The Mockingbird Foundation today announced a special emergency grant in the amount of $500 to Self Help Graphics and Art, to help offset difficulties faced as a result of earthquakes, flooding, and related damage. While this nominal amount will make only a small dent in off-setting the challenges faced by this important cultural institution, the intent of the grant is to help bring attention to the center’s important programs and financial needs.
Self Help Graphics and Art is a nonprofit founded in 1973, which the Los Angeles Times has called “the acclaimed bastion of art in East L.A.” and which describes itself as “the leading visual arts center serving the Los Angeles community for the past thirty years.” The center’s three-part mission is to “foster and encourage the empowerment of local Latino/Chicano artists; present Latino/Chicano art to all audiences through its programs and services; and promote the rich cultural heritage and contribution of Latino/Chicano art and artists to the contemporary American experience.” Leading programs of the center include Galeria Otra Vez, an annual Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Celebration, and a series of community and youth art programs. For more information regarding their needs, see www.calendarlive.com/cl-et-selfhelp15jan15,0,4492844.story [requires a free registration]. For information about the center itself, see www.selfhelpgraphics.com/.
The Mockingbird Emergency Grants program was started in February of 2004, and is funded by a three-percent (3%) set-aside from the Foundation’s gross income. Disbursements are made to help call attention to the needs of music education programs which have been impaired by environmental damage (such as fires, floods, and hurricanes) or moral outrage (such as vandalism, political oppression, or war). Awards are made by election of the board, outside of the normal two-tiered competitive application process used by the Foundation for general grants. For more information on this program, please see www.mbird.org/press/emergency.html.
The Mockingbird Foundation is the leading provider of historical information about the band Phish and its music. The Foundation has been operated entirely by volunteer fans of the band, without any salaries or paid staff, since its inception in 1996. It fundraises for music education for children by celebrating the music of Phish, through comprehensive books, innovative recordings,
creative donation premiums,
and special events for the Phish fan community. The second edition of The Phish Companion – the Foundation’s 928-page authoritative encyclopedia – is available from major book outlets as well as through www.mbird.org.
Phish was a rock band that started in 1983 and performed its “final” show in August 2004. For more information about Phish, see http://www.phish.com.