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L.E.A.H Publication Program by @OceanOrgLB

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Long Beach, CA is known for it's strong artistic culture which stems back to the early 90s with the formation of the infamous Hip-Hop trio "213". For almost 30 years the city as a whole has built on that clout of "The LBC" but every year local artists and residents are losing decision making and financial gain to those that are more organized who may not care about the true culture of the city but would rather build their own upon it. We need your help to combat this through the L.E.A.H Publication Program.

What is the L.E.A.H Publication Program?

The LEAH Publication Program is a project dedicated to Leah Norwood, a Long Beach author, photographer, and editor who passed away late last year. One of her many goals of 2021 was to work with O.C.E.A.N to start a publication company for the community of Long Beach so they can produce their own books, magazines, large format art prints ect. We plan to keep that dream alive and make it reality.

The purpose of this program is to:
• Provide the community with means of production to publicize their works.

• To create agency for artists who need it while maintaining their regular work life.

• To educate artists on how to publish their own work and well as other skills.

• To provide the community as a whole with a resource for printing/posting needs i.e.; obituaries, community posters, small business pamphlets, document copies, etc..

• Transition artists from hobbyists to paid professionals.

• Cut the middle man out of production for residents in the city.

• To ultimately give control of the art culture back to the residents of Long Beach that maintain it.


How we are currently and planning to execute these goals:

• LBLOJO.ORG is a culture platform funded by O.C.E.A.N to promote local arts and publishing articles and photo essays for locals by locals who are interested in writing and promoting themselves as such.

• O.C.E.A.N Online Community Shop where residents can submit there work for sale free of charge and we take care of the rest, from placement to shipping and handling. ([email redacted])

• Providing content creators with the means to create cassette tapes for all their audio needs from books to music via our cassette masterer & duplicator which is an alive and well niche within the arts community.

• Teaching residents the essentials of film photography and providing the means to capture/print their own photos.

• Providing large format printing technology like our Canon ProGraf 4100 Printer that prints up to 44"inches so artists can step into the fine arts realm.

• Creating virtual art shows so local artists can display their work around the world and obtain sales from a new variety of people via the internet.

• Provide free online education on how to use digital art programs and social media marketing strategies.



All the funds donated will go directly into the causes stated above and here's why its important:

Greg Johnson, Treasurer of the LB Arts Council asked our secretary, Chance Powers in a live interview on his talk show, "Where are all the black artists in the city of Long Beach?".

This was an important question because it shows the lack of representation within a specific group in the city that dominates the creative culture in America as a whole but isn't involved in the artistic activities downtown or else where within the city.

Our board member's response was simple. They didn't have the means to create and were too busy working. So much so that they themselves may have forgotten they are artists with talent and those that still have the desire can't manage the time to start a journey in the arts again. 

We need your help so we can provide the agency and means of production listed above to bring ALL residents from different social class and ethnic groups together to take back the artists say-so within the city we all love most.

The main focus of this GoFundMe is to bring awareness so please share this with friends and family with the hopes that someone you know will give to this cause and more importantly follow up with oceanlb.org on this journey as we find creative ways to create equity for residents within the city of Long Beach, CA. Thank you fore reading this and please contact us at oceanlb.org for any questions, beliefs, ideas, or information on how we can accomplish our mission more efficiently.

O.C.E.A.N x LB LoJo Team

Learn more here 

Organizer

Chance Powers
Organizer
Long Beach, CA

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