The Community Arts Partnership was established in 1990, and is the first program of its kind in the U.S. The program links the California Institute of the Arts to community art centers and public schools throughout Los Angeles County as part of an expanding joint endeavor to provide college-level arts education to middle and high school students. It began in 1990 as a partnership between CalArts and three community arts centers: Plaza de la Raza, the Watts Towers Arts Center and the Social and Public Art Resource Center. CAP courses are taught by CalArts faculty and students and are designed to mirror the pedagogical approaches used in teaching at CalArts. The different artistic disciplines being taught include art, animation, digital media, dance, drawing, chamber music, graphic design, jazz, printmaking, photography, public art, puppetry, theater, video, world music and writing. All CAP classes and workshops are offered free-of-charge and culminate in performances, exhibitions, concerts and screenings. To date, these public events have been held at more than 250 community venues throughout Los Angeles County, including the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater REDCAT. CAP forms a bridge between the talents and resources of CalArts and those of its community partners in order to train and encourage promising young artists. At the same time, CAP affords CalArts students the opportunity to share their knowledge and abilities with teenagers, work directly with faculty artists to create innovative educational approaches and test and refine ideas about interdisciplinary art practice. More than that, CalArts students involved in CAP gain valuable life, teaching and art making experience, and benefit from real-world engagement across a wide range of Los Angeles' unique communities. CAP students who are admitted to CalArts after completing high school qualify for CAP scholarships. Additionally, CAP creates model arts education curricula for middle and high schools. Designed to be responsive to the culturally diverse communities of Southern California, these curricula are based on the low student-teacher ratio of 4:1 and feature individualized arts training and mentoring. Classes and workshops are taught at the following locations in Los Angeles County:
