Center of Creative Arts Names New Artistic Director of Theatre

COCA-Center of Creative Arts (St. Louis, MO) has announced that Jennifer Wintzer will join its leadership team as Artistic Director of Theatre. In her new role, Wintzer will "provide artistic and educational direction of theatre and voice programming as well as guide partnerships and collaborations with other St. Louis theatre companies and organizations," and oversee the new Berges Theatre, set to be completed in 2020.

 Wintzer has previously worked with the Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, as well as spending over a decade in New York City working as an arts administrator and educator with Lincoln Center Theater, Second Stage Theatre, MCC Theater and as a resident company member of the Chekhov Theatre Ensemble.

Founded in 1986, COCA is the fourth largest multidisciplinary community arts center in the country, one of only 16 schools in the nation accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Precollegiate Arts Schools (ACCPAS), and a national leader in innovative arts education. With a mission to enrich lives and build community through the arts, COCA serves 50,000 people of all ages and skill levels, from enthusiastic amateurs to emerging professionals—all taught by a faculty of distinguished arts educators. We provide meaningful arts experiences in our own studios, gallery and theatres as well as in schools, community centers and corporate settings in order to build a vibrant St. Louis that is creative, connected and inclusive. Visit www.cocastl.org to learn more.

Teaching Artists Guild Quarterly Focuses on Creative Youth Development

Released in March, the latest issue of the TAG Quarterly is dedicated to Creative Youth Development research, practices, and organizations across the country. Featured in the issue is National Guild Chief Program Officer Heather Ikemire's piece about the Creative Youth Development National Partnership, as well as Guild Members and other organizations doing CYD work across the country. 

"Young people thrive when they have opportunities to maximize their creative potential." says Heather in her article. "Research shows that creative youth development (CYD) supports young people in developing the skills, attitudes, and behaviors that are critical to success in life, school and work. Yet there are sizable disparities in who has access to these programs across the country. Some communities have little to no access, while others have exemplary programs that struggle to meet a growing demand with limited resources."

You can read the full issue on the TAG website. 

Caldera Arts Surveying the Landscape of Youth Arts Organizations

In partnership with Education Northwest, Caldera Arts is asking organizations that serve youth and artists to complete a survey about their work. The survey contains 13-16 core questions that are important to Caldear, plus 5-8 additional questions depending on your type of organization.

The survey results will be shared with all survey takers, and will collectively create a landscape of the work of youth arts organizations across the country. 

You can access the survey and read more here.

New Report: Rural Prosperity through the Arts and Creative Sector

A new action guide offers research insights and lessons learned from states that are harnessing the power of the arts to drive rural prosperity. Produced by the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices, the guide offers creative policy solutions that draw on home-grown arts and cultural assets to address the urgent problems facing rural America.

The report features the work of rural arts organizations across the country and offers case studies of successful rural arts programs and organizations. Some of the recommendations include:

  • Provide leadership for the state’s creative sector to benefit rural communities
  • Capitalize on existing regional cultural assets.
  • Build the state’s cultural and creative partnership infrastructure.
  • Develop local talent and human capital with creative skills.
  • Create an environment that is friendly to investment and innovation.

Read the full report on the NGA website.

Report Back from Texas: Notes from 2019 Conference Planning Meetings

To prepare for the 2019 Conference for Community Arts Education in Austin (Oct. 30 – Nov.2), this February and March, the Guild held town hall-style meetings of arts education leaders and stakeholders in four Texas cities: Austin, Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio. These regional meetings were co-hosted with the Texas Commission on the Arts, Texans for the Arts, and Texas Cultural Trust at community sites including the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center (Austin), the Latino Cultural Center (Dallas), SAY Sí (San Antonio), and Art League Houston. The planning and production of these meetings was also supported by members of this year’s state-wide host committee. More than 100 leaders representing nonprofit organizations, government agencies and foundations, as well as independent teaching artists, participated in dialogue that identified a host of issues affecting the field.

The document shares the combined notes on central themes that surfaced during the four planning meetings. For notes specific to each city, contact Drew Malmuth, Assistant Director of Learning, at drewmalmuth@nationalguild.org

Read the full notes from our time in Texas.

New Report Examines After School Programs

The Wallace Foundation has released a new report which examines 62 afterschool programs which meet the evidence stanards of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The programs, which span grades K-12, are focused on everything from academics to physical fitness to career development. “Taken together,” the authors write, “the programs improved a variety of outcomes, ranging from mathematics and reading/ELA achievement to physical activity/health, school attendance, promotion and graduation, and social and emotional competencies.” 

The report is accompanied by a detailed guide to the afterschool programs with evidence that meets research requirements of the top three ESSA tiers. The guide also includes summaries of studies of school-sponsored extracurricular programs, studies that fell short of Tiers I-III but could provide evidence at Tier IV, and studies of programs that combine afterschool and summer learning. 

Read the full report here.

CYD National Partnership Co-Hosts Track at BOOST Conference

CYD National Partnership Co-Hosts Track at BOOST

The Clare Rose Foundation, in partnership with the Creative Youth Development National Partnership, is proud to host the first BOOST creative youth development workshop strand in Palm Springs May 1-3. Pursuing the goal of bringing the impactful work of CYD to a broader national audience, the BOOST Conference is the perfect venue to engage with over 2,500 out-of-school time providers, administrators, and professionals.

Creative Youth Development: Leading Edge Practices Fueling Youth Engagement
Creative Youth Development (CYD) is in an unprecedented era of program innovation, cross-sector partnerships, and funding diversification. In this series of workshops, leaders from across the United States will share their pioneering work, including in CYD and social justice; new, youth-report assessment tools; initiatives supporting creative career pathways; and collaborations with sectors including health, education, and juvenile justice.

Learn more about the workshop strand and register.

Mobilization: The Best Form of Artistry

By Quanice G. Floyd, Director of Learning & Leadership Development

On March 3-5, artists and arts administrators from all 50 states convened together to ensure that we had a seat at the [legislative] table for the National Arts Action Summit hosted by Americans for the Arts.

As a first-time attendee, I was eager to learn anything and everything I could about arts advocacy. Honestly, when I think about advocacy, I immediately reference House of Cards type of scenarios that we often considered dreadful, corrupt, and malicious. However, this experience was quite the opposite. It was an opportunity for small grassroots arts organizations with 1 full-time staff member to connect with large arts institutions with 200+ staff members for a moment of unity in the name of the arts to create a better America.

On the first day, arts education wonks gathered together to discuss the unified message of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) for the Arts Education Policy Briefing. Leaders from Americans for the Arts, the National Endowment from the Arts, U.S. Department of Education, Arts Education Partnership, and the Maryland State Department of Education were able to break down federal and state policies surrounding STEAM and the National Core Arts Standards. There were opportunities for us to dive deep into the power of STEAM on local, state, and national level.

For the next two days, participants received advocacy training with facts and figures and planned strategies with talking points so that we can make the case to our legislators. We also discussed the importance of messaging the impact of the work of the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities to all of us in the field. Throughout the days, we sat in sessions, asked questions, digested information, and made new connections. As I met diverse arts advocates from all over the country, I realized that although the stories and the backgrounds were the different, we all were here for one reason: to ensure that the arts are, in fact, for all.

United States Artists Announces Berresford Prize

United States Artists’ has announced a new award for arts administrators and cultural practitioners. The Berresford Prize will award one prize of $25,000 to one individual who has "contributed significantly to the advancement, wellbeing, and care of artists in society."

The prize was introduced as a recognition of those who have spent their careers supporting the arts through curation, editing, arts administration, scholarship, or production. “Art doesn't just occur on its own—it’s made, shared, and recognized because spaces and conditions are created for it to happen,” said United States Artists Trustee and 2007 Fellow Ann Hamilton.

The 2019 inaugural prize was awarded to artist, curator, artistic director, and frequent keynote speaker Kristy Edmunds. 

Learn more and read the full release here. 

Cleveland Classical Guitar Society on CBS This Morning

Cleveland Classical Guitar Society student Damian Goggans and Executive Director Erik Mann appeared on CBS This Morning across the nation on March 15 to discuss mentorship and the way that CCGS’s program has changed Damian’s life. Also appearing were student Sylvia Settles and her mentor, Terence Greene of Cuyahoga Community College's Creative Arts Dance Academy. Both organizations are members of the Cleveland Foundation's Arts Mastery series.

Damian talks about his immense personal challenges and the impact of being in Cleveland Classical Guitar Society’s program.. “I used to, like, hate who I was… [guitar] kinda opened up a door for me. After I played that first note it was just like- woah! I play guitar and it’s like, it talks for me.” 

Erik Mann is a Community Education Arts Leadership Institute (CAELI) alumnus from the class of 2015 and credits this program for transforming his leadership style and greatly helping his professional and personal life.

Watch the segment here.