Purpose: Otis Community Connections was created to highlight Otis College of Art and Design’s efforts to enhance and enrich lives in Southern California.

Goals: Cultivate dynamic and strategic partnerships to affect positive change and help communities thrive. Specifically, Otis seeks to:

• Increase pathways to college for underserved youth,
• Motivate Otis students to consider a dual career as educators and professional artists,
• Provide educational and professional development opportunities for adults, and
• Lead dialogue about the fundamental value and economic impact of the arts.

Funders:
James Irvine Foundation
The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation
High Tech High Foundation
Washington Mutual
Watts Labor Action Committee (WLCAC)
Metropolitan Water District

Community and Corporate Partners:
Accelerated Charter Elementary School
The Armory Center of the Arts
The Boys and Girls Club of Venice
Center for Land Use Interpretation
City of Vernon
Cornerstone Theater Company
Friends of Ballona Wetlands
The HeARTProject
Homeboy Industries
Mattel Inc
Ocean Charter Waldorf Elementary School
Playa Vista Development
P.S. ARTS
High-Tech High
Venice High School
Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC).
Westchester Senior Center

Senior Leadership:
Samuel Hoi, President
John S. Gordon, Provost
Chris Alford, Vice President of Administration and Finance
Ed Schoenberg, Vice President of Enrollment Management