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Our Cover Art for this issue comes from ArtWallah / YouthWallah….
ArtWallah launches YouthWallah 2005: Emerging Artists and Their Diasporic Experience Press Contact: Soumya Sundaresh 5140 White Oak Ave. #208 Encino, Ca 91316 818-307-7984 ArtWallah launches their second annual summer arts mentorship program, Youthwallah, geared and developed for aspiring South Asian artists (ages 16-25). The program is designed to support the development of new artistic work (film, theatre, dance, visual art, spoken word, literature and music) and provide an opportunity for a public showing at the end of the program. This tremendous program runs on the stream of committed mentors who donate their time to the community and the mentee who collaborate to develop artistic work for the community. It is a program devised to raise consciousness and empower the voices of these emerging artists. ArtWallah, the premier South Asian Diaspora organization, on its eighth year, is known for its annual ArtWallah Festival that attracts 100 plus artists from all over North America with over 3,000 audience member, for their four day summer festival. Based in Venice CA, the organization has been operating primarily through its festival, working to provide a safe space for South Asian artists whose work has been under represented in mainstream media outlets. While the festival provided informal opportunities for artists to meet and develop relationships, there was not yet a formalized system for young artists to learn, and develop their artistry. Hence in the summer of 2004, ArtWallah launched the YouthWallah, an arts mentorship program supporting South Asian youth in the pursuit and creation of powerful artistic work. The YouthWallah program runs through the summer concluding with a formal showcasing. All participants come from the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County or the Valley. The program workshops take place every other Wednesday evening in Culver City starting June 20th, culminating into a three night show at Highways Performance space during the first week of November. These formal works include live performance as well as visual arts installations. We welcome everyone to come, watch and support this tremendous program, the mentors and mentees. YouthWallah is competitive and rigorous, but fun and provides an encouraging atmosphere with talented mentors and a supportive staff who will nurture any fresh artistic ideas about the South Asian Diasporic experiences. Participation is free to youth, and supported by funds from the Weingart Foundation. Please let me know if you would like to feature our South Asian Community mentorship program or have any questions. Best wishes, Soumya Sundaresh 818-307-7984 |