Downtown : Art Seen as Bridge Over Cultural Gaps

Michael Javier figures that whether you refer to it as arte, mei shu or bijutsu , art is a universal means of expression that brings together people of different backgrounds, ethnicities and ages.

The use of art as expression is natural for immigrants who bring not only a “wealth of culture” from their native lands but also poignant personal tales of leaving their homes and trying to fit into a new country, Javier said.

So Javier, an artist who teaches English as a Second Language at Evans Community Adult School, 717 N. Figueroa St., occasionally incorporates a drawing or painting session into his ESL classes and often takes his immigrant students on field trips to art galleries and museums. By doing so, Javier said he has learned how newcomers have been limited in their expression.

Some of his students have told him after first visits to the Museum of Contemporary Art that “I didn’t know I was allowed to be in this part of town,” he said. And Evans itself offers no art classes in its course offerings.

So Javier is on a passionate, one-man quest to get an art program established at Evans, which annually draws 15,000 immigrants seeking to learn English and other skills to fit into American society. Javier wants to begin an extracurricular art class and open a student gallery on campus.

“I think it’s really absurd that the Los Angeles Unified School District has this school--the largest adult school in the country--and there’s nothing here (for art students),” said Javier, who has taught at the school for six years.

“I really feel art breaks down barriers. It’s my hope that by exposing them to art and giving them art expression . . . they’ll become more familiar with the country where they have chosen to live (and) feel more comfortable expressing themselves.”

Evans’ only art class--a basic, comprehensive fine-arts course--was scrapped in 1988 because of budget constraints. Javier said the school district has told him it still cannot afford to include art in the school curriculum.

Javier has therefore proposed an extracurricular art class that will be offered throughout the day so students can drop by between regular classes for instruction in sketching, painting, photography, mixed media and other arts. “Like an open studio workshop,” he said.

He also wants to establish a student gallery in the lobby of the school’s main building at Sunset Boulevard and Figueroa Street. Javier has already turned the lobby’s bare walls into a makeshift display area for paintings created by his students.

The major challenge is money, which he needs to buy materials such as paint, brushes, paper, cameras and film for the classes and frames and hardware for the gallery. He estimates the cost at $10,000 to $20,000 annually.

“I had one class of 50 students and just to do a painting activity, I spent more than $100 on brushes, paint and paper,” Javier said.

He has raised about $1,000 by holding small-scale art sales of posters, paintings and frames donated by colleagues or found at secondhand stores.

He continues to seek other grants, funding sources and donors. He has drafted a list of materials and a donation form.

Evans school officials, while supportive of Javier’s desires, cannot offer much financial assistance, said Principal Francis Marsala, who said an art program would benefit the school.

“Art . . . is good for the soul,” Marsala said. “The Chinese have a saying that if you have two cents, buy a loaf of bread with one and a flower with the other.”