Free Arts Los Angeles
Free Arts Los Angeles, 11099 South La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90045
About
Free Arts Los Angeles offers weekly art education classes that include engaging, art-based projects such as drawing, painting, movement, music, and collaborative art projects. The program also offers wellness activities for youth and families to reduce stress, as well as culturally and linguistically responsive art workshops. Additional activities include virtual and in-person art therapy activities for hospitalized children, art-based interventions for youth awaiting court testimony, adoption, and family unification, and activities that strengthen family bonds through art, along with a one-day festival featuring art, music, and food.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
Free Arts Los Angeles uses art to restore hope, resiliency and self-esteem in children in Los Angeles ages 5–18 who have experienced abuse, poverty, neglect and/or homelessness. Its curriculum-based programs provide a safe and supportive space for young people to begin healing from trauma, address mental health needs, and develop essential skills such as critical thinking, communication, and advocacy. The FreeArts Teaching Artist & Mentor Program offers weekly art education classes to support youth development, Dancing with FreeArts Stars offers wellness activities for youth and families to reduce stress, the FreeArts Holding Hands Artistry Hospital Program offers virtual and in-person art therapy activities for hospitalized children, the FreeArts for Court Program provides art-based interventions to youth awaiting court testimony, adoption, and family unification, FreeArts for Families focuses on strengthening family bonds through art while creating happy family experiences, and FreeArts Art Festivals celebrate community and culture through a one-day festival featuring art, music, and food.
Free Arts Los Angeles engages roughly 16,500 youth annually through art education programs, with 225+ volunteers contributing over 14,000 hours and 30 community partnerships across Los Angeles. The program engages underserved youth through culturally and linguistically responsive art workshops and provides programs to children in underserved communities and hospitals that do not have access to art programs. Community partners include the Shelter Care and Transportation Unit within the Department of Children and Family Services, MemorialCare Children’s & Women’s Hospital of Long Beach, and Aviva Family and Children’s Services.
The leadership team includes Chief Executive Officer Bianca Hunter, who has over 20 years in nonprofit work focused on enhancing financial sustainability and fostering partnerships. Additional team and board members include Tierra Smith (Free Arts Admin & Programs Assistant), Jocelyn Garcia (Program Operations Coordinator), Board Chair Jennifer Foyer (Wescom Resources Group, Senior Project Lead), Michelle McCarthy (Governance, Nossaman LLP, Attorney-at-Law), Janet Nelson (Finance Chair, International City Bank, Vice President Community Officer), Grant Hartwell (Board Member, Hartwell Financial Services, Partner), Aaron Battista (Emeritus, Battista Co LLC, Consultant), and Jessica Staheli (Emeritus, Scherzer International, Executive Vice President).
Partner organizations report that Free Arts Los Angeles offers children going through emotional trauma free expression through their art and that this process is important in improving their outlook and providing a different lens to view life’s circumstances. Hospital partners state that expression through art creates an atmosphere for pediatric patients to feel a sense of control and reduce stress, and that art offers ways to express feelings when children may not know how to put their feelings into words. Board members and staff describe the programs as effective in making a marked difference in the lives of families, combating abuse and trauma through wellness and art, empowering children to express emotion safely and calmly, and supporting children in rediscovering their voices and building resiliency.
Last updated July 1, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
Free Arts Los Angeles uses art to restore hope, resiliency and self-esteem in children in Los Angeles ages 5–18 who have experienced abuse, poverty, neglect and/or homelessness. Its curriculum-based programs provide a safe and supportive space for young people to begin healing from trauma, address mental health needs, and develop essential skills such as critical thinking, communication, and advocacy. The FreeArts Teaching Artist & Mentor Program offers weekly art education classes to support youth development, Dancing with FreeArts Stars offers wellness activities for youth and families to reduce stress, the FreeArts Holding Hands Artistry Hospital Program offers virtual and in-person art therapy activities for hospitalized children, the FreeArts for Court Program provides art-based interventions to youth awaiting court testimony, adoption, and family unification, FreeArts for Families focuses on strengthening family bonds through art while creating happy family experiences, and FreeArts Art Festivals celebrate community and culture through a one-day festival featuring art, music, and food.
Free Arts Los Angeles engages roughly 16,500 youth annually through art education programs, with 225+ volunteers contributing over 14,000 hours and 30 community partnerships across Los Angeles. The program engages underserved youth through culturally and linguistically responsive art workshops and provides programs to children in underserved communities and hospitals that do not have access to art programs. Community partners include the Shelter Care and Transportation Unit within the Department of Children and Family Services, MemorialCare Children’s & Women’s Hospital of Long Beach, and Aviva Family and Children’s Services.
The leadership team includes Chief Executive Officer Bianca Hunter, who has over 20 years in nonprofit work focused on enhancing financial sustainability and fostering partnerships. Additional team and board members include Tierra Smith (Free Arts Admin & Programs Assistant), Jocelyn Garcia (Program Operations Coordinator), Board Chair Jennifer Foyer (Wescom Resources Group, Senior Project Lead), Michelle McCarthy (Governance, Nossaman LLP, Attorney-at-Law), Janet Nelson (Finance Chair, International City Bank, Vice President Community Officer), Grant Hartwell (Board Member, Hartwell Financial Services, Partner), Aaron Battista (Emeritus, Battista Co LLC, Consultant), and Jessica Staheli (Emeritus, Scherzer International, Executive Vice President).
Partner organizations report that Free Arts Los Angeles offers children going through emotional trauma free expression through their art and that this process is important in improving their outlook and providing a different lens to view life’s circumstances. Hospital partners state that expression through art creates an atmosphere for pediatric patients to feel a sense of control and reduce stress, and that art offers ways to express feelings when children may not know how to put their feelings into words. Board members and staff describe the programs as effective in making a marked difference in the lives of families, combating abuse and trauma through wellness and art, empowering children to express emotion safely and calmly, and supporting children in rediscovering their voices and building resiliency.
Last updated July 1, 2026.
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