LAUSD Focus On Latin American, Latino Art

LOS ANGELES, CA - The Los Angeles Unified School District's arts education branch announced a partnership Tuesday with the nonprofit LA Promise Fund and the Getty Foundation to provide teachers with training on themes of the regional "Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA" exhibitions and a chance to pass those lessons on to students.

"Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA," which began last week, features a series of events and exhibitions throughout the Southland focused on Latin American and Latino art. LAUSD officials said the exhibitions are a chance for students to connect with their heritage, while building relationships between schools and museums.

The partnership with the Promise Fund will offer sixth- through 12-grade teachers professional development sessions designed to connect instructors with the themes of PST: LA/LA exhibitions, and help integrate arts into their lesson plans. Participating teachers will be eligible to take their students for free to visit a museum or gallery that is participating in the initiative during the school year.

"Through these professional developments, our teachers will be better able to connect students with their heritage and identity, and to link to common core curriculum in visual arts, social sciences and history, and English language arts," said Rory Pullens, senior executive director of arts education for the LAUSD.

The sessions will start at 8 a.m. Oct. 7 and Oct. 14 at the Esteban Torres High School library, located at 4211 Dozier St. in Los Angeles. Teachers can sign up by emailing megan.hannen@lausd.net.

The LA Promise Fund -- a nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing Los Angeles students for college, career and life -- also created a grant program for teachers to receive $500 to $1,000 to support instructional activities that increase students' access to art-making materials.

Details about the grant program can be found at www.lapromisefund.org/artsmatter.

— CNS; Image via Pixabay

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