Creating a supportive environment for emerging artists

Our co-founders, Lynda and Stewart Resnick, are committed to ensuring that students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to develop their creative talents and pursue careers in the arts.

For over 20 years, the Resnicks, with the support of their foundation and The Wonderful Company, have provided support for the California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA), a rigorous four-week, preprofessional visual and performing arts training program for high school students held each summer at the California Institute of the Arts.

The monthlong program provides a supportive environment in which students hone acquired skills and explore new techniques and ideas for an intense and exciting learning experience. These talented students pursue training from professionals in music, theater, film, visual arts, dance, writing, and animation.

Through continuous work and engagement in California’s Central Valley, the Resnicks noticed that students in the region often had limited access to performing arts training programs like CSSSA. As a result, they decided to fund an outreach coordinator role at the school to assist with student recruitment in the Central Valley and provide scholarship support to ensure that students from the region would have the same opportunities as their peers from other areas of the state. As of 2023, through the support of the Resnicks and The Wonderful Company, over 450 Central Valley students have gained access to CSSSA and 75% of accepted Central Valley students have received full-ride scholarships.

Manuel Dominquez, a resident of Kern County, graduated from CSSSA in 2021. Now, he is pursuing his academic journey at Pomona College, thanks to a scholarship awarded to him by CSSSA. During his nomination for the college scholarship, the film faculty said, “Manuel is the embodiment of the American Dream. He will be the first of his family to attend university; he pushes himself artistically and never succumbs to pressure. We know this scholarship will help him reach his goal of continuing his filmmaking career at Pomona. We are thrilled to see what he creates next.”

The Resnicks’ support for CSSSA is just one part of their broader effort to bridge the gap for artists, regardless of where they reside, to ensure that art is accessible to everyone.