The new Apple Creative Studios is a program to encourage young creators to work with artists and mentors to hone their skills, including providing access and tuition for Apple's range of products and creative tools.
Larrance 'Rance' Dopson, one of the mentors at the LA Today at Apple Creative Studios project.
Launched on Tuesday, the Today at Apple Creative Studios initiative will provide mentorship, industry skills training, creative resources, and support to underrepresented communities around the world. Working with non-profit organizations, the initiative will help young people develop their creative skills and to express themselves.
Starting in Los Angeles and Beijing followed by Bangkok, London, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. later in 2021, Apple will offer the program to young people who "face barriers to meaningful artistic education." The eight to 12-week program will include a curriculum of hands-on sessions, tuition on the industry, access to iPhones, iPads, and Macs, and provide ongoing feedback to creative projects made by the participants.
As well as skill development, the program's mentors and community partners will help those taking part with self-expression and "encourage them to spark social change within their own communities," describes Apple. At the end of the program, Apple will host a celebration and showcase the final works of participants in local Apple stores or within their community.
"Creativity and access to education are core values for Apple, so we are absolutely thrilled to kick off Today at Apple Creative Studios in Los Angeles and Beijing and to bring this meaningful program to several more cities this year," said Apple senior VP of Retail + People Deirdre O'Brien. "Building on our long history of using stores as a venue to host local artists to educate and inspire, Creative Studios is one more way we're providing free arts education to those who need it most."
Today at Apple public sessions will also be open, and will be led by the same artists acting as mentors for the program. Registration for the public sessions is offered via the Today at Apple website.
In Los Angeles, working with the Music Forward Foundation and Inner-City Arts and Social Justice Learning Institute, the nine-week program will involve the creation of the "LA Love Letter" visual album. Guidance and mentorship will be available from Grammy Award-winning producer Larrance "Rance" Dopson, documentary photographer and filmmaker Bethany Mollenkof, and Apple Music's Global Editorial Head of Hip-Hop and R&B Ebro Darden, as well as Zane Lowe and other artists in one-off sessions.
For Beijing, which will work with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation and China Social Entrepreneur Foundation, the 12-week program will explore photography, videography, music, and app design. Mentors include iPhone photographer Eric Zhang, drummer Shi Lu, and app designer Sun Yong, among others.
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