Kirstin Molz’s lovely garden was the perfect setting for our 2016 Annual meeting where we recapped our incredible successes for the year, and presented the inaugural Impact Award to artworxLA.  Cynthia Campoy Brophy, Founder and Executive Director, accepted the award, after which she and former student, Blanca Martinez, spoke movingly of how artworxLA has combated the high school dropout crisis by linking overlooked alternative high school students with L.A. County’s artistic community. The organization’s long-term, sequential arts program operates on a conceptual “ladder” philosophy, in which increasingly advanced levels of programming connect students with professional artists, cultural institutions and communities to imagine, produce, and present new work. Over the past 23 years, they have worked with 12,000 students and 375 teaching artists in more than 50 classrooms in 6 school districts and partnered with nearly 100 cultural institutions, producing 250 presentations of student artwork at such prestigious venues as LACMA, Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Hammer Museum, and Skirball Cultural Center. These programs help students “re-engage” with school, improve interpersonal and communication skills, and build self-confidence and esteem. Following the speakers, members had a delicious lunch and said farewell for the summer!

Cynthia Campoy Brophy and Blanca Martinez from artworxLA were featured speakers at the June 2 Annual Meeting.

Kirsten Molz’s lovely backyard served as the perfect backdrop for the Annual Meeting

Impact Award committee members and recipients