UNITING COMMUNITIES & CREATING OPPORTUNITIES
SINCE 1997

Our Programs

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SUPPORT GREENWAY ARTS ALLIANCE

Please consider donating to support Arts Education and our wide array of programming.  Donate to Greenway through the Paypal Button below, or scroll down to learn about our sustaining support options.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE Endowment Project

GREENWAY ARTS ALLIANCE ENDOWMENT FUND

Give back in a big way!  Greenway Arts Alliance Endowment Fund donors are able to watch their gifts create opportunities in the arts in Los Angeles, and ensure Greenway’s mission continues into the future.  Help Greenway remain sustainable and lasting!

Click to learn more about Greenway’s Endowment Fund.

News

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For our full press kit, please email Whitney Weston, whitney@greenwayartsalliance.org, Co-Artistic Director.

Mission & History

MISSION

Greenway Arts Alliance unites communities through art, education and social enterprise. Through our professional theatre productions, educational programs and the Melrose Trading Post, Greenway Arts Alliance has built a vibrant artistic community.

History

Greenway Arts Alliance is a community-based partnership of professional artists working in Los Angeles for over 20 years. Greenway Arts Alliance was founded by professional artists committed to forging a deep connection with the surrounding area including the public school community.

History

Since its inception, Greenway Arts Alliance has modeled an innovative partnership with the Fairfax High School campus to leverage community resources that connect the professional artistic and public education communities around a commitment to learning and creation in the arts.

See the timeline

Staff

GREENWAY ARTS ALLIANCE

About

Whitney Weston Co-founded Greenway Arts Alliance with Pierson Blaetz in 1997. A lifelong activist, Whitney is committed to keeping the arts and community working together. She is a former Arts Commissioner for the City of West Hollywood's Arts and Cultural Affairs Commission and, both within and outside of Greenway, Whitney has produced and performed in hundreds shows which have earned her recognition from the NAACP, Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, LA Weekly and the 2011 Women in Theatre Red Carpet Award. Whitney has also been recognized for outstanding service by the LA Mayor's Office, LA City Council and LAUSD's School Board and Administrators' Union. Whitney is also the recipient of the 2019 Rainbow Award from Los Angeles Women's Theatre Festival for her dedication to diversity and contributions in fostering non-traditional and multicultural theatre works.

WHITNEY WESTON

Co-Founder / Co-Artistic Director

About

Pierson Blaetz co-founded Greenway Arts Alliance with Whitney Weston in 1997. He spent a lifetime integrating the worlds of art & business. As a social entrepreneur he founded several businesses, including “Free Time,” a volunteer placement service, and “infoLink,” an information retrieval service. Pierson has produced, directed and performed in film and theatre projects and has earned recognition from The Drama Circle Critics, NAACP, Garland Awards, LA Weekly and- way back when- The Dramalogue Award for Best Male Performance. Pierson has been recognized for outstanding service by the LA Mayor’s Office, LA City Council and LAUSD’s School Board and Administrators’ Union.

PIERSON BLAETZ

Co-Founder / Co-Artistic Director

About

Steffany Ayala is a young entrepreneur who is passionate about non-profits. She earned her BA in International Business with a minor in Anthropology from Vanguard University. After graduating with her BA, she decided to earn her Masters in Business Administration with a concentration in Management at Hope International University. She has been working with non-profits for almost six years and has earned a lot of her experience through the development of Business and Accounting. One of her passions include advocating and providing support to those in need in the area of education & health.

STEFFANY AYALA

Director of Operations

About

Emily Renteria, a Fairfax High School alum, started working at Greenway in 2019 as a student worker at the Melrose Trading Post. A couple of years later, she joined the Greenway Court Theater as part of the Front of House team. She graduated from Cal State Long Beach with her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. She has now joined the Greenway team as the Administrative Associate, supporting day-to-day operations and assisting across all departments. During her free time, she loves exploring new places with friends, listening to music, and going on hikes.

EMILY RENTERIA

Administrative Associate

MELROSE TRADING POST

About

Natalie has worked for Greenway Arts Alliance since 2011, managing the market’s systems and curating the merchandise in the market. During the week Natalie works on projects for marketing, special events and the online presence. Natalie is a local artist and gardener, with over a decade of event planning and management experience. She completed the Nonprofit Leadership Development Program at the Center for Nonprofit Management, has trained in community-based social marketing and is trained in Meta Digital Advertising. Natalie loves planning events with community partners like the Mid City West Neighborhood Council and our local Councilmember’s Office.

Natalie Iturbe Jackson

Special Events & Marketing Manager

About

J Scott has been managing operations for Melrose Trading Post since 2012. His expertise in handling logistics was heightened by his military experience. A graduate of the United States Military Academy, he was qualified as Airborne and Ranger for the Army, served in the Gulf War (1991), and received an honorable discharge with the rank as Captain. Currently, he is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and has acted in numerous film and television projects.

J Scott Shonka

Safety & Operations Manager

About

Patrick began working for Greenway in 2010, and what started out as a part-time gig has become a labor of love. He manages the MTP Vendor Team. His professional experience includes 20+ years in customer service, event management, sales and bookkeeping. Patrick loves the outdoors and nature photography so on his down time he'll likely be on a hiking trail somewhere or at the beach.

Patrick Weinbrecht

Vendor Booking Manager

About

Within a decade of Event Managing, Jose has had the privilege of overseeing numerous weddings, concerts, school/ city functions, and pop up events all throughout Southern California. Joining the vendor team, JC hopes to help grow Trading Post wherever the sun shines brightest, one vendor booking at a time. In his free time Jose enjoys going completely off grid to enjoy the simple things life has to offer. A History undergrad, JC is always open to learning new and forgotten historical trivia! A true hippie at heart, Jose firmly believes that ” it takes a village to raise a child” and that no soup is ever as good as the stone soup you share with a friend.

Jose Cruz

Vendor Booking Coordinator

About

Jonathan began his journey with Greenway while he was still a student at Fairfax High. He was originally hired as one of the first student workers at the Melrose Trading Post in 1997 and has been working at the market since, now as the Afternoon Operations Manager. After graduating from Fairfax High, Jonathan went on to college and worked in the entertainment industry. Currently, he is working as the materials manager at Glendale Memorial Hospital. In his free time, Jonathan enjoys reading, volunteering, and fitness.

Jonathan Rozelle

PM Operations Manager

About

Cira is a recent graduate of the UCLA School of Communications. As someone passionate about the arts and a longtime patron of MTP, she is very excited to be a part of the Greenway staff. She started with MTP as the Marketing and Community Engagement Intern through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission’s Summer Internship Program and later as the Social Media & Promotions Associate. She contributes graphics and illustrations, assists with promotions, marketing projects and captures photos and videos of the market, while helping with communications across Greenway Arts Alliance.

Cira Davis

Communications Specialist

About

Mahagany is an alum of the University of Texas at Austin and became involved with Greenway Arts Alliance through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission’s Summer Internship Program. She now runs the TikTok and YouTube accounts for the Melrose Trading Post, and is featured in many of our announcement videos across platforms. Mahagany is part of the Vendor Team, making sure vendor paperwork is up to date. She is also an artist, barista, and the host of our Melrose Stories Interview Series!

Mahagany Adair

Social Media & Customer Engagement Coordinator

GREENWAY INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS

About

After a childhood career in the entertainment industry, Christina Carrera moved to Los Angeles in 2014. She discovered Greenway Arts Alliance through her attendance at Fairfax High School, and became a program participant. Her internship at Greenway Institute for the Arts during her senior year of high school sparked a passion for arts education. She then went on to graduate from Occidental College with a B.A. in Theater & Performance Studies and minor in Urban and Environmental Policy. As Student Programs Manager, she is committed to promoting and advocating for the accessibility of arts programming in her community. In her free time, she enjoys singing, writing poetry, and spending time at the beach.

Christina Carrera

Director of Student Programs

About

Bio Coming Soon.

TBA

Student Programs Coordinator

GREENWAY COURT THEATRE

About

Mohammed Ali Ojarigi was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He received his bachelor's degree in theater arts from UNLV. He is the founder/Artistic Director of the former Moments Playhouse Theater in East LA. A highly requested acting coach, Mohammed has helped introduce some of Hollywood’s top rising stars through his academy (BizB4 Show). Mohammed is an award-winning actor/playwright for his theatre works that include “Greenwood 1964” a fictional reenactment of a trip made by Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, which was commissioned by the prestigious Guthrie Theater in May 2021 (virtually). Also, for his 2012 NAACP Theater Award play, now short film, “Your Land” (available on Amazon Prime). As Producing Director of Greenway Arts Alliance his mission is to promote innovation, artistic collaboration across all spectrum of Arts; working with high school students, community artists, and professionals of diverse backgrounds to make the theater a vital hub of excellence which celebrates diversity and historically underrepresented communities.

Mohammed Ojarigi

Producing Director

About

In 1989 Thomas left his 10-year Technical Director job at Spelman, in Atlanta, in order to pursue his Masters degree from UCLA. Before he had even graduated, in 1992 with his master’s degree in set design, Thomas had already begun designing professionally in Los Angeles. Since that time, he has designed for over 2000 productions in a variety of entertainment formats – including television, theater, musical concerts, award shows, theme parks and film. He also served as Concept and Convention Art Director for five years with THE NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING ASSOCIATION. He proudly designed several gala entertainment events in Washington, DC. for the 2009 Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. In television he has served as either Art Director or Production Designer for a variety of network and cable programs on ABC, NBC and FOX-TV. He has done extensive work with BET serving as Production Designer/ Art Director for numerous productions with them, including their first cable sitcom “COMIC VIEW: AIN’T NOTHIN’ BUT A WOMAN” and their perennial music showcase show “VIDEO SOUL SPRITE NITE”. He has also served as Art Director for the national network shows, TOTALLY HIDDEN VIDEO for FOX-TV, SOUL TRAIN for KTLA, as well as Art Director for the HBO Comedy Specials, SINBAD: BRAIN DAMAGED and CHRIS ROCK:BORN SUSPECT.

Thomas Brown

Technical Director

About

Ellora Gordon is an actor, writer, and poet from the Bay Area, CA. Performing on stage since the age of eight, Ellora has worked with many community and professional theatres over the years, as well as studied theatre arts, filmmaking, and creative writing at several schools across California, earning multiple associate's degrees. Her dedication and skill in acting have been recognized with awards from numerous theater festivals, and notably, she represented Santa Rosa Junior College as a nominee at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. She is honored to be a part of Greenway Court Theatre's ethos to uplift unrepresented voices in the theatre world and looks forward to growing with the Greenway team.

Ellora Gordon

Audience Services Coordinator

About

Elisawon is an actor and writer hailing from Texas, who has been captivated by theater and the performing arts since an early age. Diving into speech & debate, competitive theater, and prose and poetry throughout middle and high school, they eventually assumed the role of head of the costume department for their highschool theater. This experience sparked a deep passion for behind-the-scenes work, which continued through college alongside employment in the costume shop. While attaining a bachelor's degree, Elisawon co-founded and served as co-president for the college's Black Student Union, and is aspiring to extend their leadership to new possibilities. One of those possibilities has led them to become the new FOH Manager at Greenway Court Theater; they are looking forward to growing with the GCT family.

Elisawon Roberts

Front of House Manager

Board

Chair

Bill Stein, Esq. Partner, Fisher Phillips

Treasurer

Mario Padilla, Professor Santa Monica College

Secretary

Carol Truscott, former Fairfax High School Principal

      • Pierson Blaetz, Co-Founder/Co-Artistic Director, Greenway
      • Gimel Hooper Poet
      • Stephen Mendillo Actor
      • Stan Savage, Jr. Business Development & Acquisitions, A.F. Gilmore Co.
      • Laura Sedrish, Esq. Partner, Jacoby & Meyers (Founding Board President/Chair)
      • Aris Biegler, LAUSD Math Teacher
      • Whitney Weston, Co-Founder/Co-Artistic Director, Greenway

Supporters & Partners

Current Funders

  • California Arts Council
  • City of West Hollywood
  • Dwight Stuart Youth Fund
  • Earl B. Gilmore Foundation
  • Los Angeles County Arts Commission
  • Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs
  • National Endowment for the Arts
  • The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Community Foundation
  • California Community Foundation
  • David Lee Foundation
  • The David Geffen Foundation
  • The Flourish Foundation

Friends of Greenway

  • David Kobrin
  • James Starr
  • Lisa Blake Richards and Stephen Mendillo
  • Mike Himelstein
  • John Ebey
  • Steve and Laura Mayer
  • Wilson Fitzgerald

Community Partners

Support Greenway Arts Alliance

Please consider donating to support Arts Education and our other programs!

Press & Media

Read More Press

For our full media kit, please email Whitney Weston, whitney@greenwayartsalliance.org, Co-Artistic Director.

Press Kit

Download the Style Guide

Greenway Style Guide
Download 16.80 MB

Articles

Nonprofit – Public School Alliance

by Phuong Ly, Winter 2013 | Stanford Social Innovation Review

A partnership between Fairfax High and the nonprofit Greenway Arts Alliance in Los Angeles has improved school finances and created a community hub.

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Stanford Social Innovation Review
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Advocating for Arts in the Classroom

by Mark Bauerlein, Fall 2010 | Education Next

The Greenway Arts Alliance is an obvious model for arts education. Greenway has received support from public agencies, including the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Los Angeles, but it has staked its continuance year-to-year on private enterprise.

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Advocating for the Arts in the Classroom
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Contact

Greenway Arts Alliance’s Co-Founders / Co-Artistic Directors

Whitney Weston

Whitney@GreenwayArts.org


Pierson Blaetz

Pierson@GreenwayArts.org