Empowering a Generation: Integrating Community-Based Arts Pedagogy in Los Angeles Public Schools

Los Angeles has been a locus for arts activism and community-based muralism since the 1960s and 1970s when minority and immigrant communities began to engage creative methodologies to advance movements for social change. My thesis examines a contemporary history of community-based muralism in Los Angeles and considers how this provides a framework for community-based arts pedagogy, which can be integrated into K-12 public schools to empower youth in their cultures, identities, and aspirations. I explore the connection between community-based muralism and community-based arts pedagogy by looking closely at the lineage and artistic methodologies of the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC) in Venice, CA. My thesis includes a historical analysis of community-based muralism and I discuss The Great Wall of Los Angeles mural that was conceptualized and developed by Judith Baca and SPARC in 1976. I also present a case study of The Emancipation Project, a K-12 arts education program developed by SPARC in 2013, to illustrate how SPARC engages methods and practices from community-based muralism to develop a community-based arts pedagogy that aims to empower students. My thesis positions community-based arts pedagogy as a critical approach to education that not only builds connections between classroom and community, but also supports students and families in addressing critical issues within their neighborhoods