Armory Center for the Arts
Leslie Ito currently serves as the Executive Director of the Armory Center for the Arts since September 2018. Prior experience includes a role as a Member of the Board of Trustees at the Durfee Foundation from January 2021 to July 2023 and President and CEO of the Japanese American Cultural & Community Center from March 2013 to July 2018. Leslie Ito held significant positions at the California Community Foundation from August 2008 to February 2013, including Program Director and Program Officer, managing budgets and grantmaking processes across various arts initiatives. Earlier roles include Director of Grant Programs at the Los Angeles County Arts Commission and Executive Director at Visual Communications, emphasizing fiscal management, fundraising, and strategic planning. Educational achievements include participation in the Executive Program for Non Profit Leaders-Arts at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, a Master's in Asian American Studies from UCLA, and a Bachelor's degree in American Studies from Mount Holyoke College.
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Armory Center for the Arts
Our mission is to nurture our community and its young people by creating, learning, and presenting art to advance equity and social justice. We envision joyful, healthy, and equitable communities shaped by imagination, creativity, and diverse voices. Three themes that have been constant throughout the Armory’s history are responding to the artistic needs of underserved children and community members; teaching artists' engagement as educators; and the exhibition of contemporary artists. An essential community asset, the Armory is one of the only arts organizations in the San Gabriel Valley to offer year-round, free arts programming. To advance cultural equity, we aim to provide engaging, quality art experiences to the lowest-income, highest-need neighborhoods in Pasadena and adjacent communities. Over 80% of our programming serves low-income or systems-impacted youth, and families. Part of what makes the Armory such a unique resource in Southern California is our hybrid model as both a learning and exhibiting institution. The Armory is neither squarely a museum nor an art school but a hybrid of both. Each informs and compliments the other: contemporary art exhibitions become the focal point for our arts education programs — highlighting the work of living artists that inspire students to make work in our studios. Conversely, our arts education methodology informs how learning happens in our exhibitions, which are always open at no cost to the public. At the center of our hybrid model are the dedicated team of Armory Teaching Artists who design and lead all class offerings. Our faculty are accomplished artists with an active studio practice who nurture their students' creative pursuits to develop a unique voice at their own pace. Armory education programs enhance social-emotional wellness, provide a powerful vehicle for self-expression, unite communities, and offer creative career pathways for youth.