City Announces the Arts Council of
New Orleans as
Digital Equity Challenge Award Winner
Launching 12-week visual and digital media studio for New Orleans students
NEW ORLEANS – Today, the City of New Orleans Office of
Information Technology and Innovation (ITI) and Office of Resilience and
Sustainability announced the Arts Council of New
Orleans as the City’s Digital Equity Challenge Award winner. The City received 25 applications from organizations aiming to
promote digital pathways to opportunity for groups that are underrepresented in
technology.
The Arts Council was selected for its Creative Digital Equity
Initiative, a collaborative effort which includes Young Artist Movement, Young
Creative Agency, New Orleans Video Access Center and Youth=Solutions. The
initiative will equip youth to enter the thriving creative digital media sector
and become ambassadors to their families and community in order to increase
digital media access in New Orleans. The initiative leverages the power of arts
as a high-interest entry point into digital literacy; social, emotional, and
professional skill building; and job preparedness for youth.
"Since 2010,
we have made it a priority to ensure that every New Orleanian has access to the
best opportunities to take advantage of the City’s growth. Launching the City’s
Digital Equity Challenge was a testament to the City’s commitment to deliver on
that promise by making an intentional effort to target our most vulnerable residents,”
said Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “We are
excited to work with the Arts Council to educate students on digital media
strategies. Through partnerships and programs like these, we are raising the
best and brightest students this world has to offer.”
Funded with $50,000 by the
City’s Edward Wisner Grant, the Arts Council, in partnership with the City’s Office
of Information Technology and Innovation, will launch a 12-week introductory
visual and digital media studio for up to 20 students in New Orleans. Launching
in January 2018, the Arts Council will partner with various organizations,
including YouthForce NOLA, to teach the foundations of art and design, basic
digital literacy and technologies, studio habits, and critical communication
skills. Students will work on several projects including a Kickstarter campaign
and mural design that builds on the Arts Council and the Downtown Development
District’s work to reimagine Duncan Plaza through art, design and creative
programming.
The first cohort will
include up to 20 students from across New Orleans.
Arts Council President Nick Stillman said, “The Arts Council is honored to be selected as the winner of the Digital Equity Challenge. This initiative stems from the position that arts are the foundation of the knowledge economy. Our young people deserve every opportunity available to flex their creative muscles, to explore exciting career possibilities, and to be equipped with the skills to enter the burgeoning tech sector. We are thrilled to expand the work we have been doing with our partners to make this a reality.”
Acting Chief Information Officer Kimberly LaGrue said, “Earlier this year, we launched the Digital Equity Challenge because we understood that it required creative solution to overcome the digital divide created by various disparities throughout New Orleans. We are excited about our partnership with the Arts Council to expand digital education and opportunity in New Orleans. Together, we will expose our young people to the broad landscape of technology so they can become contributors in our digital community.”
YouthForce NOLA President Cate Swinburn said, “We are looking forward to partnering with the City of New Orleans and the Arts Council of New Orleans to create real-world opportunities in digital media careers for our interns.”
100
Resilient Cities President Michael Berkowitz said, “We are pleased to see continued momentum in New
Orleans as the City implements the vision set forth in Resilient New Orleans. Today’s
announcement is further evidence that resilience has been embedded in the DNA
of how New Orleans plans for its future – not just in its infrastructure, but
in its people as well.”
Citymart Head of City Partnerships
Julia Haselmayer
said, “Citymart is thrilled to have partnered with New Orleans on this call for
innovations to address digital equity gaps. Together, we are breaking important new ground to elevate
the needs of the most vulnerable residents to the attention of urban innovators
around the world.”
Working under the
mentorship of professional artists and designers, young people will learn art,
design and technology skills through hands-on, collaborative public art and
design projects through a paid internship model. Through this program,
participants will gain:
- Technological,
artistic, leadership, and professional readiness;
- Exposure
to a variety of creative fields with high-wage, high-growth projections;
- An
opportunity to research, design, and produce inspiring, socially-conscious
public art and digital media;
The
introductory studio is the first of three phases that will gradually introduce
youth to increasingly advance digital technologies while allowing them to
explore career tracks in creative industry sectors. In future cohorts, the Arts
Council plans to align student projects with ongoing work to improve public
spaces across the city through art and design.
In March 2017, ITI and the Office of Resilience and
Sustainability, in partnership with 100 Resilient Cities and Citymart, launched
the Digital Equity Challenge to promote digital pathways to opportunity for
groups that are underrepresented in technology, like low-income residents,
minorities, women, people living with physical or mental disabilities,
children, and the elderly. Originally highlighted as an action of the City’s
resilience strategy, Resilient New Orleans, this challenge encouraged
organizations to find creative ways to connect our most vulnerable residents to
economic, social and cultural opportunities through digital technology.
For more
information on the Digital Equity Challenge, please visit www.nola.gov/resilience/digitalequity.
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