Vanessa Chung, Education & Media Intern (through the Getty Foundation’s Multicultural Undergraduate Internship Program)
Briefly introduce yourself and explain your new position at P.S. ARTS.
Hello! I’m Vanessa and I am currently the Education and Media Intern at P.S. Arts. I started two days after I graduated from UCLA, where I majored in Art and minored in Visual and Performing Arts Education (VAPAE).
What book is currently on your nightstand?
I recently finished reading The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros and have been rereading Vonnegut’s The Sirens of Titan. I highly recommend both.
What is currently the most played song on your iPod?
My iTunes “Top 25 Most Played” playlist says I’ve listened to “(There Is) No Greater Love” by Amy Winehouse 58 times. I just played it while answering this question, so I guess it’s 59 times!
Where is your favorite place to view or take part in art in Los Angeles?
The Museum of Contemporary Art is quickly becoming a favorite; I think Helen Molesworth has been doing some great things for the Los Angeles art scene. I’ve really enjoyed what she did with both spaces for “The Art of Our Time” and “Don’t Look Back: The 1990s at MOCA.” MOCA’s public programs are also great to check out.
What famous person, either dead or alive, would you choose to take out for coffee?
I once had a dream that I became best friends with Drake. I can’t really say that I’m his number one fan, but I woke up from the dream feeling super happy and relaxed, so I’d like to see if I feel that way if I meet him for coffee.
“Every arts education program I have worked with or observed has brought something completely innovative to its community. I believe that exposure to art-making can benefit a student’s academic and personal affairs; these benefits are not exclusive to those who identify as artists and allow opportunities for a variety of students to learn lifelong skills for every facet of their lives. Personally, through the great artists and art educators in my life, I have gained the confidence to have my voice heard in unfamiliar spaces. I’ve often wondered how I fit into the world as an artist, an educator, a woman, and as a person of color. The arts in the various learning spaces I have been a part of has allowed me to fine-tune each of these parts of myself and hold my ground in challenging situations.”
Yuliza Parra, Program Intern (through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission’s (LACAC) Arts Internship Program)
Briefly introduce yourself and explain your new position at P.S. ARTS.
I am currently a student at the University of California, Merced and I am working on my Bachelors of Arts in Political Science, and I hope to someday go into education. I am the Program Intern at P.S. ARTS through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission. I help the Events and Programs departments and make sure everything runs smoothly.
What book is currently on your nightstand?
The book that I am going to start soon is 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. It’s a long read so I’m very excited to get invested into this story since it will take a longer time to finish.
What is currently the most played song on your iPod?
It hasn’t been one specific song, but an album. I’ve been listening to Beach House’s “Beach House.” It always puts me at ease during the summer and reminds me a lot of warm summer nights spent with my friends while growing up.
Where is your favorite place to view or take part in art in Los Angeles?
North East Los Angeles, because that is where I was born and raised! The murals alongside liquor stores and the large loopy hills are the two things I always look forward to when coming home because they both seem to be hidden gems that many people overlook or don’t give much attention to. The murals have been there since I was a little girl and always make me feel safe, and the sunsets from the hills during the summer are by far some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen.
What famous person, either dead or alive, would you choose to take out for coffee?
If I had the ability to have coffee with any person dead or alive I would have to choose Sandra Cisneros. She is an amazing author and one of the first people who I felt I was able to relate to. Her book, The House On Mango Street was the first one I read for my high school English class and since then I always felt a deep connection with the words printed on those sheets and gave me an idea as to what I hope to achieve in life. I feel like she and I would have an amazing conversation about our views on education and our experiences on being first generation students from similar upbringing.
“Arts Education is important to me because it allows kids to realize that they’re important in this world. Everyone needs a support system who loves and cares about them and sometimes that support system is a team of educators who helps these kids finish school and become whatever it is that they want to become. It is a way to allow kids to invest their time and have them feel heard when their voices are too soft. Many people underestimate the arts and assume that it is only for those who are skilled, but it is for everyone who needs to be heard. Too many kids fall into a cycle of violence or feel unimportant, and seek to fulfill that needed attention through people who are not there for their best interest. If we had more theater, visual art, dance, and music classes we’d have more kids on a stage being recognized by their community, rather than kids in the streets causing harm to themselves. It is more than just being able to recite Shakespeare or hold a violin correctly. It allows students to communicate effectively, increase literacy, understand their emotions, and become more well rounded individuals. Art should not be a privilege in public school, but a right due to the large impact it has on every community.”
