Artward Initiative 501 (c) (3) non-profit

Art and Rebirth in Carson

In midst of terrible sadness of an insane war it was even more special to celebrate the Earth Day in the City of Carson on Saturday. It was the first live city event in two years. It was a true celebration of the community that overcame together the two awful years of the COVID pandemic.

Throughout all those two difficult years with our non-profit Artward Initiative we never stopped our art and social action programs in one of the most difficult remaining neighborhoods of the LA County, the infamous and chronically underserved "Scottsdale" in the City of Carson. We didn't stop or slow down even for a day, serving the rapidly transformed by the pandemic need. Just as store shelves got emptied exactly 2 years ago we pivoted our art outreach program to deliver emergency food and emotional support in form of kids art to the elders and at risk residents.

Throughout 2020 we delivered over 55000 lbs of food while kids were making supportive art safe at home, including kids from the Carson Sheriff's departments' Gang Diversion program that we were able to help keep going through the pandemic. We then attached the printed kids art to food packages. As we turned to a recovery and with the help of generous @bankofamerica grant we helped lift community spirit with a kids art contest that we launched and continue. On Saturday we had the Mayor and the entire Carson City Council greet two of our latest winners, the fabulously talented Alisella B. Tan and Isaiah Roberts.

Thank you, Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes, Mayor Pro Tem Jawane Hilton, Council Members Cedric L. Hicks, Sr., Jim Dear and Arleen Bocatija Rojas for your strong support and awesome long time city collaboration that made it all possible. Art is the inseparable part of the community.

Sadie Is Sharring Her Thoughts On The Project

Sadie Dix is truly an everyday real world hero. Her remarkable personal story is an intertwined saga of an African American experience and of an inner city struggle while being inseparable from the dramatic story of "Scottsdale." A resident of forty years, Sadie was part of the residents group that led an uprising against former management, the story vividly reported by the Los Angeles Times of a period. Everything that was happening in "Scottsdale,"she'd seen it all. Throughout last decade Sadie led Scottsdale's slow, gradual, sometimes painful transition becoming the chair of the Scottsdale Association Board of Governors.

From the very beginning she became one of the foremost supporters of our Love My Neighbor project in "Scottsdale" judging that this was exactly what her long-suffered community needed to raise self-confidence and the belief that the change is possible. Throughout the Covid-19 crisis Sadie led the local distribution of food that we were delivering as an emergency relief. Now a Covid survivor herself, she actively supports our art contests as a tangible sign of recovery saying "we need exactly something like this exactly right now." A tenacious leader, Sadie is the street smart wisdom, the heart and the soul of this community. She is also an Artward Initiative Board Member.

In this interview Sadie shares her thoughts on the Love My Neighbor project and on the impact of art on the community.

With ART We Persevere

Live My Neighbor 2 Recover Exhibition At The "Scottsdale" Club House

We believe in the importance of live art exhibitions. With all the anxieties of the omicron surge and with postponement of larger group events we still decided to put together a real live art exhibition for the artwork by the winners of recent contests!

Even though the Club House attendance is limited you can stop by on individual basis and as the health situation improves.

Here we also sharing with you the photos of this beautiful exhibition! Again, congratulations to all the winners and to everyone - keep making great art!!!

Enjoy the show!

With ART We Persevere

More Of The Beautiful And Encouraging Kids Art Filled With Holiday Cheer and Community Spirit

Our call for holiday and community themed art had again brought some fabulous images. It has also shown that we have established a following by the core group of Scottsdale' young talents.

The expressions on the faces of winners were simply priceless.

With Art We Persevere

Visiting Alisella - Video

Here is the video of us visiting Alisella and her family. It conveys very well the amazing experience that the combination of real truth and beauty within our undeserved communities brings. Alisella also shares a powerful, inspiring and as always meaningful message for other contest participants. Very special indeed.

With Art We Persevere

Wonderful Alisella - Showcasing an Award Winner

From our first contest Alisella B. Tan impressed us with her distinct, excellently designed and thought out works. Each of them had a specific and interesting idea that the visual image was built to describe. At the end the works came out carrying an unmistakable and immediate visual message. This rare quality actually would lend Alisella's work very well to a larger scale community murals.

Alisella also charmed everyone with her marvelously outgoing, active and positive personality that is perfectly infectious. We quickly realized the source of this once we met her magnificently supportive Mom and Grandma.

With covid cases on the rise we decided against larger group event for the winners and brought the awards to them. It was beautiful and heartwarming to see the home made signs and banners hang on the front of the house congratulating Alisella on her win. This in itself turned out to be a form of public art that communicated emotion beyond words to the community that needs every bit of a human sunshine it can get. In fact Alisella's Grandma, Methusellah, had told us how important this contest turned out to be for them, how much they appreciate it and wish it to continue.

With Art We Persevere

Words From Zuri - Showcasing Award Winner

For our contest Zuri Medina created an absolutely beautiful work. Fabulously conceived and breathtakingly executed it depicts a happy person. As Zuri described it "this man is homeless, the only thing he has is his guitar and his song and he is happy. He shares his happiness." The words "Be Happy" repeated in many languages throughout the background. The green, gold, blue and red hues weave a flowery patterns that themselves sing of happiness.

In this video Zuri shares her inspirational advise with other contest participants.

With Art We Persevere

Summary of Core Organizational Programs and Services

Artward Initiative, a 501 c(3) non profit organization, organizes and conducts cultural and educational projects, public art and social action programs in underserved communities of color that promote cultural diversity and encourage greater understanding among different cultures. Programs are centered around enhancement of community’s quality of life through art, cultural and educational projects. We are focused on public arts education initiatives that contribute to the positive development of underserved young people and young people at risk.

We received grants from Library of Congress Open World Project. Received a grant from the Levitt Foundation to promote classical music through public spaces for everyone to experience the performing arts. Organized and promoted free classical music concerts that reached out to people of all ages and backgrounds, to ensure classical music is accessible to all through high quality, free concerts to strengthen the community and social interaction, the culturally engaged projects that changed the perception of the community through art such as Carson based "Classical Underground". In the last five years we conduct "Love My Neighbor" public art projects in the disadvantaged community of color - "Scottsdale" neighborhood of Carson where we established a non-profit Artward! Gallery "Scottsdale." Provided free art consultations to youth at risk as part of Gang Diversion program. Provided local community with free art education programs. Our focus is art as tool of community turn-around.

In 2017 and 2018 we have received grants from the Wells Fargo Foundation. In 2018 we have received prestigious Cultural Pathways Grant from the California Arts Council to increase the reach of our community outreach projects in the City of Carson. In 2019 we have received grant from the Bank of America Foundation and organized a number of events together with their Better Money Habits team.

For its community building impact, our program, Love My Neighbor Public Art Project in the Scottsdale Neighborhood of Carson, has been authoritatively recognized as a prestigious 2019 California Park & Recreation Society (CPRS) Award of Excellence recipient in the important Creating Community Award of Excellence category.

Over the last years we worked with well recognized community leaders / organizations: City of Carson City Hall, Bank of America Better Money Habits, Mission EbenEzer Community Art Center, the Bridges International Learning Center & International Institute of Tolerance. We presented our programs at the large public events including the LA's iconic Taste of Soul, the City of Carson public events Earth Day, Black History Month, Backpack Giveaway, Hispanic Heritage Day, Community Friendship Day.