Ryman Carroll Foundation
PROGRAMS
Ryman Arts Studio Art Program for Youth
Since 1990, Ryman Arts has reached thousands of Southern California teens and serves approximately 550 students annually in its 1½-year-long program. The structure of the program is designed to maximize its long-term impact on participants. Classes focus on fundamental skills of drawing and painting in a rigorous, supportive environment. The three sequential courses—Foundation Drawing, Intermediate Drawing & Painting, and Advanced Painting—are organized into two 12-session semesters and one 6-session semester and is taught by highly qualified professional teaching artists, plus teaching assistant. Classes are 3½ hours long, meet on weekends, and require 5-7 hours of weekly homework. Students spend 175+ hours involved in program activities. Each student receives a full scholarship, professional-quality supplies, field trips to museums, live model drawing sessions, and visits by guest artists. A range of pre-professional opportunities, internships, and other learning experiences are also available. The year culminates with a graduation ceremony and exhibition of all students’ work. Classes are held at California State University, Fullerton, Otis College of Art and Design, and USC Roski School of Art and Design. Currently, there are no other programs of Ryman Arts’ caliber and rigor that offer free, out-of-school advanced studio art classes anywhere in the Southern California region. Admission to the program is based solely on merit, and we are committed to accessibility for students with the greatest needs. Our ongoing outreach initiative aims to recruit, retain, and closely support low-income youth throughout the program and as they transition from high school into higher education. These strategies include presentations, workshops, and mailings to Title-1 designated and low-income schools. Once accepted into the program, Ryman Arts also provides wrap-around support services to optimize the potential of each student, involving families whenever possible and individual check-ins to ensure that no student falls through the cracks. Our objective is to intervene early to ensure student retention and success throughout the program and beyond.
Upon completion of the program, we expect that students will have: 1) Developed transferable life-skills, including self-discipline, responsibility, tenacity, and leadership qualities; 2) Achieved significant artistic skill development, consistent with or beyond the "Accelerated" level of the California Visual Art Standards for Creative Expression in drawing and painting; 3) Demonstrated the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue higher education and a career in the arts, if desired; and 4) Gained a deeper sense of themselves as artists, as individuals with unique strengths, and as members of a broader arts community.
Program outcome is assessed through surveys and demographic data, tracking of students’ post-Ryman Arts pursuits and college acceptance rates, and alumni surveys. Students complete several anonymous surveys, rating their experience, quality of instruction, difficulty of assignments, value of field trips and events, and access to the instructor. This information is aggregated to analyze trends and identify program strengths or gaps to address. Additionally, Ryman Arts staff members track our students' attendance and follow up with calls to home and school, thus ensuring that no student falls through the cracks and that all, regardless of income or background, succeed in the program. Finally, our Site & Outreach Specialist provides an outreach report at the end of each semester detailing the number of events and schools attended as well as the number of students applying and accepted from these outreach sites. Ryman Arts' impact is also assessed by tracking each student's post-Ryman Arts education plans and through alumni surveys.
We consider the program a success with the following rates of student retention (95%+), skill development (100%), percentage of students who pursue higher education (95+%), and the overall diversity of our student body is maintained. We are particularly proud of the 95%+ of graduates who successfully enroll in colleges and universities across the country each year.
CONTACT
Ryman Carroll Foundation
1933 S Broadway
11th Floor
Suite 1138, Los Angeles CA
Phone: 213-6292787