Drummer and Adopt the Arts Cofounder Matt Sorum
By Kennedi Johnson
With arts-based curriculum increasingly becoming a footnote in American education, organizations that strive to preserve and protect arts in public schools are all the more important. One such organization is the LA-based charity, Adopt the Arts.
On May 12, Adopt the Arts will host a live benefit concert at Hollywood’s Fonda Theatre featuring an illustrious lineup of rockers, including Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes, Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander, Adopt the Arts cofounder and former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum, his former Guns N’ Roses’ bandmate Gilby Clarke, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Chad Smith, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, the Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones, Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler, and many more.
In addition to the rockin’ concert, Adopt the Arts will host a live and silent auction. Some of the auction items include a color print photo of Prince from rock photographer Gene Kirkland, a canvas screen print signed by Woody Guthrie, an African safari, and guitars signed by bands including Metallica, Maroon 5 and Journey. All proceeds collected from ticket sales, donations, and sold auction items will benefit Adopt the Arts’ Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) elementary school music programs.
Founded by Sorum and activist Abby Berman, Adopt the Arts aims to reach public schools across the nation, but the primary beneficiaries are schools in the LAUSD. The LAUSD arts-based curriculum has been floundering due to the lack of commitment to the preservation of the arts and a decrease in arts education funding. Without the support of Adopt the Arts, many LAUSD students would not have access to arts education, as an estimated 80% of its students live at or below the poverty level.
“Adopt the Arts was born out of frustration for my own children losing education in the arts,” says Berman. “Because Federal and State funding is falling short, the responsibility is upon us as concerned parents and citizens to ensure we’re raising a new generation of healthy and well-rounded individuals.”
To purchase tickets to the concert, make a donation, or to learn more about Adopt the Arts, click here.