San-Anto-Cultural-Arts,-Inc-May-17-2005

S AN A NTO C ULTURAL A RTS , I NC SEPTEMBER 2007 SAN ANTONIO, TX EVALUATION SUMMARY GRANT DESCRIPTION: An operations grant ($10,000 is matching) to help fund arts programming for youth living in the West side of San Antonio GRANT AMOUNT: $30,000 APPROVED: May 17, 2005 CHARITABLE PURPOSE: Culture\Arts Activities\Other GRANT TYPE: General Operations GRANT OBJECTIVES: Skill development; increased displays of positive behaviors; increased cultural awareness SUMMARY OF REPORTED FINDINGS: Community Mural Program During this grant period, San Anto Cultural Arts (SACA) completed five (5) murals Examples of the impact of this program on the community include: ¾ Human Development The Lead Muralist on one of the projects grew up on the Westside of San Antonio where he attended Edgewood High School A gang leader, he ended up in jail suspected of attempted murder soon after graduation He had also become a father He was released from jail and became a Volunteer Community Mural Crew Member at SACA Through SACA programs he learned to communicate with others, express his thoughts verbally and increased his self-esteem He was also afforded the opportunity to apply to college, learning about financial aid and scholarships Currently enrolled in San Antonio College, his goal is to become a high school art teacher to inspire and motivate youth that are in the same position that he once was Two students, who had been involved with the mural program throughout high school, were accepted into the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago SACA was instrumental in assisting in the application process and even provided a trip to visit the campus (SACA is negotiating with Southwest Airlines to provide vouchers for all students wishing to visit out-of-state campuses) Both young women are first generation U.S citizens and are the first in their families to attend college ¾ Community Development The murals reflect and preserve the culture of San Antonio’s Westside community: ¾ “Seeds of Solidarity” depicts aspects of ‘Westsiders’ such as Father Trancase (founder of Alazan Apache Housing Projects), Emma Tenayuca (labor organizer), and Raul Salinas (poet), while promoting the idea of health within the community ¾ “Lideres” involved over 100 community residents, business owners, youth and adults The mural features high profile figures accompanied by everyday residents and serves as a ‘mirror’ for the community, representing both the well known and unsung heroes ¾ Each mural resulted in a 100% decrease in tagging and graffiti on each respective wall SACA reports a virtual transformation in the cleanliness and frequent up-keep of the area or intersections where murals are located Economic Development SACA developed a Neighborhood Mural Tour to earn income Presentations are given by program participants, staff and, in some cases, community resident/neighbors The tour has been successful in drawing people to the Westside People, who usually would not visit the Westside, feel comfortable patronizing local restaurants, shops and entertainment areas Comments from tour patrons include: ¾ “A moving and beautiful experience A look into the heart of an American community…A must for any traveler to Texas or America for that matter.” - visitor from Orange, Virginia ¾ “The murals here are a feast of conviction, faith and artistic virtuosity.” - visitor from Yale University ¾ “We know better now that form of art and the role it plays in the community.” - visitor from Paris, France Page of El Placazo Community Newspaper and Mentor Program ¾ 300 youth and adults produced and distributed 11 issues of newspaper ¾ 12,000 copies distributed throughout San Antonio ¾ E-Placazo (electronic version of newspaper) served to reduce printing costs of hard copy (compare to 35,000 copies distributed in prior year) ¾ Mentor Program teams youth staff with college students, professionals, and community residents to work 1:1 in developing all aspects of publishing the newspaper • SACA reports that mentors and mentees have developed strong/familial relationships that instill selfconfidence in the youth and prove extremely satisfying for the mentors • “I think mentoring has really helped (name withheld) in a sense gain more maturity…it has helped me get in touch with my community and my roots.” - El Placazo Mentor • “ I enjoy being a youth mentor…because of the two-way relationship I am able to build with my mentee…I am continually inspired and energized by the amazing talent and creativity of the youth working within this organization.” - El Placazo Mentor • Teen Mentors Youth staff members who turn 13 and can prove that they have become proficient in all the skills necessary to produce El Placazo (writing, layout and design, photography, editing) are eligible: ƒ Mentor younger staff members ƒ Work 10 hours per month ƒ Receive $150 monthly stipend ƒ “Being a Teen Mentor was a very meaningful experience The skills that I was taught…I was then able to pass on to new students…knowing they would also be able to the same with newer students.” -El Placazo Teen Mentor San Anto Music Preservation Project The UTSA Department of Music has offered to collaborate with SACA to explore the history of Tejano and Conjunto music in San Antonio