The
Work

Founded in the Era of "No Child Left Behind"

Founded in Washington, DC in 2006, by Gabriel "Asheru" Benn — Peabody Award-winning writer, international Hip Hop artist and cultural ambassador, and veteran educator. Established in the era of "No Child Left Behind," where many schools were forced to choose between testing-based academics and other "elective" classes like PE, arts, and music, Benn was able to provide a creative solution to benefit schools with limited arts budgets.

By staffing local artists of all media and genres to serve as teaching artists, Guerilla Arts Ink created an ecosystem where schools received world-class part-time arts programming for half the cost — and the artists, many of whom were constantly traveling and experiencing difficulty holding a typical 9-5 job, were able to make a living through artistic service to their communities.

This vision expanded over the years, working with school districts and community-facing organizations across the country, such as Discovery Education, ASCD + ISTE, Smithsonian Institution, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, National Urban League, DC Rehabilitation Services Administration, and many more.