Congratulations to our EAI Fall 2017 Grantees. This marks more than $500,000 in grants since the Fall of 2015 for furthering the arts in eastern Los Angeles county:

  • Asian Pacific Americans in Hip Hop Exhibit and Public Programming, Friends of the Chinese American Museum: Examines how Asian Pacific Americans (APA) have contributed to hip hop, and how APA communities have been influenced by, and made an impact on this musical genre and cultural movement. Initiative features exhibit with archival material and artifacts, photographs, and videos of the APA hip hop scene of the last three decades, along with a slate of public programming which includes breakdance workshops to DJ, MC, and beatboxing performances by talented DJs and turntablists and lyrical rappers.
  • Aztlan: A Sense of Place, dA Center for the Arts:  Workshops throughout Pomona neighborhoods utilizing art, music, literature, dance and food to explore a “Sense of Place”, giving residents a voice for the vision of their community.  The project will culminate with a curated exhibition that will showcase the work created in the workshops, offering a visual articulation of the ideas from each of the various neighborhoods.
  • Binational Art and Culture Initiative, Casa Cultural Saybrook:  Brings the arts directly into art-poor neighborhoods through traveling galleries, arts workshops and performances presented by teachers and invited artists hosting works of art, films and other cultural mediums through partnerships with cultural institutions – Municipal Institute of Arts and Culture, Tijuana Cultural Center and State Center of the Arts.
  • Boyle Heights Museum-“Remembering Boyle Heights”, Casa 0101: Theatre production and exhibit celebrates Boyle Heights’ immigrants and residents, and shares their stories on camera for a documentary titled “Boyle Heights: The Ellis Island of the West.”  A documentary will be produced for use as a teaching tool for schools. 
  • El Circo Anahuac, Brown Fist Productions: Multi-media classical music and theater production tells the story of the birth of the twin volcanoes outside Mexico City, Popocaltepetl and Ixtlacihuatl, with a surprising twist: a modern circus troupe acts out the ancient legend. By combining classical music, puppetry, movement, stage illusions, and choreography, “El Circo” blends the present with the fantastic, the real with the imagined, the historic with the mythical. The production includes puppets and set designs by artist Lalo Alcaraz; a unique choreography by Janelle Gonzales, and tri-lingual lyrics written by Librettist Nahuatl poets. Production will be taken on the school circuit following its debut.
  • Latina Women Writers Conference, Latino Art Network:  Convening of more than 200 local Latina writers, representing a range of women in age, genre of work, lifestyle, stage of their careers and self-identity who will participate in workshops and presentations by Latina authors and poets – workshops range from literary and fictional forms, including poetry, novels, short stories, blogs, spoken word performance, playwriting and screenwriting.  Special focus on opportunities for older and young Latina writers and performers. The conference will be complimented by online services for resources sharing and a forum to post new work.
  • Latin@Screenwriting Academy, Josefina Lopez:  Crash course in screenwriting — students gain skills to write a short film/web series episode that tell Latino stories not being told.  At ending of the workshop, screenplays will be read by students with professional actors. One screenplay/web series will be selected for production and students will serve as the crew and producers.
  • Mobile Art Lab for Increasing Access to Arts and Technology, Develop Skills & Transcend Limits Through the Arts (DSTL):  New tech-laden Mobile Art Lab brings arts workshops for children and youth, arts mentorship program for at-risk youth ages 16–24, Conchas y Café creative writing workshops for adults and Artist Residency Workshops Series for intergenerational groups in art-poor neighborhoods.
  • Printmaking Today: Self Help Graphics’ Master Printer Apprentice Program: Furthers the impact of printmaking in eastern Los Angeles County by building artists from varying levels of ability to the Master Printer level; establishes a pipeline of mentorship/knowledge within the Chicano/Latino communities ensuring the printmaking expertise lives on from generation to generation; and offers this hands-on learning opportunity typically closed to the wider public.
  • Studio Sessions, Mark Torres:  In conjunction with the radio program “Travel Tips for Aztlan”, the sessions will feature talent from the Eastside before a live audience at radio recording studios with watt signal reaching as far as Santa Barbara and Tijuana, Mexico. This initiative will help promote talent from the eastside, tell the stories of the eastside’s music history and provide a social space for community to gather and network.  A pre- broadcast will include an info talk with insight into the 21-year history of Travel Tips for Aztlan, and the ChicanX bands that have gone from unknowns to Grammy Award winners.
  • Testament of the Spirit: Paintings by Eduardo Carrillo Exhibition, Pasadena Museum of Art: Highlights the creative efforts and social importance of Chicano artist Eduardo Carrillo as artist, teacher and activist, and features work created for three distinct realms: the public, the private, and the museum. The mural, “Chicano History” is planned to be showcased at the Los Angeles Theater Center. During his lifetime and through his work, Eduardo Carrillo significantly advanced the recognition and appreciation of Chicano art and culture in California.  A bilingual catalogue will accompany the exhibit.
  • Viva Teatro, Raul Romero:  Develops a theater company devoted to theater in Spanish which teaches undocumented immigrants and their families by performing entertaining and informative short plays to help empower them to live their lives with dignity and courage. Playwrights will be created from real-life stories with lessons to teach about civil and legal rights.