Watch: Community Arts Projects

Turnaround Arts: California launched our Community Arts Project initiative to support community-building and well-being as schools returned to in-person instruction following the pandemic. Partner schools, including teachers, students, and families, were paired with local artists and arts organizations to conceptualize and implement unique art installations on their campuses.

We thank the partnering schools, artists, and arts organizations who made these projects possible!

Partner Schools:
Ellen Ochoa Learning Center, Cudahy
Garfield Elementary, Alhambra
Hoopa Valley Elementary, Hoopa
Janie P. Abbott Elementary, Lynwood
John J. Montgomery Elementary, Chula Vista
Willard Intermediate School, Santa Ana
Zamboni Middle School, Paramount

Partner Artists & Arts Organizations:
ArtReach San Diego and Liesel Plambeck, Artist
Budding Artists, and Bryan Arellano and Glenna Avila, Artists
Dionisio Ceballos, Artist
Liliflor, Artist
Muralism
Naishian Rainflower Richards, Artist

Turnaround Arts: CA + The LA River

In partnership with Speaker Anthony Rendon, Frank Gehry, and Gehry Partners, Turnaround Arts: California is proud to play a role in the Los Angeles River revitalization*. In 2018, we began partnerships with five schools along the LA River helping school leadership strategically use the arts to build equity and access for students, transform the school’s culture and climate, and engage family and community members. These partnerships are ongoing and we have plans to continue expanding to new schools in the coming years.

Meet one of our partner schools in Cudahy, Ellen Ochoa Learning Center, in the video below. Renowned Architect and Turnaround Arts: CA Co-founder Frank Gehry, visited with his team of architects to help students envision the future of their community through the arts.

Our Partner Schools along the LA River:
Abbott Elementary – Lynwood
Ellen Ochoa Learning Center – Cudahy
Tweedy Elementary – South Gate
Whaley Middle School – Compton
Zamboni Middle School – Paramount

*The LA River revitalization project integrates design and infrastructure to bring people, water, and nature together across all 51 miles of the LA River. Learn more at riverla.org.

Hope Builders: Barton Elementary

A Turnaround Arts: California Partner School since 2014, Barton Elementary shows how the arts can transform a struggling school into a vibrant and engaging place for students to learn and explore their creativity. Since joining the Turnaround Arts program, Barton has seen their English Language Arts proficiency rate increase by 98%, suspension rates have decreased 11%, and chronic absenteeism has decreased by 15.5%.

Thank you to Fay-Hauser Price for directing this beautiful piece on Barton Elementary for KVCR’s Hope Builders series.
Hauslights, LLC at Hauslights@gmail.com

Ways of Looking: Exploring Measurement of School Transformation through the Arts and Social Emotional Learning

On Monday, October 28th Turnaround Arts: California convened thought leaders from the fields of education, the arts, psychology and social emotional learning to discuss ways of looking at the work to better understand key leverage points that increase and demonstrate impact. We welcome you to watch parts one and two of the event below!

Part 1:
Welcome, Context and Framing

Malissa Feruzzi Shriver, Co-founder and President, Turnaround Arts: California
Dr. Sarah Bainter Cunningham, Associate Provost for Research and Strategic Partnerships, Rhode Island School of Design
Dr. Akida Kissane Long, Principal Leadership Coach, Turnaround Arts: California
Panel Conversation
Sophie Fanelli (Modertator), President, Stuart Foundation
Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond, President, Learning Policy Institute
Dr. Ivonne Chand O’Neal, Principal, MUSE Research
Dr. Steve Seidel, Director, Arts in Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Dr. Timothy Shriver, Co-founder, Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning (CASEL)

Part 2: Panelists and Attendees Respond

Mark Ronson visits Sierra Prep

Since 2016, Sierra Preparatory Academy has partnered with Turnaround Arts: California to use the arts to fuel school change efforts. Turnaround Artist Mark Ronson visits the school annually in celebration of its commitment to leveraging the arts for educational equity, this time engaging with student STEAM projects, the cast of the school’s first-ever musical, and more!

Video: Sandra Selva
Music: www.bensound.com

In 90 years…

Happy 90th birthday, Frank Gehry!

Together with our network of 27 partner schools across the state, we strive to honor our co-founder’s pioneering spirit by leveraging the arts for educational equity. We are deeply grateful for Frank Gehry’s commitment to the next generation of imaginative learners and innovative leaders.

Introducing Tiffany Siart, Executive Director

Like many kids entering middle school, I felt awkward, lacked confidence, and was hungry to express myself.  Then, I met Bonnie Lavin, our school’s dance teacher, who invited us, the students, to choreograph together. Bonnie saw our potential, and exposure to dance led me to challenge myself academically and approach learning with excitement instead of fear.  Our first performance, inspired by the musical Hair, reverberates through me to this day.

Today, I am thrilled to take on this inspiring new challenge: to be the next Executive Director of Turnaround Arts: California. I join a community of artists and teachers, big thinkers committed to the fundamental and critical role that the arts play in a child’s education and development. I join a community committed to making arts education a reality for all students in California, every day. I join a community that believes in our children and their potential, and our sacred responsibility to expose them to opportunity and nurture their growth.

I want to thank Frank Gehry, Malissa Shriver, Terry Lenihan, and the entire Board of Directors of Turnaround Arts: California for this opportunity. I see I am in excellent company with Barbara Palley, Heather Heslup, and Jacob Campbell of the Turnaround Arts: California team. I cannot wait to meet all the teachers, principals, coaches, superintendents, partners, and collaborators who make this expansive mission thrive and grow every day.

Thank you,
Tiffany Siart
Executive Director

“Let the sun shine in,
Open up your heart and let it shine on in.”
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine in, from the musical Hair

10 more schools join the #TAcalifornia family!

Have you heard?!

We added 10 more elementary and middle schools to the #TAcalifornia family. Scroll down to learn about each one of them!