THE ALLIANCE FOR MEDIA ARTS + CULTURE ANNOUNCES $250,000 GRANT FROM ADOBE FOR ARTS2WORK
Contact: Wendy Levy, Executive Director wendy@thealliance.media 510 406
8623 23 January 2019
Spokane, WA – The Alliance for Media Arts +Culture today announces a $250,000 grant from Adobe for Arts2Work, an innovative creative workforce development program that includes the first federally-registered National Apprenticeship Program in media arts + creative technologies.
Arts2Work is a national initiative led by The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture, providing new infrastructure and economic sustainability for creative workers, businesses, organizations and communities across the United States. In addition to the national Registered Apprenticeship program, Arts2Work includes pre-apprenticeship training opportunities in cities across the country, the Arts2Work Accelerator Fund to support creative entrepreneurship and advanced professional development for minority workers, and collective workplace policies and technical assistance to help industry employers build diversity with intention, prioritize equal pay, and prevent sexual harassment. Arts2Work is a revolutionary blueprint for the future of work and a new model of reform for the digital generation.
Industry employers and civic partners across the country have been working with The Alliance towards a September 2019 national launch, with a series of pilot programs planned in the first cohort of Arts2Work cities — including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Orleans, Austin and Milwaukee. “This Adobe grant is a seminal seed investment in a model of public/private funding, building a national network of media training centers, pre- apprenticeship programs, and employers ready to hire apprentices,” says Alliance Executive Director Wendy Levy. In Los Angeles, Level Forward, (formed in 2018 through a partnership between Killer Content and Abigail Disney) is one of the first Hollywood industry partners to sign on to Arts2Work. “If we can continue to attract this kind of studio — committed to innovation and inclusion — it’s a bold step towards fixing the broken system that has enabled and perpetuated #oscarssowhite and #metoo” says Levy.
Adobe has stepped forward not only as an Arts2Work funder, but as a visionary partner. “Arts2Work provides a groundbreaking development model that has never been available for creative workers, and new opportunities for companies to build an inclusive workforce and drive equity, innovation and economic success,” said Michelle Crozier, Director of Sustainability and Social Impact at Adobe. “We believe Arts2Work has the potential to have a profound impact for the next generation of creatives and creative industries.”
About The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture
The Alliance was founded by an eclectic group of media arts organization leaders who realized they could strengthen their social and cultural impact by working as a united force. Their idea was as bold as it was simple: to create a national organization that would provide support services to its institutional members, and advocate for the field as a whole. Since its founding, The Alliance has worked to raise the profile and influence of the media arts on behalf of its growing and changing membership. Today, The Alliance for Media Arts + Culture represents a broad community of over 7,000 members, subscribers and partners in 25 states and 7 countries. The National Board of Directors of The Alliance includes industry leaders from Google, Microsoft, National Public Radio, Sesame Workshop, SiriusXM, California College of the Arts and others. In addition to the field-building programs offered throughout the year, The Alliance also offers grants to artists and organizations, conducts and publishes research, and advocates on behalf of the media arts field on pressing issues including funding, diversity and inclusion, ethics, fair use, and a free and open internet.
About Arts2Work and the new model of Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship is a model of on-the-job training and workforce development not traditionally utilized in the arts. There are millions of federal dollars set aside for Registered Apprenticeship that have never been able to support creative media career pathways, until now. Internships in the media industry are often short, unpaid, opportunities reserved for students enrolled in a university and for those who can afford to work for free. Now, with Arts2Work, low-income creatives, artists of color, women, youth aged 18 – 24, disabled artists and veterans will be able to get hired and learn on the job — as Apprentice Multimedia Producers and Digital Editors. Employers can qualify for grants and subsidies to offset the cost of Apprenticeship in the first year, mentors receive professional development, and Apprentices learn on the job and are promoted as they acquire industry-standard creative skills and technical competencies. Additionally, Arts2Work apprentices take 150 hours of advanced classroom, project-based and online training, adding state-of-the-art skills to their portfolio and their workplace.
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