About this Artist
Side Street Projects is an entirely mobile artist run organization. Our mission is to give artists of all ages the ability and means to support their creative endeavors. All of our programs connect professional artists directly to communities to facilitate creative problem solving within a contemporary arts context.
We teach children how to use tools and solve problems creatively through The Woodworking Bus. We present community-based artist projects at our temporary headquarters, and off-site in collaboration with local businesses and government agencies. These projects are integrated into the free community programming offered every Saturday. We provide support services to artists with programs, including a Best-Professional Practices Podcast Series, Skill Share Workshops, and an Equipment Co-Op.
Our Mobile Youth Education program teaches tool-based design and fabrication aboard mobile fabrication studios housed in buses and trailers. This program serves youth throughout Los Angeles County, through in school and after school programming, museums, community events, private parties and special events. This program is free for over half of the students through grants. The program takes a holistic approach to integrating core curriculum, particularly math and science. It teaches children creative problem solving and how to use tools safely, effectively, and (ultimately) independent of adult assistance. Mobility allows us strategically to serve at-risk youth where there is the most need. Over the last four years, we have tripled the capacity of this program by building out more classrooms and increasing the number of desks per classroom. There are currently two buses with 15 workstations each and two trailers with 16 workstations each, for a total of 62 workstations.
Our offices are vintage trailers and shipping containers running off a mobile solar power generator. Our youth education program is housed in buses and trailers. Our artist projects occur in public rather than gallery spaces. We take up residence in blighted spaces in-between developments, blurring the line between public services and public art. Since 2001 we have been based out of the Northwest Pasadena/Altadena community, which is one of the city’s most densely populated and diverse neighborhoods. Most recently we were on the site of a stalled development on Orange Grove and Fair Oaks for six years, and for the last three years have been in residence in the back of John Muir High School.