NEA Chairman Jane Chu to Visit Los Angeles, California, February 23 & 25, 2015

Washington, DC—NEA Chairman Jane Chu will visit Los Angeles, California, on February 23 and 25, 2015. On this trip, Chairman Chu will be learning more about arts education efforts in Los Angeles — both in-school efforts by LA County's Arts for All and Turnaround Arts – as well as the after-school music education program Jumpstart at the Colburn School. In addition, on Wednesday, February 25, she will speak at the Colburn School as part of the Sidley Austin Artspeaks lecture series. Follow @NEAJaneChu on twitter for photos and commentary on her visit to Los Angeles. The NEA's vision for arts education in this country is one where every student is engaged and empowered through an excellent arts education. The three programs Chairman Chu is visiting are all supported by the NEA and contribute in different ways to the arts education ecosystem. To learn more about the NEA's arts education strategy, read the Education Leaders Institute Alumni Summit Report. On Monday, February 23 at 9am Chairman Chu will visit Joaquin Miller Elementary School in the Burbank Unified School District to learn more about the Los Angeles County arts education initiative, Arts for All. This initiative was established to ensure that the 1.6 million public school students throughout the county have access to quality, sequential arts instruction as a part of ongoing K-12 curriculum.  Chairman Chu will meet with Arts for All leadership to get an overview of the program, visit three classrooms to see examples of quality arts instruction with students, and talk with representatives from Burbank Unified School District to learn about their efforts implementing arts education district-wide. On Wednesday, February 25 at 10am, Chairman Chu will visit Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. elementary school in the Compton neighborhood of Los Angeles, which is a part of Turnaround Arts: California. Turnaround Arts is a program of the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities which uses arts education as a tool to help turn around struggling schools. In addition to meeting with school leadership and Turnaround Arts: California leadership, including Frank Gehry, architect and founding funder of Turnaround Arts: California, Chairman Chu will visit a music class and an arts integrated science lesson. Later that afternoon, Chairman Chu will visit the Colburn School to learn more about their Jumpstart young musicians program. The NEA supports this program, which provides pathways for personal and artistic excellence to low-income students who demonstrate a commitment to learning music. That evening, Chairman Chu will join Colburn School President and CEO Sel Kardan for a discussion at Thayer Hall as part of the Sidley Austin Artspeaks lecture series. This event is free and open to the public but registration is required. Visit colburnschool.edu/artspeaks to reserve tickets. Media wishing to attend this event should contact Lillian Matchett at lmatchett@colburnschool.edu or 213-621-1064. Monday, February 23, 2015 9:00–11:30am  Site visit with Arts for All. Location: Joaquin Miller Elementary School, 720 East Providencia Avenue, Burbank, CA 91501 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Ayanna Hudson , director of Arts Education, National Endowment for the Arts  Laura Zucker, executive director, Los Angeles County Arts Commission Denise Grande, director of Arts Education, Los Angeles County Arts Commission 11:30am–12:00pm  Media Availability. Chairman Chu will be available for short interviews following the site visit. Contact NEA Public Affairs at 202-682-5744/auclaire@arts.gov to request an interview. Location:  Joaquin Miller Elementary School, 720 East Providencia Avenue, Burbank, CA 91501 Wednesday, February 25, 2015 10:00–11:30am  Site visit with Turnaround Arts: California Location: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School 2270 E. 122^nd Street Compton, CA 90222 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Ayanna Hudson, director of Arts Education, National Endowment for the Arts Malissa Shriver, executive director, Turnaround Arts: California Frank Gehry, architect and founding funder of Turnaround Arts: California 11:30am–12:00pm  Media Availability. Chairman Chu will be available for short interviews following this site visit. Contact NEA Public Affairs at 202-682-5744/auclaire@arts.gov to request an interview. Location: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School 2270 E. 122^nd Street Compton, CA 90222

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4:15–4:45pm   Site visit to Colburn School's Jumpstart music education program Location: Colburn School Campus, 200 S Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Sel Kardan, president and CEO, Colburn School Nathaniel Zeisler, director of community engagement, Colburn School Yehuda Gilad, master teacher, Colburn School Natalie Hoe and Afendi Yusuf, conservatory teaching artists, Colburn School Students from the Jumpstart program

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6:00–7:00pm  Sidley Austin Artspeaks. Visit colburnschool.edu/artspeaks to reserve tickets. Media wishing to attend this event should contact Lillian Matchett at lmatchett@colburnschool.edu or 213-621-1064. Location: Colburn School, Thayer Hall, 200 S Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Participants:       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Sel Kardan, president and CEO, Colburn School

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