Introduction (& Technology, Art and Youth Projects)

[Victoria Bernal]

Here's another introduction to add:

...My name is Victoria Bernal and I work on the Open Studio: The Arts Online
project (http://www.openstudio.org) at the Benton Foundation.  In a
nutshell, the Open Studio project, a partnership between the Benton
Foundation and National Endowment for the Arts, funded 18 organizations to
provide free technology training and server space to help artists and arts
organizations create Web sites.  In a former life, I use to work in arts
education, so I'm interested in the connections between art, technology and
youth.  It was great to read Denise Delgado's message about the New
Information Workshop at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami and I offer several
other organizations (they are Open Studio grantees) that focus on training
youth in arts and technology:

Space One Eleven in Birmingham, AL (http://www.bham.net/soe/). There is a
great article about their work on the NEA Web site, titled "Space One
Eleven: Embracing Children, Community and Cutting-Edge Technology" (located
at: http://www.arts.gov/pub/Lessons/Casestudies/Space.html).

OnRamp at Sunset in Los Angeles, CA (http://www.ramparts.org).  According to
their Web site, OnRamp is a "non-profit digital arts access lab for youth
and artists in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles."  One project,
titled "Turning from the Millennium," brings in artists to work with
students from the South Central and Echo Park neighborhoods so that the
students can create multimedia presentations exploring the past, present and
future of their neighborhoods (check out:
http://www.ramparts.org/projects/turn2000.html#).

Tucson-Pima Arts Council, Tucson, AZ (http://www.tpacaz.org/mmmain.html).
TPAC created a two-year long multimedia training program for jr. high kids
in the Tucson area.  TPAC was 1 of 35 organizations to receive Microsoft
"Connected Learning Community" Grants, more info about their program is
available in the Microsoft Press Release
(http://microsoft.com/presspass/features/2000/jul00/07-03clc.asp).

I've already learned a lot just by lurking and I look forward to more
thought-provoking discussions.

Thanks,

Victoria

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Victoria Bernal
Community Building Associate
Open Studio: The Arts Online
Benton Foundation
www.openstudio.org