Performance Poetry with Margaret Edwartowski and Aricka Foreman

As of Friday, November 20, 2009, Y Arts has delivered our 50^th arts session to 5 charter schools since our outreach programming began in October. The sessions, delivered at Hanley International Academy, Robichaud High School, Tomlinson Middle School, David Ellis Academy-West, and Woodward Academy, are creating art experiences for local schools that might not be otherwise able to provide them to students. Mostly after school sessions, the students and artists who lead them are a big hit.

“Our kids are going bananas over Y Arts! Your artists are timely, engaging, fun and of course great teachers! The students are asking for more! I can’t wait until we can all sit down and lock down a set class schedule for the winter semester,” wrote Daniele Jenkins, Manager of School based Programs at Starfish Family Services, in a recent email to us. Starfish Family Services is also benefiting from the sessions.

We have delivered programs in these three disciplines:

• Y ARTS VISUAL ARTS

Including introduction to art, murals, mask making, sculpture and ceramics

• Y ARTS MUSIC AND MOVEMENT

Making your own music (beat box and drumming), hip hop and contemporary dance

• Y ARTS PERFORMANCE AND MEDIA

Acting, performance poetry and digital film making.

If you add our other outreach programs at River Rouge High School and Starfish Family Services, we have delivered 72 arts sessions to Detroit youth since October, reaching 228 kids per week. Our programs are a benefit to the  local Detroit artists who lead them, as well — we currently employ 14 artist educators to make these incredibly high quality sessions possible!  The list of schools we are working with continues to grow, and we will continue to provide you with updates on all of our fun and educational offerings right here!

For more information about our outreach programs, call 313.223.2751 or contact us here.