Ryman Arts

We will provide increased access to Ryman Arts’ high quality art education and college and career support to underserved youth in Los Angeles County to reduce barriers and increase creative career pathway opportunities. Community outreach efforts will increase Latinx student participation in Ryman Arts to more accurately reflect overall LA demographics. Ryman Arts will introduce students to diverse creative leaders at behind the scenes career tours to provide guidance for young artists to have successful futures in the LA creative economy.

Let’s get Angelenos of all ages and backgrounds drawing together to create art, build connections and imagine our shared future.

Our idea is to build on our Big Draw LA campaign, which entails organizing a month-long series of inclusive, highly participatory public drawing experiences across Los Angeles at traditional and non-traditional venues. Through the month of October, we create and promote community drawing events at a diverse pool of venues such as museums, libraries, senior centers, restaurants, bars, parks, science centers, retail stores, or any other establishments that can help us get the public drawing! The Big Draw LA initiative, which we are presenting for the fourth year, will build community, entice non-professionals to make art, and encourage the public to value drawing as a tool for their own creative expression. When Ryman Arts first launched The Big Draw LA in 2010, it was an experiment. Based on our experience, we now see that this initiative has deepened our involvement with the larger community and broadened our own program’s students' experience, thus strengthening our core program while at the same time cultivating the well-being and quality of life for our fellow Los Angelenos. The BDLA also includes our organization’s flagship event, “Make Your Mark in the Park” where both our students and alumni encourage and engage the public to make art. A fun-filled, creative afternoon, we celebrate the act of drawing by welcoming thousands of Angelenos to draw together on paper rolled out along the length of an iconic Los Angeles park. After, the drawing is photographed and showcased as a scrolling panorama online. Last year’s event was held at Grand Park in downtown Los Angeles where thousands captured the spirit of Grand Park and downtown Los Angeles. Students from our Ryman Arts program were on site to provide the public with art supplies and encouragement. The Big Draw LA ensures that we can continue to educate young artists on the value of community engagement, build awareness of the value of art making, and increase opportunities for artistic participation among the greater Los Angeles public. All of these lead to an increase in public participation, and appreciation of both formal and informal arts events, and impact on Los Angeles’ role as a leader in the arts. We hope to reach as many Los Angelenos as possible at our proposed BDLA events, allowing a broader mix of the public to engage directly with making art in their specific LA communities. Funding will allow us to try more unusual venues, work with smaller community organizations that need more support to develop their BDLA events, and develop new tools to link events with online components—ultimately, increasing access to the project.