Following two years of restrictions due to the pandemic, The Music Center has announced that it will be celebrate its 43rd Annual Special Arts Festival by returning to in-person celebrations. The festival will take place over a two day period, April 29 – 30, 2022, from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm on the Music Center’s Jerry Moss Plaza. Hosted by Suzanna Guzman and David Prather, the theme for this year’s Very Special Arts Festival is very appropriately titled “The Arts Heal L.A.” and for the very first time on April 30th (Community Day) the festival will be open to the public to experience art making, performances, virtual student art exhibits, and more on this free family-friendly day. Registration for the school day on April 29th is now open and available HERE. The public is encouraged to RSVP to the community day HERE.
Presented in partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles County Office of Education, this one-of-a-kind festival is open to all grade levels. The program features student and professional performances, visual and performing arts workshops and a student art exhibit created around this year’s theme “The Arts Heal L.A.” The festival will not only introduce participants to the arts, but will provide an opportunity to learn about one another’s communities and cultures. An ASL interpreter will be present and programs will be transcribed for anyone with a visual impairment.
The Music Center’s Very Special Arts Festival 2019 – Photo by John McCoy
The expansion of the festival to a two-day event was made possible through the generosity of Terri and Jerry Kohl and will continue as a two-day event for the next five years through the support of Mimi Song.
“The Music Center’s Very Special Arts Festival has been a beloved and inclusive event for the past 43 years, but it is particularly meaningful this year as we are finally able return to an in-person celebration, and, for the first time, invite the public to experience the inspiring creative talents of children of all abilities,” said Rachel S. Moore, president and CEO of The Music Center. “This year’s theme–the Arts Heal L.A.–could not be more fitting as we come together to celebrate the transformative and healing power of the arts for all.”
The Music Center’s Very Special Arts Festival 2019 – Photo by John McCoy
“Our partner schools look forward to the Very Special Arts Festival each year, and we’re very excited to return to an in-person event where young people and people of all ages and abilities can once again experience the communal and uplifting experience of participating in the arts and engaging in opportunities to express themselves creatively, which is vital to everyone’s overall well-being.” said Keith Wyffels, associate vice president of education, TMC Arts.
The Music Center’s Very Special Arts Festival 2019 – Photo by John McCoy
Hosted by Suzanna Guzman and David Prather, The Music Center’s 43rd Annual Very Special Arts Festival will feature two days of performances, workshops, dance, music, magic and visual art.
What’s on the program?
School groups only: Friday, April 29, 2022, from 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Event includes:
Opening remarks by Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger and Los Angeles County Board of Education Superintendent Dr. Debra Duardo
15 school performances
10 art workshops including instrument making, chalk art, sand paintings, pop-up cards, nature collages, decorating heart puzzles and puppet making
Dance workshop led by Straight Up Abilities, which provides professional performance art training to students of all abilities
Magic show with Allen Oshiro
Mime Theater by The Chameleons
Virtual student art exhibition inspired by the Festival theme “The Arts Heal L.A.”
Community day, open to the public: Saturday, April 30, 2022, from 9:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
Event includes performances by:
Straight Up Abilities
Pas d’ASL Dance Company
Ballet Folclorico do Brasil
Magic show with Allen Oshiro
Kizuna Taiko Group, under Los Angeles Taiko Ichiza, an all-abilities Taiko performance group
Virtual student art exhibition inspired by the Festival theme, “The Arts Heal L.A.”
*Artists and programs subject to change
Where: Jerry Moss Plaza at The Music Center – 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90212
For more information, please click HERE.
Written and Compiled by Jeff Slayton for LA Dance Chronicle based on information provided by The Music Center.
Featured image: The Music Center’s Very Special Arts Festival 2019 – Photo by John McCoy
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