As we enter our ninth year as an organization, we are acutely focused on building greater interdependence into our operations. Together, our high desert region and the broader Inland Empire contribute immense creative and cultural value to the state, even as our communities have historically received far less material investment and resources than our urban counterparts. Our work is informed by our deep knowledge of these structural and economic challenges of rural desert life. We are dedicated to the long-term health of our vibrant but underserved communities through providing responsive arts education and substantive, creative employment.

Our core programs and services include” Creative Fields”, a 100-hour arts apprenticeship and career mentorship program for teens and transitional-aged youth, and its corresponding career development pathway for Teaching Artists. Arts professionals who participate in Creative Fields receive over 40 hours of mentorship and training in youth-centered approaches to education. Our support of the local creative economy is expanding to the greater Inland Empire through our evolving partnership with Arts Connection, our longtime fiscal sponsor and mentor organization. Arts Connection’s Estudio Aire program supports artists through one to two-month long, work-only residencies focused on professional development. Beginning in Fall 2026, the Institute of Inquiry will host two Estudio Aire artists-in-residence annually for an extended period through live-work residencies at our location adjacent to Joshua Tree National Park.For artists who reside in more densely populated and urban parts of the Inland Empire, these residencies offer the gift of extended time in the wildlands of the high desert, where our relationship to the natural world cannot be easily managed or ignored. In opening our programming to a wider geographic region, we are also enriching the lives of youth participants through mentorship with artists representing a broader spectrum of cultural and racial backgrounds.