Profiles - Artists, Organizations, and Projects

John Malpede, directs, performs and engineers multi-event arts projects that have theatrical, installation, public art and education components. In 1985 Malpede founded and continues to direct the Los Angeles Poverty Department (LAPD), the first performance group in the nation comprised primarily of homeless and formerly homeless people. LAPD creates performances that connect lived experience to the social forces that shape the lives and communities of people living in poverty.

The Knight Foundation seeks opportunities that can transform both communities and journalism in order to help them reach their highest potential. The Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. The Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed, engaged communities and lead to transformational change.

I am from a non-federal treaty tribe. In 2001, Gov. Jeb Bush signed legislation abolishing all state recognition for tribes in Florida. This left thousands of people, and over 500 non-recognized tribes, alone and oppressed. Artists could no longer call their artwork American Indian Made, burial grounds were no longer protected, religious rights are no longer protected, child welfare act cases now go unheard, etc.

Cuban-born José Mateo is founder and artistic director of José Mateo Ballet Theatre, one of America’s leading producers of new ballets, and the area’s most innovative school for quality ballet training. Now celebrating its 25th Anniversary, José Mateo Ballet Theatre’s highly acclaimed Company is presenting 50 performances in 5 distinct programs representing 25 years of Mateo’s artistic achievement in choreography. The School offers an innovative model for a high-quality academy with a humanistic approach to ballet training that fosters diversity and inclusion.

Josh Schachter is a photographer, visual storyteller, educator, and community activist who has worked for organizations throughout the U.S. to document issues from urban revitalization to food security. His images have been published internationally in books, magazines, newspapers, films and web sites, in venues ranging from the New York Times to the Navajo Times. Josh earned a master’s degree in environment management at the Yale School of Forestry and Environment Studies, where he explored how urban youth could use photography to share their own lives and perspectives.

Churhc Organiist & Choir Director for an 0 inner city church for 59 years and organized a music center to provide affordable music instrcution opoortunitities for at risk inner city youth and families. Paving the way for any youngster who has a desire to study music or performing arts can do so.  Giving back to a community that was cutlurally starved due to the distressed social and economical conditions of the community. No one wanted to come into our community and now programs are all over but we still have the only full service music school in the community..

A filmmaker and video artist, Zaldívar completed both his BFA and a Masters of Fine Arts at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where he has also taught as an adjunct faculty. Zaldívar started his film career as a sound editor and designer, his work can be heard in Academy Nominated films such as Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility", in Nanette Burstein and Bret Morgan's "On the ropes" and on HBO’s America Undercover, for which he garnered an Emmy nomination. His film and video art works have been screened at many festivals worldwide and on PBS, ABC, IFC, Showtime and WE.

Baca is at the top of a distinguished list of artist creators. What sets her apart from many other artists is an inspired ability to teach and a creative pursuit of relevancy in developing educational and community based art methodologies. Through a lifetime of achievement, Baca has stood for art in service of equity for all people. She is a lesson for us on the integration of one’s ethics with creative expression, never compromising and never flagging in her devotion to a practice that is committed to public education for all and to pedagogical process for its participants.

I am a veteran arts educator turned creative activist. In 2013 my professional life changed profoundly when I left higher education and became an arts volunteer, an AmeriCorps member (2014), independent teaching artist to underserved audiences (2015) and VISTA Leader (2016).