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In 1999, a small group of local people formed High Desert Living Arts Center with the simple intention of improving this community. In the six years since, HDLAC has started an art gallery in Yucca Valley, organized the annual Chuckwalla Music festival as well as the annual Summer Arts Camp – and HDLAC has established an after and during-school art program at local elementary schools in cooperation with Morongo Unified School District. We have always felt that the Morongo Basin was home to remarkable artistic and musical talent, but without a structure to share this knowledge, many local children grow up without enjoying its benefits. HDLAC has developed a system that shares this artistic experience with our next generation and invests in the future of our community. Essentially, HDLAC connects local artists who are willing to teach with local kids eager to learn. A Non-profit Corporation High Desert Living Arts Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit public-benefit corporation, with a mission to generate educational programs in the arts, humanities and the environment. All donations to HDLAC are tax-deductible. Our non-profit status allows us to develop unique relationships between our local arts community and childhood education – in a way that benefits everyone. We draw some of the area’s finest artists into service by offering them a system of financial and marketing incentives in exchange for time spent teaching art to school children. All HDLAC activities promote education for public benefit, and are built to be fully financially sustainable. For instance, Chuckwalla Music Festival raises money that is used directly for Summer Arts Camp – and the Living Arts Gallery raises money to fund our After School Program. Financial contributions to High Desert Living Arts Center help to expand our list of programs, but once they are established, HDLAC programs operate without the need for continuing financial support. HDLAC currently generates approximately 1200 hours a year of free arts instruction and over 800 hours of low cost arts instruction in our local school system. Our long term goal is to provide a full range of educational programs in all public schools in the Morongo Basin – as well as full time HDLAC teachers, an expanded summer camp, more featured artists – and a public HDLAC campus that will bring students and artists into this community, creating an economic engine to drive the emergence of our local arts community.
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