Artist

Johanna Smith is a Professor of Theatre Education, Improvisation, and Puppetry at CSU-San Bernardino. Her research and practice focuses on integrating puppets into classrooms as well as professional Theatre for Young Audiences. She has served as a puppetry artist for Broadway-bound extravaganzas to museums to colleges to preschools and often directs tours for CSUSB. Her production of The Odyssey (director, puppet design) toured to the PuppetFair puppet festival in Sofia, Bulgaria in 2008, followed by a tour of 4 major Chinese cities for the Chonqing Children's Theatre season in 2009.

Inner-City Arts' mission is to engage young people in the creative process in order to shape a society of creative, confident and collaborative individuals. We provide arts classes and workshops for school-aged children, classroom teachers and school administrators.

As the nation's longest-running theatre of color and largest producer of Asian Pacific American (APA) creative work, EWP is committed to using the unique platform of theatre to tell multifaceted stories of the APA experience and develop new artists. The LA Times has described EWP as a model for organizations that generate support from a community, instead of relying on the success of a particular show.

Dramatic Results is an award-winning nonprofit that makes learning real by engaging educators and learners through collaborative hands-on projects that impact the practice of education. Since 1992, the agency has delivered educational programming to historically excluded students using art, design, and culture as an entryway into STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) subjects. Over 32 years, the agency has served 35,000 students and empowered more than 450 classroom teachers.

Create Now is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that gives youth opportunities to find their voices through arts mentoring and education. We especially serve children ages 2-21 who have been abused, neglected, homeless, domestic violence victims, incarcerated, etc. by matching them with artists, writers, musicians, actors, dancers and others, including mentors who teach life skills. Create Now provides training and materials to implement therapeutic programs in music, writing, visual arts, performing arts, fashion and digital media at 100+ partner agencies, like shelters and group homes.

Beth Sussman is a Juilliard trained pianist and a Master Teaching Artist with a number of arts organizations including The Los Angeles Music Center. In addition to performing throughout Europe and North America, Beth has devoted much of her time of sharing her love of classical music with young people through both school performances and workshops/residencies.

The Armory Center for the Arts builds on the power of art to transform lives and communities through creating, teaching, and presenting the arts. At the core of the Armory’s work is a deep commitment to social justice through arts education. A key goal of the Armory’s mission is to provide engaging, high-quality art classes and art experiences in the region’s lowest income neighborhoods in order to advance cultural equity. Over 80% of programming serves socioeconomically disadvantaged youth and families.

Angels Gate Cultural Center brings art and culture to the community through interactive classes, gallery exhibits of both local and international artists, professional artists’ studios, art education programs in the schools, and cultural events.

Aman Dance Educators present the Creative World Dance Curriculum, a unique program that teaches students dances from around the world and leads them through creative activities that expand their understanding of their bodies in action as tools for communication. Students will expand their knowledge in geography, history and culture, and gain skills in cooperation, coordination, creativity and rhythm. The curriculum includes dances from Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.