About

Art inspires us and connects us to the world in ways nothing else can. Creative perspectives challenge norms, break boundaries and put the impossible within reach.

As an organization dedicated to promoting positive social change in Little Tokyo and beyond, Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) is exploring how art and culture can enrich our work. +LAB is a bold new initiative that allows us to join forces with artists and cultural institutions to find imaginative ways to empower the Little Tokyo community.

Why

LA’s Little Tokyo and other cultural communities across the nation are getting squeezed into smaller spaces, and losing the traditional people and places that make them special. +LAB works beyond LTSC’s traditional community development by incorporating arts and cultural processes.

How

+LAB connects with partners and collaborators to develop creative solutions to address the evolving challenges facing Little Tokyo. We do this by:

• Seeking community input to identify challenges and needs
• Exploring new creative solutions
• Incorporating artistic/creative processes in everyday work
• Co-creating with artists and arts organizations
• Supporting creative and arts-based projects
• Cultivating stronger relationships with artists and local arts/cultural organizations

You+LAB

+LAB’s collaborative nature means working with you, whatever your relationships to Little Tokyo may be. Whether you already work with LTSC or hope to do so soon, +LAB wants you to empower Little Tokyo and build a neighborhood consistent with our community’s vision.

How can you work with +LAB?

+Community Members

• Participate in artistic and cultural experiences that protect the cultural and historic identity of Little Tokyo (actual exampes here?)
• Share your voice and stories to promote and empower Little Tokyo (Where? How)
• Learn more about your neighborhood, its history, and how you can help shape its future (Where? How)

+Partnering Organizations

• Use LTSC’s experience and network to enhance existing events, projects, and programs
• Let us connect you with more artists, community members, and organizations
• Incorporate creative practices to positively impact your work and community

+Artists

• Use your talents to elevate Little Tokyo’s culture, stories, and identity
• Develop artistic and creative strategies to enhance LTSC’s work
• Provide diverse perspectives on Little Tokyo’s future and development

+Our Neighbors / Neighboring Communities

• Adapt +LAB’s strategies to fit your community’s needs
• Strengthen our regional network of support for communities of color