As we dive into a new year, it's inspiring to see our work with Angel City Lumber gaining recognition. Sarah Watlington recently penned a piece in Fine Woodworking, shining a spotlight on our collaboration and the impact it's having on our community.
Would Works is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Challenge America award of $10,000. This grant will support our new Peoples’ Builders Program.
Winding down this year, we express deep gratitude for your support and engagement with Would Works. 2023 began expansively: WW Community Builders Program Artisans and our team took a field trip to the snow-covered Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains north of the city. Shirley is the Artisan Lead at Would Works and was born and raised in LA. She’s now in her mid-60’s, yet she’s never been up to the Angeles Forest. Our city is surrounded by abundant landscapes, but many residents who face barriers to employment also lack access to experiences in nature. This forest visit reflects the growth trajectory of Would Works, which we illuminate here.
Recently, our Community Builders Program was tasked to fabricate a 12 foot long communal bench for the 56 unit Aster Apartments, an affordable housing site located in South LA.
As we wrap up our Young Makers Fall/Winter cohort, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate all the inspiring youth that came through the program from our referral partner Jovenes last year.
This winter Would Works staff and Artisans from our Community Builders Program accompanied our friends from Angel City Lumber(ACL) on a trip to the Angeles National Forest where we acquired large fire damaged pine logs that we'll be turning into outdoor furniture this Spring!
We enjoyed hosting our community of Board members, volunteers, case workers, past and present Artisans, customers, vendors, supporters and friends for the Sawdust Soiree--a celebration of 10 years of Would Works. We hope this is the first of many in-person public events we will host in our new, light-filled workshop space in LA's bustling garment district.
Last weekend Would Works joined the Los Angeles Poverty Department's 13th annual Festival for All Skid Row Artists with a pop-up wood safety whistle making workshop.
Would Works Artisans from the Young Makers Program represented last week at Project Impact’s Reentry Resource Fair at Los Angeles Mission College. Our Artisans connected with other systems impacted individuals and provided information about our employment programs and application process.
Meet our our Fall 2022 cohort and our new Young Makers! WW partnered withJovenes,an impactful youth homeless service organization. We are grateful to the California Arts Council for funding our new Young Makers Program so we can continue to uplift and support young people experiencing homelessness in LA.
Would Works Community Builders Program (CBP) recently partnered with the local non-profit LA Compost (LAC) to create wood structures and compost related objects for LAC hubs. Check out our first project--a set of 22 compost sifters!