If you have lovingly restored an old Craftsman home, with its dark wood, stained glass, and hand-crafted built-in cabinets, chances are you’re not going to shop for light fixtures at Home Depot.
You’ll make the pilgrimage to Old California in Orange, which individually handcrafts home goods inspired by historical design.
Los Angeles -- In 2020, the Bobcat fire burned more than 100,000 acres in and around Southern California’s Angeles National Forest, laying waste to countless old-growth coniferous trees. Thanks to Would Works, Angel City Lumber, and a Wood Innovations Grant from the USDA Forest Service, some of these trees are getting a new life -- and creating new opportunities for people facing barriers to employment.
As we dive into a new year, it's inspiring to see our work with Angel City Lumber gaining recognition. Sarah Watlington recently penned a piece in Fine Woodworking, shining a spotlight on our collaboration and the impact it's having on our community.
Would Works is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Challenge America award of $10,000. This grant will support our new Peoples’ Builders Program.
Recently, our Community Builders Program was tasked to fabricate a 12 foot long communal bench for the 56 unit Aster Apartments, an affordable housing site located in South LA.
As we wrap up our Young Makers Fall/Winter cohort, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate all the inspiring youth that came through the program from our referral partner Jovenes last year.
This winter Would Works staff and Artisans from our Community Builders Program accompanied our friends from Angel City Lumber(ACL) on a trip to the Angeles National Forest where we acquired large fire damaged pine logs that we'll be turning into outdoor furniture this Spring!
We enjoyed hosting our community of Board members, volunteers, case workers, past and present Artisans, customers, vendors, supporters and friends for the Sawdust Soiree--a celebration of 10 years of Would Works. We hope this is the first of many in-person public events we will host in our new, light-filled workshop space in LA's bustling garment district.
Last weekend Would Works joined the Los Angeles Poverty Department's 13th annual Festival for All Skid Row Artists with a pop-up wood safety whistle making workshop.
Would Works Artisans from the Young Makers Program represented last week at Project Impact’s Reentry Resource Fair at Los Angeles Mission College. Our Artisans connected with other systems impacted individuals and provided information about our employment programs and application process.