Congratulations to our EAI Summer 2018 Grantees:

  • Composition and Orchestration for Motion Pictures — Hernandez Mariachi Heritage Society,
    El Monte    : Taught by Music Director José Hernandez, veteran composer, music arranger and orchestrator for the motion picture industry.
  • StudioFRIDA-Stroke of Passion — Macha Theatre Company, Boyle Heights: A theater production with iconic Mexican songs that explores Frida Kahlo’s mental, emotional and physical condition during the last week of her life. 
  • Northeast LA Arts & Commerce Makerspace Studio — Artist Margaret Garcia, Highland Park: Establishes arts incubation project–pairing artists and craftspeople with the unemployed who want to learn new skills—in the development of custom limited-edition objects such as contemporary folk toys by utilizing Mexican and international folk toys as inspiration.
  • Cultura Cura Carts — Mujeres de Maiz, East Los Angeles: Public art and free community arts program in public spaces with artists sharing workshops focused in the arts, including art, poetry, silkscreen, theater, and the healing arts. This public art project encourages communities of color to connect with cultural wellness practices in the form of art, education, and storytelling projects that highlight pertinent social issues, including health.
  • The Olympic Auditorium Project — Steve DeBro, producer: Through a range of media, including the feature-length documentary film 18th & Grand, short films, and community events, the project engages Angelenos in a wider conversation about Los Angeles history through the story of the historic fight palace, the Olympic Auditorium (active 1925-2005, now a Korean Church).  The project highlights many of the characters and historians from the 1940s and 50s, including boxing stars Enrique Bolanos and Art Aragon, to sports and culture writers like Gene Aguilera and Rock Rims and others. 
  • My Beautiful Body — Theater for Everyone, East Los Angeles: Playwriting and production workshops for people with disabilities, where they are the protagonists of their stories and where they can celebrate their lives by demonstrating the challenges they go through and the humor and/or dignity it takes to live in a body that doesn’t work the way it should.  Through their plays, participants will share their stories with friends and community and educate the public on how to be resilient and how to interact with disabled people so they are not left out or rendered invisible.
  • Always Running — Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural & Bookstore, Sylmar (Project serving Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles): Adaption of classic novel Always Running: LA Vida Loca, Gang Days in L.A. into a theatrical production where at-risk youth will be invited to attend the play and engage in a Q & A with author Luis J. Rodriguez, who will also mentor the youth through a writing workshop.  “Rodríguez found a way out when art, writing, and political activism rescued him from the brink of self-destruction.” — The New York Times
  • A Great Day in East LA — Piero Giunti, East Los Angeles: Documents and preserves the largest photographic and video interview archive of the “East Side Sound.”  Also, will Identify, link, and cultivate professional resources to nurture, invest and develop the talents of local musicians and artistic as well as creating mentoring opportunities and sustainable financial opportunities.
  • The Bronze Nightingale — Casa 0101, Boyle Heights: Development of a new play based on the short story by writer, artist and performer, Ruben Guevara.  Following the success of his performance piece “Confessions of a Radical Chicano Doo Wop Singer” in 2016 and 2017 and the subsequent publishing of his memoir in 2018, (University of California Press), this new work of fiction unearths the cross-cultural pollination in Boyle Heights and Little Tokyo in the 1930s and 1940s in the areas of music, culture and fashion style amongst Mexican-American, Japanese-American and African-American residents.  The project includes four public readings to Casa 0101 students and audiences, who will help shape the play.
  • Walking the Art Walk — Diego Cardoso Art Studio & Gallery, Downtown Los Angeles: Art students will learn strategic arts and cultural development practices. Students will use transit and active transportation to access and experience their community; engage in educational workshops to learn and discuss new ways to experience and contribute to community; and engage in art studio practices such as painting and photography/filmmaking or modern dance/choreography. The program will culminate with arts/cultural economic development workshop and a community exhibit at a local gallery/theater.
  • I Love Lupe — Real Women Have Curves Studio, Boyle Heights: Documentary filmmaking class to aspiring young filmmakers whose final project will be to collectively make a documentary about the late Lupe Ontiveros and her career playing more than 200 maids in Hollywood films and TV shows.  Students will learn about her amazing theater work and role as activist for better Latino representation in Hollywood.  The documentary follows Lupe’s sons as they work on getting their mother a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and culminates with a ceremony on the day of her receiving the star. 
  • TNH Productions, Highland Park: This is the inaugural recipient of the EAI’s Technical Support Grant for training in grant-writing, capacity-building and fund development.  Training will support the organizations plans of its “Musical Theater Youth Diversity Apprenticeship Program” which will offer youth job training on the stage crew of and apprentices on theater productions. In addition to on-the-job experience, apprenticeship workshops will teach about theater production budgeting, sales, marketing and social media; directing and casting; music direction and choreography; set design; lighting, sound and projection design; production stage management; and publicity.