Socially Engaged Art is a class that will provide a more focused and committed look at socially engaged art as a discipline by participating in collaboration with ECF artists. ACCD is fortunate to have the opportunity to work with the adult artists that are clients at ECF to produce an art project reflecting their interests and understanding of their gender and sexuality using video, sound or performance. The artists that come to the ECF art center are developmentally challenged and many have lived under the structure of institutional care and structure most of their life. Art Center students will be matched with an individual artist and get to know them at their art center in Downtown Los Angeles. After meetings and even a field trip of your choice, financial support is provided from the Pickford foundation to the Art Center student to produce a project and participate in production of support materials in dialog with their ECF artist for exhibition at their gallery. The actual process of collaboration is one we will study and research as it is pivotal to the field of social practice. The finished product and its aesthetic is up to the Art Center student to determine in this process. All these concerns will be in conversation with the variety of community based collaborative structures and ethics that we learn about in class. Through reading, writing about and looking closely at other projects in the world, and finally through practice, we will discuss and understand our role in socially engaged art at this socio/political time in this class. A preliminary visit to ECF to be arranged by faculty and/or attendance in Social Practice1 is a prerequisite for this class. Participation in the ECF exhibition, and production of material for their website and publication is a requirement.