Spring/Summer 2024 Grantees

Dance

Floricanto Dance Theatre: “Lalo Guerrero, The Original Chicano is a multifaceted dance production based on the touring life of Icon Lalo Guerrero and the influence of his rancheras, boleros, jazz, tropical, and rhythm and blues-dominated music.

Jennifer Sanchez: “LA Ofrenda”, a multimedia adaptation of an Aztec creation story, weaving together traditional dances, cosmology, light, video, and neo-Mesoamerican regalia to create a captivating journey offering Los Angeles a Mexica New Year celebration.

Film

East Los Angeles Boys & Girls: “Mission Possible” documentary highlighting the journey of Mexican immigrant Dr. Alfredo Quiñones, who went from “harvest” to Harvard and became a renowned neurosurgeon. Includes arts mentorship and study guide.

Nancy De Los Santos: “Say A Little Prayer” romantic comedy film (postproduction) with a Latina's heart—when it came to love and romance, three thirty-something amigas didn't have a prayer; now they do!

Heather Flores: “Stop Tagging our Murals”, a documentary examining the cultural and historical impact tagging has on Los Angeles’ tapestry of murals, and the cause and effect of damage to this public art painted by local artists—why the destruction?

Rubén Guevara III: "Far East LA", a documentary series exploring the historical connections between Little Tokyo and Boyle Heights, delving into a century of intersectionality through the lenses of individuals/institutions who have come to define this unique LA region.

Frankie Hernandez: “Daughters of Poetry” short film trilogy told through poetry about living fully: the softness experienced with Frankie’s daughter Delilah’s birth, fun action-packed childbirth of daughter Luna, and the stillbirth of Delilah's daughter Estrella.

Fernando Lopez: “TIERNO” short film, sheds light into Beto’s world, a Chicano boy navigating a strained relationship with his mother who is undergoing deportation—told through a childhood vignette of their once fruitful flower shop.

Johnny Murillo: “Joking G's” documentary following the mentorship of the late Rudy Moreno as he trains former gang members from East LA in the art of stand-up comedy and their performances at the Laugh Factory, Comedy Chateau, and other comedy clubs.

Kase Peña: “Trans Los Angeles”, short film final segment about the lives of PERIOD-Vergara, PURSE-Ginger, TDOR-Taiwanese-American transgender female, and FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS.

Patricia Nazario: “Backstreet to the American Dream”, screenings of a 90-minute bilingual feature about the journey of the 21st-Century entrepreneurial endeavor of food trucks—a deep dive into the birthplace of the $2Billion dollar global phenomenon and social inequalities.

Visual Arts

Art Share LA: Ellsworth Artist Residency provides professional development and studio space for artists as well as studio visits with curators, critics, scholars, and other artists, in addition to group exhibitions in Art Share L.A.’s gallery.

Avenue 50 Studio: Cosmetology Career-Pathway Trade-Training Program for local students across Northeast LA, taught by cosmetologist and artist Judith Bautista concluding with students working as face painters for Día de Los Muertos events.

Casa 0101: Public mural by artist Margaret Garcia honoring the legendary Gloria Molina and her contributions to society permanently located on wall adjacent to Casa 0101 on S. Saint. Louis Street in Boyle Heights.

Proyecto Pastoral: IMPACTO Arts Programming-Art with Heaven, art workshops for youth by artist Juan Carlos Muñoz Hernandez, AKA “Heaven”, includes field trips to Legacy West Media Studio and an exhibit for youth to showcase their art to the community.

Literary Arts

Women Who Submit: Literary Workshop & Panel Speaker Series empowers women and nonbinary writers to submit work for publication as an act for gender parity and wider representation in literary publishing.

Theatre

Jesse Bliss: LUMINOUS STREETS, an immersive theatrical tour of historic core Downtown LA written and performed by women, speaking truth about oppression while offering the community of Skid Row a theater experience theater in their neighborhood.

McCall Cadenas: East LA Project, Part II: THE SPIDER is a thought-provoking musical theatre piece presented through a unique closing performance. It follows the inaugural companion piece, "Laugh Now Cry Later: A Mad Girl's Love Song."

Dan Guerrero: “Aging: It Does Not End Well” is an online 75-minute solo play with stand-up/improv elements that allow interaction with the audience.

SINERGIA Theatre Group: Staged Reading Series, a monthly program that offers 12 new plays for the community. Playwrights choose their own production teams and actors. SINERGIA mentors the playwrights throughout their productions, teaching them how to produce their material.