing the most up-to-date, functional and relevant technology has a profound impact on preparing our students for careers in the arts: • Broadcasting students at KOSA, the student-run radio station, are prepared for every aspect of multi-media production, including programming, producing, music scheduling, scriptwriting, audio editing, and voice over. • Visual Art students use technology daily for design, documentation, and creation of artwork, with 2D and 3D media, including focused exploration in drawing, painting, and printmaking. • Audio Production & Engineering students collaborate with students in the Performing Arts pathway to record and produce multimedia pieces, such as OSA’s “Off the Table” project, a take on NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concerts,” in which a team of OSA students film, record, and produce a video series featuring musical solo artists and ensembles from OSA.
• During remote learning, OSA provided students with 336 Chromebooks and 154 hotspots. • In 2021, OSA launched a one-toone laptop initiative to ensure every student has access to 21st century learning tools. • Teachers use technology to tailor instruction to meet students’ individual learning objectives.
INNOVATIVE CAREER EDUCATION OSA prepares resilient, creative, and adaptable learners who graduate with not only outstanding college and career
readiness, but also with the mindset to succeed in a rapidly changing world.
OSA’s commitment to preparing working artists for their chosen fields is embedded in Career Technical Education (CTE)—California’s defined course sequences recognized for integrating academic, technical, and occupational knowledge. Students can choose between two CTE pathways: Design, Visual & Media Arts or Performing Arts. When students graduate from OSA, they enter college or career ready to excel. In addition to learning from professional artists that provide industry-relevant training each day, OSA students have access to work-based learning opportunities that include creating public art, running their own radio broadcasts, participating in international competitions, collaborating with commercial designers, and completing internships that allow them to graduate with a union card in hand. OSA goes beyond honing students’ art performance skills by placing a strong focus on entrepreneurship and career preparation. OSA connects students to mentors and visiting artists that share real world insight into the music industry, theatre, film, journalism, and more. Ninth graders take a semester-long “Business of the Arts” course, launching a four-year journey to create a professional portfolio, while seniors complete a “Capstone” course as their final preparation for college and career success. • OSA students run the KOSA radio station and produce the Telegraph, a literary magazine. • Each year, close to 90% of OSA graduates go on to two- or four-year colleges, universities, or conservatories. • Artist Speaker Series guests have included: Legendary hip-hop graffiti artist, Fab 5 Freddy; television news anchor and sculptor, Dana King; Disney animator, Marlon West; and Tower of Power’s saxophonist and composer, Emilio Castillo.
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STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES When students returned to in-person instruction after a year and a half of remote learning, OSA
anticipated an increased need for student support. National trends suggest that the pandemic has exacerbated both learning loss and the need for mental health services, bringing existing inequities to the forefront. Communities across the country are facing the triple pandemic of COVID-19, job losses, and ongoing systemic racism. Communities of color have borne the disproportionate impact of these intersecting crises. As a result, students may face a combination of the loss of family members, loss of family income, concerns about safety, housing instability, or food insecurity—all while trying to focus on school and their artistic development. To address these realities, OSA increased academic support and counseling services by expanding its Student Support Team, a dedicated group of professionals that monitors students’ socialemotional, academic, and mental health needs. This team offers support classes, interventions, and progress monitoring for many of our students, as well as identifies additional resources they need to thrive at OSA. • The Student Support Team follows a three-tiered support system: Universal, Targeted and Intensive Support. • Alongside our staff, OSA works with community partners that offer training and support on resiliency and healing, trauma-informed practices, and restorative justice.
“Co u ra g e i s t he m ost i m por t ant of all t he vi r t u e s b eca us e wi t hout courage, you can’t pra ct i ce a ny ot her v i r t ue cons i st ent ly.”
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—Maya Angelou
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ARTS EXCELLENCE AND IMPACT D a nc e Rigorous and challenging dance training of the highest caliber that includes ballet, contemporary, and body conditioning techniques • Dance students are frequently offered master
classes from talented guest artists including Jalen Preston, Graham Alum, Christopher Dolder, and Renee Robinson.
D igit a l Media Industry-relevant instruction that covers image creation and manipulation, photography, filmmaking, animation, graphic design, and media studies • Student work has been shown at the Chicago International and San Francisco International Film Festivals.
Fa shio n D es i gn Model industry practices that build strong technical foundations in drawing, clothing construction, and conceptual design • Every spring, the Fashion Design high school class produces the Annual Runway Show. Each student works for months to research, conceptualize, pattern, and sew a fashion collection based on the show’s theme.
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I nstru me ntal M u s i c, Au di o P ro du c t io n & E ngi ne e ri ng Technical and artistic training in the schools of jazz, piano, guitar, orchestral, chamber music, music theory, and audio production techniques • In 2018, Instrumental Music hosted an orchestral collaboration with Cal Performances, LA Philharmonic, YOLA, Oakland Symphony, and El Sistema, led by the internationally celebrated conductor, Gustavo Dudamel.
Li te rar y Ar ts Comprehensive, dynamic, and innovative introduction to literary genres, styles, and techniques providing an intensive exploration in the art and practice of creative writing • In the Senior Books capstone class, students read, discuss, and write for three hours a day, five days a week, and dedicate their senior year to the completion of a book-length manuscript.
P ro du cti o n De s i gn Practical experience-based training on state-of-the-art equipment, developing skills that are valuable in the real-world job market • In 2019, students applied their set design skills to plan and build two “tiny homes” for unhoused Oakland residents. The first house went to a woman and her elementary-age daughter.
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Alumni Snapshots OSA has a vibrant, passionate, and engaged alumni base. The school celebrates the accomplishments of all its alumni, whether they’ve chosen a career in the arts, in a technical field, or are back in the classrooms of their alma mater, as teachers themselves.
T h ea t er Intensive training program that prepares students for postsecondary education and employment in theatre performance, creation, and scholarship
Kehlani Ashley Parrish, ‘12
Tati Gabrielle, ‘13
2006-2012, Vocal Music
2007-2013, Theater
Grammy-nominated musician, singer, songwriter, and dancer
Actress for television and film
• The Theater faculty includes accomplished artists and scholars who offer both instruction and mentorship, covering a wide range of genres, styles, and historical periods.
V isua l A r t Curriculum grounded in mastering the fundamentals of studio art by committing to the creation of challenging individual projects within a broader art historical context while addressing contemporary issues • Each year, Visual Art students present two major gallery exhibitions to showcase their work to friends, family and the greater Oakland community. In addition, students have collaborated with community partners including the Oakland Museum of California and SFMOMA.
Ari’el Stachel, ‘12
Angela Victoria Watson
2008-2012, Theater
2014-2018, Dance
Tony Award–winning actor
Ballet Dancer
Vo ca l Music Rigorous training in ensemble and solo vocal performance as well as music theory, cultivating a deep respect for the study and craft of music • In 2012, students sang for President Barack Obama at the Fox Theatre and sat in the front row for his speech. The president greeted the students one by one and shook each of their hands.
Zachary Fernandez, ‘17
Zendaya
2010-2017, Fashion Design
2008-2009, Theater
Womenswear designer, graduate of The New School, Parsons School of Design
2020 Emmy Award-winning actress
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Financial Needs OSA’s 2021-22 budget totals $11,049,758 and is funded by a combination of federal, state, and local sources. Each year, the school must raise 8-13% of its annual revenue from philanthropic sources. As OSA does not charge tuition, the school depends on donations to bridge the gap between government funds and OSA’s per student cost.
Reven ue State Federal Local
$9,439,613 $140,555 $1,489,387
(donations, fundraising and other local revenue)
TOTA L
$11,069,555
Expenses Personnel Expenses
$8,375,897
Other Expenses
$2,673,861
(books, supplies, technology, facilities, and other operating expenses)
TOTA L
$11,049,758
OSA is responding to the pandemic’s impact on student learning and wellness as the need for student support programs continues to grow. Additionally, as OSA phases out auditions for admissions, we are ensuring our model of arts education meets all students’ needs. Finally, OSA is facing the need for expanded and improved facilities. Taken together, these realities mean costs to provide a stellar arts education are increasing. OSA will share its comprehensive three-year Strategic Plan to address these needs with the community in 2022.
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A FUTURE FOR ARTISTS For OSA, the reality of being a public institution that offers unique and high-caliber arts training has been a financial challenge from day one. Now, even after two decades of success, the climb has only gotten steeper.
COVID-19 and its economic tumult have impacted OSA’s financial stability. From fewer opportunities for in-person fundraising events and performances to Oakland’s skyrocketing rents and real estate prices, OSA faces significant challenges to offer a world-renowned, public arts education in the Bay Area. OSA’s historic facilities in the Uptown Arts District are costly to rent and, at the same time, require updates to provide the level of arts education that supports OSA’s vision. In addition, due to high demand for many of OSA’s arts programs, the school is currently renting additional, temporary classroom space to meet student needs. The rising cost of living in Oakland also poses challenges to maintaining our stellar arts and academic faculty. To attract and retain teachers and staff that represent the full diversity of the community—which is essential to a healthy school—we must offer competitive compensation that honors our faculty’s credentials, dedication, and expertise. OSA is committed to a courageous future that includes: • Culturally responsive practices that promote equity • The ability to attract and retain diverse faculty and staff with competitive wages • Up-to-date facilities • Industry-relevant technology • Strong partnerships with the Bay Area community • Students who represent the full diversity of Oakland OSA needs your support to ensure that a free, public arts education is a core part of Oakland’s future.
Join us with your gift today! Your support in this 20th anniversary year honors an audacious vision for what arts education can achieve—and empowers more young people to cultivate the courage to be creative.
Learn more at www.oakarts.org/giving OSA is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations made to the school are tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law. OSA’s Federal Employer Identification Number is 68-0463892
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530 18th Street Oakland, CA 94612 (510) 873-8800 advancement@oakarts.org www.oakarts.org Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/osaschool Follow us on Instagram: @osaschool Read our publications on Issuu: issuu.com/oakarts
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