Visual Communications (VC)
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| Visual Communications | |
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| Type | Media Arts |
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| Founded | 1970 |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Key people | Leslie Ito, Executive Director |
| Focus | Asian Pacific American community |
| Website | www.vconline.org |
Visual Communications (Southern California Asian American Studies Central Inc.) – known as "VC" – is a community-based non-profit media arts organization in Los Angeles, dedicated to creating, preserving and presenting Asian Pacific American history and culture through the media arts. Founded in 1970, the organization, through its numerous film, video and community multimedia productions and through its various screening activities, photographic exhibits and publications, has pioneered many vital developments in the national media arts arena. VC offers production and training in filmmaking, video and photography, for Asian Americans. In addition to maintaining a large archive of Asian Pacific photographs, VC annually presents VC FilmFest, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film & Video Festival.
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[edit] Mission
To promote intercultural understanding through the creation, presentation, preservation and support of media works by and about Asian Pacific Americans. VC was created with the understanding that media and the arts are important vehicles to organize and empower communities, build connections between generations, challenge perspectives, and create an environment for critical thinking, necessary to build a more just and humane society.
[edit] Profile
VC has provided hundreds of ethnic minorities, women and students with opportunities for production experience and advancement in media related fields. The organization's productions have received recognition from national and international film festivals, and its programs have earned the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, Los Angeles Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, California Arts Council, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation, Benton Foundation, California Community Foundation, California Wellness Foundation, Eisner Foundation, Entertainment Industry Foundation, Getty Grant Program, Weingart Foundation, and corporate sponsorships from ABC, AsianAvenue.com, AT&T, Atlantic Richfield Company, Hitachi, Ltd., Screenplay.com, Transamerica Occidental Life, TDK, KNBC and numerous small businesses and community organizations.
[edit] Programs
[edit] Community Media Education
Community workshop activities provide opportunities for upcoming generation of young artists and Los Angeles arts organizations to learn and enhance media production skills. Programs include the Frame by Frame: Youth Media Program; the Digital Arts Network, a Cal Arts Community Arts Partnership program; an Internship Program and Open Studio LA.
[edit] VC Media Lab
Many film and video productions continue to win critical and popular acclaim for affording incisive and fully-dimensioned perspectives on Asian Pacific American communities and histories. Productions can be found in VC's distribution catalog.
In 2004, VC produced Stand Up for Justice: The Ralph Lazo Story, an educational narrative short film, co-produced with NCRR (Nikkei for Civil Rights and Redress), about Ralph Lazo, a Mexican American who voluntarily went to the Manzanar Japanese American internment camp as a teenager.[1]
In addition, VC provides direct support for filmmakers through professional media seminars, fiscal sponsorships and production support programs. VC served as fiscal sponsor for the Oscar winning short film, Visas and Virtue, from VC alum Chris Tashima.[2]
[edit] Digital Access and Equipment
VC offers a multimedia learning center and workshops in video and multimedia production, aimed to empower new generations of Asian Pacific media artists, community members and educators, to develop skills and create stories from the Asian Pacific community.
[edit] Historical Preservation and Archives
Archival collections are recognized as the nation's most comprehensive resource of Asian Pacific photographic, video and film imagery.
[edit] Listservs
VC listserv is an open list that covers community issues and events, job postings and occasional media-related discussions.
