Our Mission
The Institute of Inquiry is a nonprofit dedicated to providing responsive, creative and high-quality educational opportunities to youth, teachers, families and creative professionals in the Morongo Basin.
Our Approach
Our passion for teaching is grounded in how we learn.
In the moments when we stop to observe the ways water moves through the desert, or why more insects gather around certain plants, questions rise up as powerful entry points for learning. When we encourage ourselves to follow our curiosity, we’re given the chance to experiment, to practice vulnerability, and gain a deeper understanding of our wild desert environment as well as ourselves.
Our work as educators is to cultivate spaces that center around questions, and to help raise youth who are accustomed to being valued, listened to & supported.
Our Community
Our classrooms are inclusive spaces; We value all families, cultures, gender expressions, ethnic backgrounds, abilities, religions and belief systems.
Within our learning environments, we most often highlight the stories of BIPOC, neurodiverse and LGBTQIA+ artists, activists and people as these voices are so often not amplified to an equitable degree.
We acknowledge that ingrained prejudices, stereotypes and racism affect us all— affecting marginalized communities disproportionately and often fatally. As a program, we are actively committed to strengthening our support for all members of our community, and undoing the perspectives and frameworks that do not serve the goal of equity.
Collaborations + Memberships
All of our employees, contractors and participants receive W■A■G■E■ aligned pay. You can learn more about the essential work of fighting labor exploitation done by Working Artists and the Greater Economy here.
Funding Partners
Making education accessible is a community effort. We are profoundly grateful for the essential work being done by our fiscal sponsor, Arts Connection, and for generosity of the Dale and Edna Walsh Foundation.
Our activities are supported in part by the California Arts Council, a state agency.
Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.