Looking Back at 2022

The theme of 2022 was refocusing our goals and expanding our community connections.

This year brought our team here at Greenway Arts Alliance opportunities to grow past our previous limitations, and opportunities to try new things.

STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR THE NEXT ERA OF GREENWAY

January 2022 was a special time at Greenway. It was our strategic planning session, where we plan our goals for the next three years. It is a time of reflection, imagination and dreaming big!

This session planned for fiscal year 2022-2023 through fiscal year 2024-2025. Each department gets together and discusses how they would like their program to grow in the next three years. All ideas are welcome in the first session, even outrageous ones! From there we decide on the most important goals to focus on, and decide what steps to take for each goal through the next three years. With our three year plan in hand, our teams were able to move confidently forward planning our budgets and strategies.

MELROSE TRADING POST PROGRAMS

FUNDRAISING FOR NON-PROFITS

At the Melrose Trading Post, one main goal was to strengthen our community relationships. Through the MTP Free Booth Program, we provided free booths for local non-profit organizations like Fulgent Genetics Clinic who brought COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters, and MPOX vaccines to the community once a month to MTP. Other non-profits we worked with this year include the Stray Cat Alliance, Nova Ukraine, Amplifier Art, LA Works, Girl Scouts of America and more!

We provided 60 free booths for 15 local non-profit organizations in 2022. We hosted 9 new non-profit organizations, and 5 returning from previous years. If you are connected to a local non-profit organization, share this link with them: MTP Non-Profit Free Booth Program

FUNDRAISING FOR LAUSD SCHOOL GROUPS

We expanded our free booth program to include LAUSD Booster Clubs, PTS & PTSA Groups. Now LAUSD school support groups can host a fundraiser at MTP, and Greenway Arts Alliance matches up to $500 of earned donations! It’s a great new program, with 5 school group hosting fundraisers at MTP in 2022. We look to expand that number in 2023, so if you are connected to an LAUSD school, please share this information about the program: MTP Entrepreneurship Program Info for LAUSD School Groups

FUNDRAISING FOR FAIRFAX SCHOOL GROUPS

We also brought back Fairfax School Group fundraising opportunities at MTP. This is a program where clubs and organizations at Fairfax High School can set up a booth to fundraise for their goals. We hosted 5 Fairfax School Group Fundraisers, and look to expand that number for 2023!

MTP X MID CITY WEST JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION

Lastly, we boosted our partnership with the Mid City West LA Neighborhood Council by partnering with them to celebrate Juneteeth at the Melrose Trading Post! In June of 2021, Juneteeth (June 19th) was declared a federal holiday celebrating Black Freedom, Resilience and Joy. We celebrated with MCWLA with live music, rollerskating show, delicious food, poetry, art and a commemorative t-shirt and tote bag designed to fundraise for the Black Student Union at Fairfax High School. That fundraiser raised $230 for the Black Student Union’s activities budget.

GREENWAY COURT THEATRE

DA POETRY LOUNGE

Da Poetry Lounge, GCT’s weekly poetry open mic night returned at the end of 2021, and made a strong comeback in 2022.

It’s a great LA tradition, and a must-experience if you’re available on a Tuesday night.

GREENWOOD 1964

Mohammed Ojarigi joined the GCT team as the new Producing Director, and on Dr. King Day he organized a stage reading of the award winning one act play Greenwood 1964 that he wrote about the life and legacy of Mr. Sidney Poitier.

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC

February brought Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little Night Music,” produced by Knot Free Productions to the Greenway Court Theatre Stage. Check out this great write-up in the Advocate about this production. Read the Advocate’s “Sondheim’s A Little Night Music Gets a Queer Twist.”

WHO ARE YOU

In the springtime GCT hosted a one woman show called “Who Are You” written and performed by Shareen Mitchell. Shareen is a former MTP Vendor, and a well-known fashion designer of Shareen Bridal and Shareen Vintage. “Who Are You” is her account of major life changing moments in her life, and the lessons that followed. Learn more about the show here.

LA GET DOWN FESTIVAL

April brought the LA Get Down, Greenway’s annual month-long poetry festival. This festival offers writing and performance workshops, competitive slams, film screenings, and open mic nights in partnership with the LA County Arts Commission. Watch out for updates for 2023’s LA Get Down festival!

WET: A DACAMENTED JOURNEY

Lastly, the Greenway Court Theatre presented, “WET: A DACAmented Journey” as part of the Greenway Reads program. Learn all about WET:A DACAmented Journey on the GCT website.

This was an incredible one man show describing writer and performer Alex Alpharaoh’s journey as a DACA recipient. He shared personal stories of experiences unique to those who share the DACA status in this country. We look forward to seeing this impactful piece grow and spread around the country.

Greenway Institute for the Arts

The Greenway Institute for the Arts oversees in school and after school arts enrichment programming at Fairfax High School and other LAUSD campuses. GIA also coordinates the Greenway Reads program, sharing the production at GCT with other LAUSD students, bringing the book they are reading to life on the stage. GIA also oversees several student internships at Greenway, and a work study program through the Melrose Trading Post’s event staff trainings.

This year GIA formalized the Support Your School Grant Program and The Teacher’s Fund where FHS teachers can request funds for their classroom.

The GIA after school enrichment students performed on stage at the Melrose Trading Post and the Greenway Court Theatre, showcasing their awesome talent and dedicated practice.

In August, Greenway Institute for the Arts kicked off the school year with their annual Fall Kick Off event which introduced Fairfax High School students to the programming Greenway offers them including in-school and after school arts education programs and internships.

In October, GreenwayREADS launched for the 2022-23 school year! During this 6 week literacy program, LAUSD students analyzed and created poetry in their classrooms with Greenway’s teaching artists. In November, these students took a field trip to Greenway Court Theater to see Wet: An UnDACAmented Journey.

In December, GIA students performed in their Winter Showcase titled “The Sounds and Moves of Greenway!” Voice and Drama students performed solos from American musical composer Stephen Sondheim’s catalog, and Dance students performed a piece to “TKN” by Rosalia and Travis Scott.

Melrose Trading Post Areas of Growth

THE GREENWAY AMPHITHEATER IS BORN

The small MTP Garden Stage which got us through COVID, became the much larger Greenway Amphitheater in June of this year. This year we booked 150 local music acts on the MTP Garden Stage and Greenway Amphitheater!

Garden Stage: (June 2021-June 2022)

Greenway Amphitheater: (June 2022-present)

MTP INTERNS MAKE AN IMPACT

MTP Intern Amber Hernandez continued work building our TikTok account. She created “Behind the Outfit” interviews that are on our TikTok and Youtube pages. She would find people in the market who were impressionable dressed, and asked them about the pieces they put together for their look. Amber found a way to make people feel special, and give them an opportunity to share the details of their outfit. Check out Amber’s Behind the Outfit compilation video here.

Amber also helped us start Season 1 of Melrose Stories, our vendor interview series. Amber’s internship ended in June, and we hired Mahagany Adair, MTP’s Los Angeles County Arts Commission Intern for 2022. Amber left her mark on MTP and helped us start our TikTok adventure, for which we are very grateful. With Mahagany on board, MTP’s TikTok continued on with more immersive videos of the market, along with the Behind the Outfit interviews.

Check out the MTP TikTok here to see Amber and Mahagany’s awesome work.

Mahagany also took over the 2nd half of Season 1 of Melrose Stories, and did a great job carrying the torch and interviewing the awesome creative business owners of MTP. In total we interviewed 14 vendors for Season 1, and we’ve interviewed another set of vendors for Season 2!

Watch Season 1 of Melrose Stories on the MTP Youtube Channel.

Look out for Season 2 coming in 2023!

MTP GIFT SHOP IS REBORN

This year we decided to take on reviving the MTP souvenir gift shop as another area of growth. We began developing the reimagined MTP Gift Shop Merchandise, collaborating with MTP Vendors and local businesses to create a new line of MTP Merch. The shop launched online in April at melrosetradingpost.org/shop, and has continued growing and developing with the artists and makers we collaborate with. This year alone we worked with 16 local artists and makers, including 3 Fairfax High School alumni, to design the limited edition merchandise items for the shop. The Gift Shop had 4 seasonal pop-ups this year, with a few new limited edition collabs launching with each pop-up.

Our goal for the Gift Shop next year to is to have a more consistent presence in the market, and to rebrand, focusing on the collaborations with Vendors.

Fairfax Senior Intern Amber Hernandez in the MTP Gift Shop

Famous Dancer & Teaching Artist, Adrianna Vieux in the MTP Gift Shop

EXCITING PROMOTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

Expanded our promotional activations, including an album release pop-up by Red Hot Chili Peppers, an HBO promotion for the show Barry, pop-ups with our neighbors Buffalo Exchange, Tyler Cole’s Existential Crisis Club, Depop, Love Beauty and Planet, and more, totaling in 30 promotional activations in 2022.

JAMIE KOUGH ART INSTALLATIONS

We also got to work with Otis College of Art and Design artist Jamie Kough, who brought three immersive art installations to MTP over the course of 3 weeks. Each installation highlighted the impacts of recent wars on the various groups of people who are impacted.

Friends we’ve lost in 2022

This past spring the Greenway Arts Alliance community lost a bright star, Verna Bagby. Verna worked with Greenway Arts Alliance from the beginning in 1997. She was a Master Carpenter, and possibly the first woman to own and run a set construction shop in Los Angeles. She even built parts of the Greenway Court Theatre and our offices’ deck.

Verna Bagby with Patrick Weinbrecht and Ian West

Read all about Verna and her impact on our community here.

2022 was also marked by the passing of two of our Vendor community members this year.

Rest in Peace Julie Arnoff and Teodoro Hernandez.

Teodoro Hernandez with his wife Josefina

Artist Julie Arnoff with a happy customer

Both vendors were with our community for many years, and left their positive impact on our community.

MTP Celebrity Hall of Fame

MTP saw some big name visitors in 2022! This is the year that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck made a huge splash at MTP, visiting several times with their children. Their visit to MTP excited Vendors, Patrons and Staff alike!

Anna Marie Horsford, Paris Hilton and Lana Del Rey claim the top celebrity visitor status at MTP, visiting several times throughout the years, including a few visits in 2022.

Paris Hilton recently brought the sunshine and joy on an epic rainy Sunday, supporting MTP’s hardworking vendors who set up after the morning storm passed.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck at the Melrose Trading Post in August 2022.

Anna Maria Horsford with Allesa Willis at the Melrose Trading Post in 2022. Photo from Allesa Willis.

Paris Hilton with Nikolas and Lisa of Rusty Reconstructed.

Lana Del Rey visits The Flamingo Finds at the Melrose Trading Post August 2022.

Shawn Mendes, Tyler The Creator, Tiktok and Youtube influencers, and several RuPaul’s Drag Race Queens also topped the list of exciting people who visited MTP this year.

Our team has been collecting MTP celebrity photos from over the years, and we’ve just launched a new page on our website dedicated to them: The MTP Celebrity Hall of Fame. Check it out!

25 Years of MTP and Greenway Arts Alliance!

As part of our 25th anniversary celebration, Greenway Arts Alliance hosted a special day on stage at the Melrose Trading Post. Festivities included the MTP 1st Annual Dog Costume Contest!

The contest and the entire event took place on the Greenway Amphitheater in the Purple Section of the market. Each contestant walked their pup down the green carpet on the stage, then paused to be appreciated by the crowd. We had an excellent panel of judges, including Ronald Wilson of Rhinestone Master Creations, Kitten Kay Sera (the Pink Lady of Hollywood), and Bowie Barker. The judges picked the top three, and then the event M.C., Alex Alpharaoh lead the crowd in picking the top winners by applause.

Check out the full event blog post with photos and the event program here.

It was a fantastic day celebrating the arts in LA!

The Holidays

Halloween

Halloween is a fun time at MTP as many people source 2nd hand costumes and decor for the occasion. We also host a Vendor Halloween Costume Contest every year, and the vendors totally showed out! The winner is determined by a vote on our instagram account, and this year’s winner was also last year’s winner, Grecia Palma of I Am Muse!

Costume Contest Winner two years in a row, Grecia Palma of I Am Muse!

WINTER HOLIDAY SEASON

The Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa season is a time of reflection. This time reminds us to show those around us that we appreciate and care for them.

That’s why we host an Annual Vendor Appreciation Breakfast on the Holiday Market (usually the last or 2nd to last Sunday of December). This year we partnered with Batterberries Cafe (aka GC Crepe Makers) for a super delicious breakfast!

Greenway Arts Alliance also hosts an annual Pancake Breakfast for all staff members. The entire staff from all three programs come together for a stage show put on by the full time staff, delicious pancake buffet breakfast and a prize raffle full of prizes from MTP Vendors alongside special items purchased for the occasion with our credit card points. When a staff member is called up for the raffle, they can pick any prize on display, or they can pick an envelope with either cash or a gift card. Their value is anywhere from $1 to $100. MTP Vendors donate gift certificates to their booths, and some donate physical items like vintage clothing and accessories, candles, plants, etc. There are about 80ish staff members at GAA, and about half of those staff members are current Fairfax Students. The students get a kick out of the prize raffle which is emceed by their supervisor J Scott who brings his full energy to the party.

It’s a great way to end the year. The tradition of the pancake breakfast was started by MTP Staff Member and Greenway Lifer Denise Moses. She started it when the staff was much smaller, cooking pancakes for the students in December. Now it’s grown to a full event and stage production, which Denise was featured in this year too.

In the Media

In 2022 Greenway Arts Alliance was featured on:

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