Pathways into the creative economy for BIPOC L.A. high school students

Youth economic advancement

County of Los Angeles (select only if your project has a countywide benefit)

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

All of us at Inner-City Arts seek to break barriers and provide access to high-quality arts education and mentorship to students who may not otherwise have access to creative opportunities as they grow up. As you may know, for the majority of students attending Title 1 schools, immersion in the arts is more a rare privilege than a universal right.
Underserved youth have far fewer chances at portfolio building and industry networking experiences than their more privileged counterparts. Fewer BIPOC students enroll in art-specific high schools or colleges, and the result is a lack of plurality in the creative sector that suffers from the unheard voices of a vibrant part of the community and our loss of some outstanding artwork from minority emerging artists.

Our goal is to support the diverse and underrepresented youth of L.A. in their path to become key contributors to the creative economy on a local, national, and global scale. To do so, we created the Work of Art paid internship program to connect youth interested in exploring a career in the arts to public sector workforce initiatives, private employers, and college resources. Interns are also compensated for creating content in their respective disciplines for Inner-City Arts' Permanent Collection.
The program works under three pillars: colleague readiness, career exploration, and personal development. Because of the great industry partnerships we have nurtured throughout our three-decade history, we are able to offer unique opportunities for our interns. Among our partners we count Hauser & Wirth Gallery and esteemed American artist Jenny Holzer, HIRE LA Youth program, UCLA’s Broad Gallery, Wiseman Studio, ArtCenter, and The Getty.
Recently, a group of our interns had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of participating, among other established artists, in Mattel’s 80th Anniversary Exhibit at the Corey Helford Gallery from March 15 - April 19, 2025. They interacted and received feedback from Kim Culmone, Head Designer of Barbie, and Chris Down, Chief Design Officer at Mattel, among others, and were able to talk to the press during a Media Reception event. These kinds of opportunities are only available to the population we serve thanks to our funders and artistic partners.

The mission of Inner-City Arts is to engage young people in the creative process in order to shape a society of creative, confident, and collaborative individuals. We believe in the arts as tools for transformation, social mobility, and well-being.
The primary goal of our Work of Art program is to support the development of new talent in the creative industries. Youth gain invaluable hands-on experience, mentorship, and exposure to real-world artistic practices through Work of Art.
We aim for a 100% high school graduation rate from our underrepresented interns and 100% admittance into 2-year or 4-year colleges or universities across the country, thus amplifying the voices and presence of those who have been historically missing from mainstream media and the commercial art world.