In the heart of Downtown Los Angeles lies a large modular campus with speckles of bright neon colors. In a large nature filled patio, several colorful ceramic handprints are engraved into the walls. Parents walk and laugh in the patio, enjoying their children’s art displays. Families from different backgrounds unify to celebrate art.
This place is Inner-City Arts, a nonprofit which aims to help students and adults in underrepresented communities express themselves through art since its founding in 1989.
“I believe that spaces like Inner-City Arts are necessary for youth development. They provide a safe space for expression and exploration that is, sometimes, hard to replicate in academic spaces,” Orlando Moreno, the nonprofit’s Outreach and Programs Manager said. “It’s a reprieve from the monotony of everyday life in schools and it can also support the learning process.”
Throughout the school year, Inner-City Arts’ vibrant campus offers a diverse array of arts education for students from grades K-12, as well as adults. Their programming ranges from daylong workshops for younger students to weekend visual, media and performing arts institutes for high schoolers.
Their college and career readiness program, Work of Art, provides students with internships, college fairs and a range of workshops. They bring student expressions to life through painting, drawing, illustration, animation, music classes and dance.
Inner-City Arts works to fill the void seen in many underserved communities, most of which are Latinos. In their 2024 impact report, 75% of students who represented Inner-City Arts were Latino.
Senior Program Coordinator, Giselle Barrios, left, and Outreach and Programs Manager Orlando Moreno speak to students and families at the Inner-City Arts showcase orientation July 18. (Photo by Hayle Perez)
Giselle Barrios first found Inner-City Arts as a teenager, and now serves as the nonprofit’s Senior Program Coordinator. She said she works to honor all cultures and celebrate diversity through art.
“If we ask students to paint their mom and their dad, just by seeing the painting that they’re doing, we can see the stories of immigrant families like the pain, but also the happiness of being an immigrant,” Barrios said. “We see that expressed honestly every day because that’s who we are.”
Barrios was born in Guatemala and came to the states when she was 5 years old. It was hard for her to adjust and it was a cultural shock, she said.
“I was really struggling with my mental health, so coming here and finding an outlet was just incredible,” Barrios said. “I came here when I was 13-14 so I’ve definitely known Inner-City Arts at least like half of my whole life.”
However, it is also a year marked by a significant increase in ICE arrests. Since 2024, ICE arrests have surged by 123%, with more than 600 arrests occurring daily since January. This totals over 5,000 arrests in California, according to Desert Sun.
Shelby Williams-González, the CEO of Inner-City Arts. (Photo by Hayle Perez)
“Please rest assured that Inner-City Arts is committed to protecting and supporting the rights of every young person and family on our campus. As the chief executive officer of this organization, I will not aid any agency or individual seeking to curtail the rights and freedoms our shared humanity affords us all,” Shelby Williams-González, Inner-City Arts CEO said in a statement.
In support of families in fear of ICE’s presence and raids, on-campus staff distributed “red cards” at family orientations. Red cards are resource cards for undocumented individuals that include the 4th and 5th Amendment of legal rights regardless of legal status in the U.S.
“Our practice is to announce broadly that our staff is here to be a resource to all families, and if anyone has individual concerns, they talk to staff members they’re most close to. Our teaching artists have been very focused during this time on providing the same consistent sanctuary of creativity that we always work to provide, and students are always encouraged to express their feelings about what is going on in their world through art,” Amanda Edwards, the director of communications, said in an email.
As Latinos across California endure ICE’s mass arrests and deportations, spaces like Inner-City Arts offer students a space for expression and community during this time of trial.
Wendy B. has been part of Inner-City Arts for two years and said she finds it to be an amazing creative outlet. Through this opportunity, Wendy found her art forte.
Following the recent ICE arrests, Wendy said activism through her art is really important to her.
“Using my voice is my creative expression and it’s really, really important to speak up, especially as someone that has parents that aren’t from here,” Wendy said.
Tania B.M., a recent high school graduate, has been part of the Media Arts Internship at Inner-City Arts for three years. She said the program nurtured collaboration and helped her gain a deeper appreciation for the diverse cultures of her peers.
“This is a very communal environment where people from different minorities and different backgrounds can come together and create art. I think that one thing we all share and really communicate through is art,” Tania said.
However, she said life outside the program has felt increasingly uncertain, with growing concerns around immigration trials and the safety of her family.
“It’s been a really tough summer — and a very scary one too, especially with my mom,” Tania said. “I don’t want her traveling outside by herself, because what if someone stops her?”
Amid uncertainty, Inner-City Arts stands strong as a platform for creativity and diversity. A campus full of art that is able to encapsulate emotions and cultural backgrounds of those who emigrated to this country. Inner-City Arts’ campus not only enriches the lives of diverse students but also enhances Los Angeles’ culture and identity with the range of art created by students.
“I really want to see justice for our community, but I also hope that we are able to hold spaces for our communities especially in these trying times,” Barrios said. “For Inner City Arts, I hope we can become a hub for the immigrant community.”
The poster reads, “Juntos contra ICE, abolir ahora,” or “Together against ICE, abolish now.” (Photo by Hayle Perez)
Editor’s note: This story was updated on Aug. 1 at 2:15 p.m. to correct the fact that Inner-City Arts has served Los Angeles for more than 35 years. A previous version of this article incorrectly said the organization had been open for 65 years.
The last image in this article — the poster which reads “Juntos contra ICE” or “Together against ICE” — incorrectly claimed that it was created by students at Inner-City Arts. HS Insider regrets these errors.
