Enchanted Circle Receives Continued Funding for YOUTH TRUTH CYD Program

Enchanted Circle Theater is honored to announce the receipt of a new three-year YouthReach grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. The grant, which spans 2019-2021, will continue to fund YOUTH TRUTH, a creative youth development partnership between Enchanted Circle and the Treehouse Foundation HEROES Youth Leadership Project. Now in its 8^th year of programming, YOUTH TRUTH is a performance ensemble of youth, ages 14-24, who have experienced foster care and is one of the signature programs in Enchanted Circle’s Creative Youth Development work.

Enchanted Circle and the Treehouse Foundation began developing social innovation programs in 2007 to create sustainable change in the lives of young people by supporting positive youth development through the major life transitions into and out of high school.

YOUTH TRUTH Performance Ensemble provides access to theater training for trauma sensitive youth as a platform to promote healing and growth, build interpersonal communication skills, cultivate self-esteem and resilience, and provide opportunities to share their story. YOUTH TRUTH promotes truth and dispels myths about foster care and adoption from the youths’ perspective. The youth-created performances are a vehicle for community and civic engagement, raising awareness and advocating for positive policy changes in the complex world of child welfare.

Requiring Arts Classes May Get More Students to Graduate

The LAist highlights that more than 15,000 high school students in Los Angeles County dropped out of school in the 2016-2017 school year. The nation's largest school district is now trying a new focus on the arts to keep some struggling students in the classroom. The Design and Media Arts Academy — a partnership between LAUSD and artworxLA. — requires eight hours of art classes each week. Read more about this powerful response here.

Heeding the Siren Song of Service

Stanford University highlights Chad Cooper, their School of Business alum, work. Two years ago, after a 16-year Wall Street career — and with the blessing of his wife, Claire Ellis, MBA ’02 — Chad Cooper, 45, walked away from his position as managing director at Deutsche Bank to become the executive director at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music. In doing so, he willingly stepped off his chosen career path and into a subterranean office that doubles as instrument storage space in the conservatory’s five-story Victorian building. Read the full article.

Teaching Artists Guild Launches Interactive Asset Map

Teaching Artists Asset Map is an interactive, multi-layered digital map built to showcase the depth and breadth of the field of teaching artistry. Launched by National Guild Member the Teaching Artist Guild (TAG), assets are divided into 3 categories: individual teaching artists, organizations that hire or work with teaching artists, and the actual programs that are delivered by these individuals or organizations. The aim is to make the work of arts and culture organizations and individual teaching artists visible, strengthening the delicate or sometimes non-existent network of arts providers and bolstering the field of arts education and teaching artistry. The map also endeavors to determine which populations are being served, enabling a more comprehensive study of equity and access to arts education. Register yourself, your organization, or your program.

ArtsFund Social Impact of the Arts Study

The ArtsFund Social Impact of the Arts Study frames a new way of understanding the public value of the arts in King County. With primary focus on youth development & education, health & wellness, and neighborhood vitality, the study probes the potential for arts to influence more equitable outcomes. This study doesn’t stand alone—it is part of a growing movement of arts leaders partnering with civic and community leaders, exploring the impact arts have on society and articulating their value in addressing social issues. This report begins with The State of our Region, which focuses on what we discovered about King County residents’ perspectives on the arts and social impact, describes the range of programs currently available in the region, and highlights a gap in understanding about the potential of the arts in addressing social needs. Read the full report.

A Youth Manifesto for the Arts

Tuning into Change Manifesto was developed by young people from around the world as a timely, passionate statement about the essential role of the arts in transforming society. Written by 42 young people aged 14-25 from across the UK and Los Angeles, CA who took part in the Barbican Guildhall Creative Learning project "Tuning into Change," the manifesto is a response to the Barbican's 2018 season The Art of Change, which explores how artists respond to, reflect and potentially effect change in the current social and political landscape. It was developed over 6 months of brainstorming ideas around what the arts can offer young people, and the role that young artists hope to play in creating lasting change in our uncertain world. Learn about the Manifesto and download it.

Mural Arts to Hold Portraits of Justice Symposium

Mural Arts Philadelphia is set to hold Portraits of Justice, a daylong symposium that will engage the public in reimagining the criminal justice system through the lens of art, advocacy, and policy reform. A diverse and robust roster of directly impacted artists, practitioners, government officials, and scholars will host a series of discussions to reflect upon local reform efforts, as well as engaging with the national dialogue that highlights strategic arts-based approaches to criminal justice reform.

The symposium is the culmination of month-long programming, including a public art project, a new fellowship program, and a series of public performances. The work of Reimagining Reentry Fellow Luis Suave Gonzales will be on display.

Registration is free and open to the public. Complimentary lunch will be provided.

Learn more and register.

New Research: Creative Placemaking and Community Safety

The Urban Institute, with funding from ArtPlace America, recently released Creative Placemaking and Community Safety: Synthesizing Cross-Cutting Themes, a synthesis of findings from four cases where stakeholders are using creative placemaking to improve community safety. According to Urban Institute:

"Efforts to integrate arts and culture into projects focused on the physical, social, and economic well-being of neighborhoods have increasingly been referred to as creative placemaking. This work, while often incorporating traditional arts-related efforts like murals, music, sculpture, and dance, encompasses creative work more generally, such as promoting entrepreneurism, creatively engaging stakeholders and residents, and using space in novel ways."

Case studies explored in the research include:

A Pathway to Connect Communities: A Case Study of the Beerline Trail Extension in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Building beyond Policing: A Case Study of Eden Night Live in Alameda County, California
Empowering Young People to Make Their Place: A Case Study of the Marcus Garvey Youth Clubhouse in Brownsville, Brooklyn
Art beyond Bars: A Case Study of the People’s Paper Co-op in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

South Shore Conservatory Announces New Partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association

South Shore Conservatory (SSC) recently announced a new partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association, anticipated to increase supportive programs for those living with dementia, their families and their friends, in South Shore communities.

Through its growing Creative Arts Therapies department, South Shore Conservatory has been a leader in providing dementia-specific arts programming on the South Shore. Joining together with the Alzheimer’s Association, a leader in supporting families in local communities assisting loved ones living with dementia, allows both organizations to offer increased support to thousands of families on the South Shore with a loved one diagnosed with dementia.

Learn more about South Shore and the Creative Arts Therapies department here.

Applications Open for National Youth Orchestras

Applications are open for the National Youth Orchestra of the United States, NYO2, and NYO Jazz. Musicians come together from across the country to study with world-class artists, perform at Carnegie Hall, and go on tour.

National Youth Orchestra of the United States

Join the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), comprising the country’s best young musicians ages 16–19. In 2019, the group will be led by conductor Sir Antonio Pappano and joined by renowned mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato during a two-week tour to Europe.

Apply Now

NYO2

NYO2 is recruiting the most talented students ages 14–17 from across the United States, with a particular focus on individuals who will bring greater diversity to classical orchestral music. The selected instrumentalists work alongside conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto before concluding their residency with a performance on the famed Carnegie Hall stage.

Apply Now

NYO Jazz

Next summer, gifted young jazz musicians ages 16–19 will come together to study with internationally renowned artists. Celebrated trumpeter Sean Jones returns as NYO Jazz’s bandleader for the ensemble’s tour across Asia.

Apply Now