Local kids bring it
SM PIER — With public funding for arts education in schools across the country waning, local students and teen stars are gathering here this weekend to showcase how community support has made them excel as young artists.
The 2006 Celebration For The Arts is part of a campaign launched by the Education Foundation of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, which has a goal of raising $15 million toward an endowment fund that will ensure every student receives instruction in the arts, including music, visual arts, dance and drama. For the Arts, the fund-raising arm of the foundation, has so far raised $1.6 million toward its goal.
This weekend’s celebration, which also is a fund-raiser, will showcase local students’ talents in the arts through performances, displays of artwork and arts-related workshops. To drive the point home that early arts education can build careers, dozens of teen stars from Nickelodeon, Disney and WB will donate their time and be at the pier over the weekend. They will speak about how arts education has helped their careers, and as an attraction for the teens, the stars also will be on hand to sign autographs and meet the public.
“They are the ultimate version of the success of it,” said Elizabeth Gelfand Stearns, an event organizer. “And the public is very excited to see their favorite stars.”
The two-day festival will be held on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Vendors will give a portion of their sales to For The Arts. There will be plenty of food at the festival provided by local restaurants, who also will donate a portion of their sales to the cause.
The endowment campaign was started by two Santa Monica residents in 2002. When one of the parents got involved in the PTA at Roosevelt Elementary, she noticed the disparities throughout the district in terms of Some schools, which have students and parents who are more affluent, are able to raise more money than those across town. While Santa Monica and Malibu are cities known for their affluence, there are plenty of poor students throughout the district. According to school officials, about 31 percent of all families in Santa Monica have an average income under $22,500 and one-third of the students in the district qualify for free or reduced-fee lunches. What’s more, there has been no district-funded choral music program at the elementary level, or funding for visual arts, dance, drama and music in the elementary schools.
For The Arts — which some say is a national model for arts education reform — has gained momentum over the years with backing from legendary singer-songwriter Jackson Browne and the Los Angeles Chapter of the Recording Academy & the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF). Browne has held numerous concerts in Santa Monica with proceeds going toward the endowment. And EIF has included For The Arts as one of the beneficiaries in its annual Grammy Jam which was highlighted by such artists as Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire and Usher.
The Education Foundation was created in 1982 to preserve, support and enhance programs within the school district. The foundation has raised $1 million for a literacy endowment. It raises thousands of dollars to fund a host of programs every year that cross all disciplines including science, technology and the arts.
“There’s a lot to celebrate here,” Gelfand Stearns said. “This weekend, every stage is filled with local students and they are central to what we do.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 5, 2006. Read the original PDF.