Update and refresh the aging technology infrastructure at OSA’s main campus in the historic Fox Theater, the Newberry Building located at 1920 Telegraph Avenue, and the Visual Art/Media Arts
Space on San Pablo Avenue, all in the center of Oakland’s Uptown District, a hub of arts and entertainment in the city.
Today’s artists use technology to create, enhance, and exhibit their work. Strong technology skills are an integral part of succeeding in post-secondary arts education programs and in the workplace. By providing state-ofthe-art technology and equipment for its students, OSA is preparing them for real-world applications in their chosen fields so they are ready for college or career on day one.
Ensuring that all school systems and structures are designed for transformational change is an ongoing challenge, but this is particularly true in the area of maintaining up-to-date technology. To prepare our students for post-secondary education and careers, we rely on a functioning network and reliable technology.
• Replace and update OSA’s aging technology infrastructure;
• Create a system of reliable technology supports to reduce class time interruptions;
• Ensure students and faculty have access to tools that are aligned with current industry standards;
• Equip a dedicated space for Visual Art and Media Arts; and
• Prepare students for post-secondary study and careers that reflect current and relevant approaches to combining art and technology.
The project will take place between mid-2023 and Summer 2024, and is two-fold:
OSA’s project for 2023 includes a complete network refresh, including replacing switches, updating firewalls, routers, cloud-based tools, and management licensing. Our current wireless network is 10 years old. Providing up-to-date hardware for our students and faculty to access is not meaningful if our entire network is out of date and inefficient. Over the past two years, we have had many network interruptions, requiring numerous reboots weekly. These interruptions to class time have become untenable.
OSA’s campus extends across three sites (Fox Theater, Newberry Building, and San Pablo Avenue Visual Art/Media Arts Space), that each need network and technology updates. Investments in OSA’s technology refresh would be used to support the full network refresh and to replace, add, or update laptops, iPads, and other needed equipment in our Media Arts programming that includes Visual Art, Media Arts, and Audio Production and Engineering.
OSA continues to need new hardware for faculty and students, in particular our Media Arts-related sub-pathways. The addition of up-to-date hardware and software would support daily arts and academic instruction for OSA students, members of the next generation of working artists and creative professionals.
OSA was conceived to expand opportunity in a city with substantial and entrenched inequities. We are committed to closing the technology gap by making technology accessible for all students, regardless of socioeconomic status. By providing industry-standard equipment and software at OSA, each student has access to essential learning tools, regardless of their family’s ability to purchase expensive equipment or reliable at-home internet access.
A technology refresh will benefit all OSA students in grades 6-12 as they will be able to rely on a network that does not lag or stop during the school day. However, for those students whose arts focus is reliant on streaming and tech tools, the technology refresh is even more vital. For them, an up-to-date, working network and relevant technology is essential. These subjects can not be taught effectively without a functioning network and working technology.
Media Arts students study film production and editing, photography, computer skills, and live event production, as well as foundational knowledge in media business practices. Students participate in select projects with upper level students, begin their digital portfolios, and have an opportunity to present their work in Digital Media exhibitions. In addition, students gain graphic design skills, including printing enterprise, art and copy preparation, image generation and assembly, production photography, graphic reproduction operations, printing, and digital production. Each spring, the Media Arts program hosts a Film Festival, with work from both middle and high school students showcased.
Media Arts students learn industry relevant digital art skills, including digital image creation and manipulation, photography, filmmaking, animation, digital graphic design, and media studies with an emphasis on career readiness and portfolio preparation. Students participate in solo and collaborative projects, develop their portfolios and reels, and submit their work to festivals and contests year-round. Media Arts students collaborate across emphasis areas with classes and projects in Audio Production and Engineering, Vocal Music, Theatre, and Visual Art. Media Art offers CTE (Career Technical Education) pathways in both graphic design and video production.
Visual Art and Audio Production and Engineering are also areas of our program that rely heavily on technology. In Visual Art, assignments range from traditional life drawing and painting, to sculpture, design and conceptual development. In Audio Production and Engineering, students learn how to record, edit and mix original songs, sound design, live sessions, and voice work in the studio and on the computer.
REFRESH: MID-2023 TO 2024
COMPLETION: SUMMER 2024
The total cost of the technology refresh project is $245,000. The cost of the OSA network refresh component is estimated to be $100,000, with purchases beginning in Spring 2023, with full installation to be completed in 2024. The cost of the network refresh reflects a significant discount based on OSA’s application for support through the Federal Communications Commission’s E-rate program for schools and libraries. The total cost of updated hardware and software for 2023-24, which includes student laptops, faculty/staff laptops, and a range of software and licenses, is estimated at $145,000. Partner support would contribute to covering the costs associated with the full technology refresh.
• Reduced network stoppages and interruptions during the school day.
• Increased capacity for arts faculty to introduce industry-standard video and audio production techniques.
• Improved artistic portfolio quality among Media Arts and Visual Art students
• Increased number of seniors reporting they have sufficient technology skills for their desired professional or academic pursuits.
OSA is a public charter school and 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 2002 by Jerry Brown, Oakland’s then Mayor and former California Governor. Housed in Downtown Oakland’s historic Fox Theater, OSA serves nearly 800 students in grades 6-12, who pay no tuition. We serve students across the Bay Area, but 72% of our students are from Oakland. Many students arrive at OSA from under-resourced schools and all are admitted 100% grade-blind. This means students who need academic and artistic support enroll alongside students who face fewer challenges to their educational success.
This year marks OSA’s 20th year as a top-performing secondary school. In 2021, OSA was one of only three California schools recognized as both a California Blue Ribbon Distinguished School and an Exemplary Arts School by the California Department of Education. OSA maintains a 97% graduation rate, and each year, about 90% of our students go on to attend 2- or 4-year colleges, universities or conservatories, including: San Francisco Conservatory, Columbia University, UC Berkeley, New York University, University of Arts London, Stanford University, Oberlin Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, Cornell University, Tisch School of the Arts at NYU and UCLA’s renowned School of Film, Theater, and Television. This is a remarkable record for an Oakland public school, and speaks directly to the importance of OSA in the Bay Area community.
During their years at OSA, students complete a challenging academic curriculum with an emphasis in one of nine arts sub-pathways:
All middle and high school students have at least two hours of daily arts instruction. OSA’s arts and academic programs build discipline and confidence, effectively preparing creative youth to achieve their potential both in and outside of the arts.
OSA currently serves nearly 800 students and its demographics are as shown in this chart. The student body is 65% female, 34% male, and 1% non-binary. 40% of students identify as LGBTQIA+.
In order to expand opportunities to access OSA’s arts education, we recently adopted a phase-out plan for removal of the requirement for students to audition in order to attend. Already, we have seen an increase in students from lower-resourced areas of Oakland, as 52% of new OSA 6th grade students this year had previously attended a Title I school.
In line with the school’s mission, all of OSA’s arts teachers are successful, working artists who strive to create extraordinary opportunities for students, including internships, gallery and museum exhibitions, and high-visibility performances at notable venues like the Fox Theater, Yoshi’s, and Freight and Salvage. Guest artists also frequent OSA to mentor and collaborate with students, and OSA continues to foster many community partnerships, including the Oakland Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Ballet, SFMOMA, Museum of the African Diaspora, Oakland Museum of California, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Cal Performances, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Purple Silk Foundation, and many others.
For additional information about OSA go to: https://issuu.com/oakarts/docs/osa_ann_report_issuu_print
Mike Oz, Executive Directormoz@oakarts.org
510.873.8800
530 18th Street, Oakland, CA 94612 www.oakarts.org
530 18th Street
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 873-8800
advancement@oakarts.org
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