Arts Youth

At a forested camp hidden high in the mountains, Rigoberto Tolentino and Sika Ametu stand in a circle formed by two dozen children, learning the magic of the mask. Each child takes a turn wearing a white plastic mask and entering the center of the circle, up to three at a time. Some run. Some crouch. Some jump. The only rule is to not be seen donning or removing the masks. Rigo enters, strolling nonchalantly and tilting his head.

Erik Hansen rolls up his left sleeve to reveal a roughly drawn skull-and-crossbones tattoo. A friend did it for him a few weeks ago, using a needle and ink at what Hansen calls a "poke and stick party" -- a growing trend among young people as tattoos and piercings have surged in popularity. Body art between friends can be a rite of passage, a backroom ritual often done on the sly. Teenagers talk about school athletes doing tattoos or piercings for one another as an initiation.

Once inside the gates of today's seventh annual Youth Art Day at the Irvine Fine Arts Center, kids (ages seven through 12) may wander about by themselves, taking in workshops, exhibits and entertainment. After paying the $5 admission, all they'll need is a little pin money for the refreshment stand. (Kids age three to six will need to be accompanied by a parent--admitted free with a paying child.) It's all Irvine's way of celebrating National Youth Art Month.

Drug-abuse education for schoolchildren, building code enforcement and community arts programs all may be on the chopping block as Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn's office gave the first indication Thursday of how he plans to close an approximately $250-million hole in the city budget. Hahn does not plan to propose a budget for the 2004-05 fiscal year until April.

The U.S. premiere of British architect Alan Parkinson's Meggopolis, a giant, rainbow-colored, walk-in installation, will highlight the 11th annual Imagination Celebration. The festival of arts for youths will be held April 20 through May 5 at sites throughout Orange County. The maze-like Meggopolis, composed of 10 huge, connected plastic domes reflecting natural light like a prism, is one of the festival's 50 attractions, exhibits, workshops and performances.

Drug-abuse education for schoolchildren, building code enforcement and community arts programs all may be on the chopping block as Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn's office gave the first indication Thursday of how he plans to close an approximately $250-million hole in the city budget. Hahn does not plan to propose a budget for the 2004-05 fiscal year until April.

"Having reached 86, I think it is only prudent, practical and professional to start looking for a successor who will eventually take over the Music Directorship of the American Youth Symphony." --Announcement in the 1994-95 American Youth Symphony program booklet Mehli Mehta is adamant. He is speaking loudly and rapidly, his sentences coming with exclamation points attached. He is making a declaration of faith.

Erik Hansen rolls up his left sleeve to reveal a roughly drawn skull-and-crossbones tattoo. A friend did it for him a few weeks ago, using a needle and ink at what Hansen calls a "poke and stick party" -- a growing trend among young people as tattoos and piercings have surged in popularity. Body art between friends can be a rite of passage, a backroom ritual often done on the sly. Teenagers talk about school athletes doing tattoos or piercings for one another as an initiation.

Disneyland Resort has awarded $450,000 to 53 Orange County agencies representing cultural arts, youth, health, education, environment and community service. Two $50,000 Outstanding Awards were presented to the Alzheimer's Assn. of Orange County and the Anti-Defamation League in Costa Mesa. Todd Faerber was named Disneyland Resort volunteer of the year for his work with AIDS Walk Orange County.

More than $1.9 million was given to 21 social service agencies and city programs under the Community Development Block Grant program approved Tuesday by the City Council. The grants included $30,000 to the Armory Center for the Arts' youth program; $38,000 to Project Safe-Time, a youth counseling program at the King's Villages housing project in Northwest Pasadena, and $17,000 to the Armenian Relief Society for English and job-counseling programs.

The U.S. premiere of British architect Alan Parkinson's Meggopolis, a giant, rainbow-colored, walk-in installation, will highlight the 11th annual Imagination Celebration. The festival of arts for youths will be held April 20 through May 5 at sites throughout Orange County. The maze-like Meggopolis, composed of 10 huge, connected plastic domes reflecting natural light like a prism, is one of the festival's 50 attractions, exhibits, workshops and performances.

At a forested camp hidden high in the mountains, Rigoberto Tolentino and Sika Ametu stand in a circle formed by two dozen children, learning the magic of the mask. Each child takes a turn wearing a white plastic mask and entering the center of the circle, up to three at a time. Some run. Some crouch. Some jump. The only rule is to not be seen donning or removing the masks. Rigo enters, strolling nonchalantly and tilting his head.

"Having reached 86, I think it is only prudent, practical and professional to start looking for a successor who will eventually take over the Music Directorship of the American Youth Symphony." --Announcement in the 1994-95 American Youth Symphony program booklet Mehli Mehta is adamant. He is speaking loudly and rapidly, his sentences coming with exclamation points attached. He is making a declaration of faith.

Once inside the gates of today's seventh annual Youth Art Day at the Irvine Fine Arts Center, kids (ages seven through 12) may wander about by themselves, taking in workshops, exhibits and entertainment. After paying the $5 admission, all they'll need is a little pin money for the refreshment stand. (Kids age three to six will need to be accompanied by a parent--admitted free with a paying child.) It's all Irvine's way of celebrating National Youth Art Month.

Children can see an unusual adaptation of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town" when excerpts from the Plaza de la Raza CalArts youth production of "Nuestro Barrio" are presented by teen actors at the Los Angeles Children's Museum today at noon and 2 p.m. Written by Amparo Garcia, the production is part of the Community Arts Partnership program and the culmination of a two-year acting workshop project for youth, directed by California Institute of the Arts faculty and students.