A strategy to bring arts to schools throughout Detroit

"Countless studies show the necessity of arts education - for things such as improved academics, social-emotional development, and stronger attendance."

Living Arts Executive Director Alissa Novoselick shares her thoughts on the importance of arts education in classrooms, and her ideas - building on the successes of Chicago and Boston - for bringing the arts to students across Detroit. 

Read the article in the Detroit Free Press

Alissa, Novoselick, executive director of Living Arts. Photo by Julianne Lindsey.

Teatro Chico Returns with Moving Forward Through the Past

Our community performance series Teatro Chico (Little Theater) returns on Saturday, February 24th with Moving Forward Through the Past, an evening of music, theater, and dance that takes a modern twist on beloved classics from Shakespeare to Oscar Wilde. The performance will feature Ivalas String Quartet, Black & Brown Theatre, Inside Out Literary Arts' City Wide Poets, Morgan Breon, and Living Arts' Youth Dance Ensembles. The show begins at 6:00 p.m. at the Ford Resource & Engagement Center and is appropriate for ages 13 and up. A suggested donation of $10.00 per adult is appreciated to support Living Arts' community programming. Youth 18 and under are free. 

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Press release

 

Teatro Chico is generously sponsored by

Living Arts receives $150,000 multi-year grant from the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation

Funds will build capacity to deliver critical arts education experiences to Detroit youth.

Living Arts, a Detroit nonprofit bringing high-quality and year-round arts education to the city’s youth, is proud to announce it has received a $150,000 grant from the Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation. The funds will be used over the next five years to develop organizational capacities to support a program portfolio that has increased significantly since 2008 and exponentially since 2013. Grant activities will ensure that Living Arts is able to continue its commitment to providing transformative experiences in the arts to nearly 3,000 Detroit area youth, families, and educators annually.

The Fisher Foundation is proud to be strengthening and empowering children and families in need by supporting the organizational capacity of Detroit-area social impact groups.

“This partnership is part of a broader capacity-building initiative the Foundation is committed to for the next five years,” said Brianna Suarez, Program Associate at the Fisher Foundation. “It is a privilege to collaborate with organizations, such as Living  Arts, that are committed to creating positive and meaningful impact in the communities they serve.”

“This major grant from the Fisher Foundation is giving Living Arts the means to boost critical organizational capacities so that we can sustain the quality and scale of services we have developed in recent years,” said Alissa Novoselick, Living Arts’ executive director. "This award will help us continue our work to rectify the fact that nearly one-half of Detroit youth do not have access to arts education.”

About Living Arts:

 Founded in 1999, Living Arts is a nonprofit organization that engages Detroit youth, teachers and families in transformative experiences in the performing, visual, literary and media arts. Implementing arts education programs for nearly 3,000 early learners, elementary and secondary students annually, we increase youth’s academic achievement, develop their leadership and artistic skills, and strengthen our schools and communities. Living Arts’ Detroit Wolf Trap program is an affiliate of the national Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through the Arts. Our Out-of-School Arts program brings year-round youth arts classes and community programs to the Ford Resource and Engagement Center at the Mexicantown Mercado.

Living Arts receives support from the Ford Motor Company Fund, Corporation for National and Community Service's Social Innovation Fund and United Way of Southeastern Michigan, Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, Skillman Foundation, Dresner Foundation, The Kresge Foundation, Erb Family Foundation, Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and National Endowment for the Arts, Michigan Humanities Council, Detroit Public Schools Foundation, Detroit Public Schools Foundation, and PNC Foundation.

About the Fisher Foundation:

 The Max M. & Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation’s core philosophy is grounded  in  the beliefs of our founders and the family’s shared Jewish values that life’s purpose is found in service to others. The mission of the Foundation is to enrich humanity by strengthening and empowering children and families in need. In the Jewish tradition of tzedakah, the Foundation works to repair the world (tikkun olam) alongside those who share our mission.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jake Serwer, CEO, Espresso Public Relations LLC Jake@espressopublicrelations.com

(248) 894-9684

Join our team! We're hiring a Hip Hop Instructor.

We are searching for an individual that is ready to inform, educate, and develop our students' artistic, social, and cultural skills through the art and discipline of dance. Our Hip Hop Instructor will be a leader and mentor for students ranging in age and level, will conduct weekly classes in a formal dance studio, and choreograph an original piece for our Annual Student Showcase.  Classes will include Recreational Hip Hop and Advanced Hip Hop. The advanced class is part of our Youth Dance Ensemble performance group that performs in and around the community. Apply by submitting a cover letter and resume to Marianne Brass, Dance Program Director, at marianne@livingartsdetroit.org. Full job description at the link! 

http://www.livingartsdetroit.org/employment/

The Hip Hop Instructor position is part of our Out-of-School Arts program. Learn more about OSA at https://www.livingartsdetroit.org/classes-workshops/

A Look Inside Our Detroit Wolf Trap Program

Living Arts' Detroit Wolf Trap program provides early education through the arts to children ages 3 months to 6 years. Through family involvement classes at the Ford Resource & Engagement Center and residencies at schools and Head Start centers, our professional teaching artists utilize music, dance, puppetry and theater to prepare children for academic success in kindergarten and beyond.

If you are interested in registering for a Detroit Wolf Trap family involvement class, you can register online or by calling our Out-of-Schools Arts Program Manager Zack Bissell at 313-384-2902. Are you a teacher interested in bringing Detroit Wolf Trap to your classroom? Call Susannah Goodman at 313-841-4765 or email us at wolftrap@livingartsdetroit.org.

Detroit Wolf Trap Programs are rigorously evaluated by professionals in the early education field. Read about our results here. 

Uploaded by livingartsdet on 2017-10-26.

Impact in Partnership: Living Arts' 2016-2017 Annual Report

Fall Class Schedules Announced!

Our Fall 2017 Out-of-School Arts classes begin Monday, October 2. A wide selection of dance, movement and art courses will be available for youth ages 3 - 18 years. 

Our Detroit Wolf Trap classes, including Baby Artsplay!™, also start October 2nd. These classes prepare children ages 3 months - six years for success in school through early childhood arts education. 

Registration for all classes begins on September 12 at 5:00 p.m. for returning students and September 18 at 5:00 p.m. for new students. Registration will be available online, and in person at the Ford Resource & Engagement Center with our Program Manager Zack Bissell. 

2017/2018 Out-of-School Arts Class Schedule

Fall 2017 Detroit Wolf Trap Schedule

Living Arts Peer Mentors in the News!

Our peer mentors for the SPOT Teen Open Studio were interviewed on their experience in our program and their passion for the arts. Check out their stories!

Jeimy Lopez, interview with El Central Hispanic News

Johnathan Williams, interview with the Michigan Chronicle

Our Peer Mentor program is supported by the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs New Leaders Grant.

Peer Mentor Jeimy Lopez

Peer Mentor Johnathan Williams

Come work with us! We're hiring a Hip Hop Instructor.

We are searching for an individual that is ready to inform, educate, and develop our students' artistic, social, and cultural skills through the art and discipline of dance. Our Hip Hop Instructor will be a leader and mentor for students ranging in age and level, will conduct weekly classes in a formal dance studio, and choreograph an original piece for our Annual Student Showcase.  Classes will include Recreational Hip Hop and Advanced Hip Hop. The advanced class is part of our Youth Dance Ensemble performance group that performs in and around the community. Apply by submitting a cover letter and resume by August 25 to Marianne Brass, Dance Program Director, at marianne@livingartsdetroit.org. Full job description at the link! 

http://www.livingartsdetroit.org/employment/

"Dance is intrinsic"

Interviewer and Living Arts' Detroit Wolf Trap Specialist Roberta Lucas. 

This month, Detroit Wolf Trap Specialist and dancer Roberta Lucas sat down with our Dance Program Director Marianne Brass to share Marianne's art story and her reflections of our Out-of-School Arts dance program with our readers.

Marianne Brass is a native of Warren, Michigan and is a 2011 graduate of the prestigious Maggie Allesee Department of Dance at Wayne State University. Upon earning her degree, Marianne has worked professionally in Detroit as an independent artist and educator. 

Roberta Lucas has been a Living Arts teaching artist since 2008 and led El Arte Early Learning and then became the Affiliate Director for Detroit Wolf Trap from its inception through 2016. Her contributions to Living Arts include; the creation and implementation of ACT I: A PK-3rd grade drama program to support sustained reading growth, language acquisition and social emotional development, professional development for educators, coaching for teaching artists, and choreography for showcase performances.  Lucas maintains a Michigan L.L.P. and completed a MA in clinical and humanistic psychology at MiSPP. She is a 2015 graduate of Tamalpa Institute, Kentfield, CA.—Expressive Arts and Movement Therapy.

On Sunday, June 11th Living Arts presented its 18th Annual Showcase of student works and performances. Family, friends, and supporters of our Out-of-School Arts' youth gathered for this annual spectacular.  This event is a culmination of hours of commitment by Living Arts students, teaching artists, staff and many volunteers. Aside from exploring dance and art, these year-long programs provide safe places for young people to spend time while parents work, to improve academic achievement, and support social emotional competencies.  There is much research that supports these assertions. Our efforts also include maintaining high quality arts education experiences and opportunities that connect youth and families to the world of the arts in Detroit and beyond.

From the very start, under the direction of Living Arts Co-Founder, Christine Allen-Carlson, dance has been at the heart of Living Arts and the annual showcase.  Since 2013 our Out-of-School Arts program features visual art, animation, media, and youth driven studio work in this annual event.  At Living Arts, dance is also an integral part of our In-School Arts and Detroit Wolf Trap programming where teaching artists may integrate dance with math, science, social studies and offer opportunities for school communities to prepare and present their own choreography. The professional and emerging Detroit artists and instructors who bring their expertise and passion to our programs are the connectors who guide and illuminate the developing success of our students.  

Dance Program Director Marianne Brass.

Roberta: How long have you been choreographing and working as a dance specialist with Living Arts and what different roles have you had within the organization?  How is this programming unique and important?  

Marianne: I’ve been choreographing and working as a dance specialist with Living Arts since 2007. In this time I’ve worked mainly as a teaching artist and mentor. I’ve had the opportunity to lead both Junior Company and Dance Collage, which are two of our youth dance ensembles. Most recently,  I’ve been promoted to Dance Program Director for our Out-of-School Arts program.  In the fall of 2017 I’ll begin my third year as Dance Director.

Our programming at Out-of-School Arts is unique because we present art in all of its forms - as a way of life. We are lucky to have a staff of professional artists from in, and around the community who cultivate their students’ full creative potential while inspiring them to continue in their growth as young artists.  This is important because our culture has a tendency to inhibit a child’s creative side in favor of the status quo. If it’s not nurtured and supported at a young age, you take the chance of suppressing something great.

R: Tell us about your dance experiences as a youth and what drove you to continue to study and pursue dance as a profession. What excites you about the dance community in Detroit?  

M: I started dancing by chance back in 1989 when I was just 3. Two sisters in the neighborhood, Lisa and Sherri Gelardi, were teaching dance classes in their parents’ basement. My mom had always wanted to dance growing up but never had the opportunity, so she took the chance with her daughters. The fact that there were affordable, local classes made this a possibility for my family. As the program grew, I grew with it ; and Encore the Dance Centre eventually moved into a studio where I continued to train with Sherri Dettloff (Gelardi) and Janet Clayton-Reid until I was 18. I’ll admit that there were many times that I wanted to quit but the persistence from my mom and my teachers kept me going. It wasn’t until about the age of 14 that I realized how passionate I was about dancing. It was also at this time that Ms. Janet informed me that I could make a career out of dance. This was the first time that I was introduced to this concept - and it changed everything. From then on, I was even more focused on my training and development as an artist and athlete because that’s what I was going to be. That is until reality set in and I felt the pressure to pursue a career that was more “realistic/normal/economical” and I did make one failed attempt at that. In the end, I couldn’t imagine a life without dance - or even just having it on the side as a hobby. I wanted to make dance my career in order to keep it as a major part of my daily life and I was willing to make certain sacrifices. I couldn’t see myself succeeding at something that I was NOT passionate about and I wanted to share my love for dance with others. I can say now that I made the right decision.

Since I’ve been working as a dance/movement artist in Detroit I’ve come to know all sorts of magnificent individuals and fellow artists. What I love best about the dance community in Detroit is our desire and persistence to create and share work even if there isn’t a ton of funding, or sold out audiences to perform to. There is also a great deal of collaboration that takes place involving multiple disciplines of art. Myself and other dancers have formed a kinship with musicians and other performing artists through our collaborative efforts and it’s made us stronger as a niche of the larger community at hand.

R: What experiences and opportunities do youth have that participate in Living Arts' dance programming?

M: The experiences and opportunities that youth have in our dance program are congruent with the development of their social, cultural, and artistic skills. We are able to provide them with a foundation in dance and the access to more intense training if they wish to take that path. We try to have many options, so that there is enough freedom for students to try out various forms and disciplines. Our Youth Dance Ensembles provide opportunities for youth to engage in the community through performance and in recent years has given them the chance to compete on a local and national level. There are also opportunities to work as a peer mentor or classroom assistant where students gain experience leading a classroom. Other experiences that our youth engage in are classes and workshops with guest artists, field trips to performances, exhibits, community events and the opportunity to perform or present work at the annual student showcase each year.

R: There is research that supports youth who are involved in dance and movement arts are developing physical skills and confidence but also social and cognitive skills.  Can you tell us how this happens or give us a story about seeing this growth through the children and youth that participate in Living Arts’ programs?

M: Dance is intrinsic but also social in nature. If you read the definition of social skills you’ll notice that there isn’t much variation between social interaction and dance. When you dance with a group of people in any setting you are automatically interacting with one another on a visceral and cognitive level. You have to let yourself be vulnerable and in turn trust those you are sharing the space with. I can’t exactly say what it is, but dancers share a rare and special connection. I believe that this happens because you are sharing breath, weight, sweat, frustrations, joy, etc. and you’re doing it simply because you love it. You have to learn to understand your body’s limitations but also find a way to overcome them.

Communication occurs verbally but more commonly through non-verbal interactions. Dancers learn through observation, replication and repetition using their bodies and movement as the main conduit. It is unique because we are so commonly using our eyes, ears and mouths to learn and process information while the rest of our body remains still. Dance eliminates the vocal cues in many cases so one must learn to process and retain information through muscle memory.

In my years as a teaching artist with Living Arts I’ve witnessed many students, if not all, grow in one way or another. As participants in the dance program, youth have the opportunity to learn vital problem solving and critical thinking skills as well as social and cognitive skills that will travel with them into adult life.

R: You head up several instructors in the dance and movement programs. Tell us about these people. What do these instructors bring that is unique and what special skills do instructors in a community arts program need?  

M: Where do I begin? Our 2017 Showcase dance, movement and guest artists included Rachael Harbert, Christine Allen-Carlson, Cathy Taister, Karilu Forshee, Sensei Robert Nearon, Jeron Howie, Miryam Johnson, Aaron Smith,  Bailey Alshouse, Jontae McCrory- a former Living Arts student and myself. As a team we cover many styles including,  Ballet, Contemporary, Modern, Karate, Hip-Hop, Salsa, Tap, and Creative Dance. It is a diverse group of dance professionals who are as equally talented educators and mentors as they are in their respective disciplines. Everyone is currently engaged in their own work outside of Living Arts and I believe that this contributes to the high quality teaching and youth development that is taking place. They’re able to share their work with the students, which reaffirms the idea that art can be a way of life. It’s also important because the drive one has to create something out of nothing translates into the classroom. The teaching methods that I’ve witnessed have been inventive and compassionate. Our teachers are all open minded and understanding of individual needs and they inspire their students while encouraging individuality and diversity. Our young artists are safe to fully let go here. Individual quirks that may take someone “out of the box” and result in repercussion elsewhere are welcomed and nurtured. It’s my opinion that all of these qualities are necessary for any community arts program to function on a genuine level along with adaptability and the desire to continually educate oneself on the needs of the community.

R: You have finished the 2017 Student Showcase.  What are somethings you want students, instructors, families and audience members to take away from this experience and performance?

M: We had yet another successful showcase this year and as always I’m a proud mama. Our dancers performed with their hearts and souls and put their skills to work to entertain the audience. Our teaching artists produced diverse and dynamic choreography that helped elevate the quality of the show. I would also like to acknowledge and congratulate our visual, multimedia, and sound student artists on an incredible presentation. This showcase highlights all of our students’ strengths and individual development that has been a culmination of hard work and dedication during the eight month session. These young artists attend regular class each week from October through May spending time investigating, creating, practicing, and perfecting the work that’s displayed at the annual student showcase.

R: What kind of growth would you like see happen for the dance and movement programming at Living Arts in next few years?

M: This program encompasses a fusion between a variety of dance genres and disciplines, which is a major component to the success of Living Arts dance. Additional resources would help to meet the demands of our growing program and would allow us additional studio space to add new forms and disciplines. In turn, this would help diversify our program and maintain the mission by providing a strong foundation of dance education and making opportunities for many levels of movers who might not otherwise have the opportunity to take a class with a professional instructor.

R: Thank you so very much Marianne.  It has been wonderful to hear your personal dance story and Living Arts' dance story.  The city of Detroit has a vibrant legacy of dance education in its public schools, universities and institutions.  Marianne and I stand on the shoulders of leaders in the Detroit dance education community.  It's exciting and important work to continue. We share many memories of watching small dancers grow and become confident youth who take that into many areas of their lives.  We are both concerned about the Michigan Department of Education suspending its commitment to a K-12 dance certification not only for our current colleagues who hold these positions in public and charter schools but also for future dance educators who choose to pursue a degree program in dance education. This loss of endorsement will diminish the opportunity for all youth to engage in quality dance education.  

However dance always perseveres and in Detroit and surrounding communities the presence of national and international dance artists, professional companies, and community outreach programs give this art form in all its varying styles and platforms a powerful presence. At Living Arts we will continue our dance classes and student companies. Our In-School Arts and Detroit Wolf Trap programs will continue to offer and introduce dance integration in schools and classrooms as a means to engage kinesthetic learners.   And we will do this with talented movement artists like Marianne who work in our programs and contribute to this dynamic Detroit dance community.  The stakes are high but there is no keeping these Living Arts dancers from moving forward in art and life.  

This blog post is dedicated to memory of Carol Decker Halsted, 1940 -2017. Professor Halsted was widely known for her lifetime of work as a dance educator and mentor, her commitment to professional dance in Detroit and her work with dance at the Michigan Opera Theatre. Carol attended Living Arts Spark the Imagination events, provided dance performance tickets for our families and always was encouraging the next generation to continue dancing.

Come work with us! We're hiring an Operations Manager.

Are you a detail-oriented, administrative professional? Our Operations Manager is the backbone of of the Living Arts office, ensuring the efficiency of financial and program administration. Responsibilities include bookkeeping and office management. Experience in Quickbooks preferred and prior bookkeeping and office support required. Apply by submitting a cover letter and resume by August 2 to Alissa Novoselick, Executive Director, at alissa@livingartsdetroit.org. Full job description at the link! 

http://www.livingartsdetroit.org/employment/

A Peek Inside Out-of-School Arts

Teaching Artist Maggie McGuire works with teens on social media videos in our Out-of-School Arts Program. 

Summer classes are upon us here at Living Arts! That means babies clapping, six year-olds mixing paint, dance teams stretching their legs, and our teen artists working on awesome summer projects.

Students love to use our camera to investigate our classroom, take portraits of their friends, and showcase their artwork. The camera's memory card is overflowing with glimpses of the charming, friendly world through our student's eyes.

That's why, with the help of some of our senior teen artists, we created a short video showing some of the joyful moments from our out-of-school classes to celebrate.

The music is by student artist DeAryus Williams. He creates beats with Living Arts teaching artist and local phenom Sterling Toles. The Beatmaking class is a cornerstone of our out-of-school classes. It feels meaningful and great to be able to harness their work for our soundtrack!

Open Studio members Diamond and Bailey helped create the video's message and voiceover. Both have obvious star quality, but more than that they have questioning and focused minds. Diamond is learning how to edit footage as well, so we are sure to see more of her work in the future!

Living Arts is a real, vibrant network of young people, local artists, parents, educators, and community members. Each has their own viewpoint on the amazing creative work happening. We hope this summer you'll join us and add your own!

Ever Forward - Letting The Work Speak

Board Trustee Matt Nahan, MSW

Photo by Julianne Lindsey

Evolving is hard in any sector but when it comes to fundraising practices in a nonprofit setting, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is often substituted for critical evaluations of success.  

For years Living Arts’ primary fundraising event was a breakfast. You know the one: food, inspiration, and an ask all packed into a tight one hour program. This model just didn’t feel right anymore. We needed more time to fully steep our supporters in an understanding of what arts infused education means. Not to us as staff and trustees but to the student empowered to rhyme their reality, the teacher forever infused with a creative approach, and the teaching artist learning daily from the pure creativity of their very own students. Building a discerning appreciation for our work would be an enormous victory for Living Arts.

13 months ago we began exploring how much impact those single hour events had created for our supporters and organization. After reviewing several years of successes, challenges, feedback, dollars raised, and staff hours spent, it became clear we had to make a change.  

In order for our supporters to internalize how and why creativity is so critical to the minds of young people, we needed to afford them time and space in which to have the experience. Just a few weeks ago we put our theory to the test. This year’s Spark the Imagination event took place in the evening. Set in the majesty of Detroit’s Masonic Temple with drinks and hors d'oeuvres, we invited patrons to experience the breadth of our work through a more robust program.  

We witnessed dancers bound for a world championship, precocious kindergarten animators, tales of personal growth, and rhymes fit for platinum. Every bit flowed from the souls of Detroit youth. Our very own teaching artists complimented the youth presence as they sang, played, danced, and spoke with unrivaled clarity and passion. Each anecdote walked us into a school based residency or an out of school classrooms where we experienced what it felt like to encounter the changes and growth that take place in those spaces.

As the great Mahogany Jones ushered us towards the ask, the lights came up on a chapel full of palpable emotion. We had done it. Our patrons left that night with a true understanding of who Living Arts is and what this vibrant organization means for the City of Detroit.

The arts are imperative to the success of our culture and economy. We need creative institutions, creative thinkers, and creative leaders. We need engineers, politicians, social workers, artists, and scientists with the creative foundation and ingenuity to lead us into territory uncharted by previous generations.  

Educating, inspiring, and facilitating creativity in the minds of our most valuable and vulnerable members of society is an ultimate investment in the future of our world, our city and our communities.  

Join us.

Living Arts' Dance Collage performs at Spark the Imagination 2017. Photo by Julianne Lindsey

Celebrate Young Children Learning & Growing at Living Arts!

It’s April and for many educators and communities across the country, this is the month to celebrate young children. The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) denotes the official week of the young child as April 24th -28th, 2017. In Michigan two major early childhood conferences will take place, the MiAEYC Annual Conference in Grand Rapids and the International High Scope Conference in Detroit. While we will be involved with all of these events, we are also partnering with the Hope Starts Here First Annual Detroit Day of the Young Child on April 27th. This event will celebrate the publication of our book, Living Arts’ Detroit Wolf Trap: Empowering Early Learners, their Teachers and Families through the Performing Arts, which tells the story of how we, a sub-grantee of the United Way of Southeast Michigan-Social Innovation Fund Grant, became a national affiliate program of the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts.

This month alone, Detroit Wolf Trap teaching artists are busy delivering over 30 residencies in early childhood classrooms, leading workshops for educators and conducting Family Involvement classes at the Ford Resource and Engagement Center.  So what does it look like to meet the needs of young children, families, and the educators we serve? As founding director of Detroit Wolf Trap and as a teaching artist for many years, this work with our youngest citizens continues to call to me. In this most crucial time for brain development, birth to 5, we have many opportunities to support and sustain healthy growth and development. To achieve this,  we bring the arts to this population in dynamic ways.  I get so excited when I observe classes and see the number of teaching artists who choose to lean into this challenging and joyful work.

Our visual arts teaching artists know and learn quickly that with young ones it is more about the “making” than the final product.  If you peeked into one of our early learning visual arts classes you will see those instructors promoting a range of sensory activities. Children are encouraged to explore using nontraditional art supplies. Little ones are standing, sitting or even painting on the floor.  Tearing, ripping, cutting, gluing, taping are not only ways to build a masterpiece but also develop fine motor skills. Children are exploring, inventing and engaged in a multitude of art experiences that support self-expression and the creative process.  Our dance instructors invite young movers to use their bodies and imagination to visualize and create their own movements. Working with their peers, dancers develop social and communication skills.  They experience and celebrate the accomplishment of dance making under the guidance of professional dance artists. This dance work with young children promotes questioning and answers back with physical self expression and body confidence.

Living Arts’ Detroit Wolf Trap and Baby Arts Play! ™ teaching artists bring the performing arts to children beginning at 3 months of age through Kindergarten.  They integrate their art form to enhance growth and learning opportunities for children and their teachers.  I asked Alesha Mickens, one of Living Arts’ Wolf Trap teaching artists, to have a conversation with me about her experiences within these programs.  

Alesha you performed professionally for several years before the Wolf Trap teaching artist training and then the Baby Arts Play! ™ training.  Now you are leading Family Involvement Classes as well.  Talk about your discoveries of best development practice and making music with young children.  What do we as adults need to unlearn or remember?

 It is so crucial with early learners to be in the space and experience with them. Clapping, patting on a drum, vocalizing a simple tune with inconceivable syllables - all of this can be super exciting for me at twenty-nine years old if I'm seeing an infant or toddler achieve it for the first time. Their "aha" moments are priceless, and they make it all fresh for me. It's also liberating to get back to the basics. I can sit with infants and toddlers and spend 15-20 minutes with one object, because they are exploring it in brand new ways. My little ones love the big drum I use.  They can sit around it and if we're using balls, for example, they will sit there and drop the ball on the drum, then on the floor, then on the mat, tap it, throw it, taste it (hehe). Hearing the different sounds it makes when it hits different surfaces and seeing what it can do is exhilarating for them. If I sit there in my adult mindset of "Oh my goodness, we've spent 15 minutes with this same object, this is so boring," and I have the expectation of a typical adult fast-paced environment with immediate results then I miss out.  I miss out on the novelty and the simplistic joy that comes from thoroughly experiencing and exploring something.

What are the unique features/differences of each of the three Wolf Trap program models you work with as a teaching artist? How do you work differently with the adults in these models?

Alesha using music in her family involvement class.

In Baby Arts Play! ™ and Detroit Wolf Trap standard residencies, there is a very strong focus on the partnership with teachers and caregivers.  In an infant and toddler room I work to bring new musical ideas that promote vocalization, reciprocal language and gross motor development.  It’s so much sensory stimulation.   In Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten residencies we are working to integrate the classroom teacher’s goals such as social emotional development, identifying numbers, letters, colors and patterns.  There is a model and clear expectations for the entirety of the residency.  I have to quickly establish a relationship with the adults and the children I see twice a week for 8-9 weeks. I am the guest entering their space with an already established culture and system.

In our Family Involvement Classes, it's almost the opposite for me. It's like the families are coming to my "classroom" where I can create the culture.  I like that it can even evolve and quickly be adapted based on the needs of the group. It's much more organic and free-flowing.  The parents and I can build a relationship over a longer period of time as families tend to re-enroll in the classes.  I'm able to pour into them not just artistically or creatively but also emotionally and spiritually at times. I develop deeper relationships with children and parents. Because the parents are there, children feel much more secure and open.   I get to see a very intimate relationship between parent and child. It is an extraordinary honor, and I learn so much from those bonds as I get inspired to bring art into that relationship.

What is a story/moment you have experienced with children or a child that exemplifies what we mean when we say "early learning through the arts!"

 There have been so many but experiences with a little boy, Dimas, have really encouraged me.  One time, we were using these apple stress balls and I decided to put them all on the big drum.  Then I asked him to play the drum. When he saw what happened, he was invigorated and so enthralled by the realization that he made those apples jump! And the harder he hit the higher they jumped! He even began to grab my hand and the hand of his mother to get us to play with him to get them to jump even higher. This is now one of Dimas' favorite things to do and anytime we take out a prop, the first thing he does is put it on the drum to see if it will jump like those apples do. The second time I saw him demonstrate this kind of thinking was with my color scarves. I decided I would try to use them in a session to explore breathing, blowing and the use of air. His mother and I modeled inhaling and exhaling in different ways and then we took the scarves out.  I blew into one at first just holding it in my hands and letting him see the scarf move. Then I proceeded to blow into it and let go of it so he could see it fly. He kept bringing different color scarves to me and his mother to do this during that lesson and he did not attempt to do it himself. However almost a month later when I brought out the scarves for a different purpose, Dimas picked it up and blew into it, looking over at me with a big smile. Dimas is only 21 months old and we are seeing him function as a scientist! He’s making observations and developing experiments based on what he is remembering and learning!

What do you remember about music in your life as a young child?

I cannot recall many childhood memories without music!  My mother was a music teacher, so it was very normal to hear music around the house and hear singing or chanting. She actually was my preschool music teacher, and many of the tunes I use now are from those years. I specifically remember instructions or default activities being sung instead of spoken. "Going to the grocery, grocery grocery. Going to the grocery, here we go" would be a sweet melody and sing-a-long moment.

 Now that you going to be mother yourself what are you looking forward to doing with your own child?

 I am thrilled with the idea of helping my child through early childhood development with arts play at home. I know that there will be breakthrough moments for me and my child together as he/she learns new skills and I learn new ways of identifying key strategies and developing creative methods.

Thank you, Alesha, for your wonderful stories and informative reflections. It’s exciting to welcome another Detroit Wolf Trap baby to our community!  It is also very affirming to know that you and many of Living Arts teaching artists are engaging young children in artful learning throughout the year.  

Alesha, like baby Dimas, is also observing, making connections and tracking results.  This is the “hook” that keeps our teaching artists curious about how to bring their art to early learners.  So in April we celebrate these little moments knowing they accumulate to make a big impact as children continue to grow and learn.

To learn more about Detroit Wolf Trap visit the program page!

The Artists:Roberta Lucas has been a Living Arts teaching artist since 2008. Roberta led El Arte Early Learning and then became the Affiliate Director for Detroit Wolf Trap from its inception through 2016. Her contributions to Living Arts include; the creation and implementation of ACT I: A PK-3rd grade drama program to support sustained reading growth, language acquisition and social emotional development, professional development for educators, coaching for teaching artists, and choreography for showcase performances. She performed and choreographed professional Dinner Theater and Children's Theater but modern dance was always the creative informer. Dance credits in Michigan include Linda Z. Smith, Lisa Novak, The Detroit Dance Collective and Laurie Eisenhower. She trained nationally with Judith Jamison, Deborah Hay, Trisha Brown, Bill Evans and Anna Halprin. As a National Master Artist for the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Through the Arts, Roberta conducted numerous classroom residencies, teacher professional development, and artist trainings throughout the United States and internationally. Roberta is a special lecturer at Oakland University teaching dance and education majors, “creative dance for children” and “performing arts (drama & dance)  in the elementary classroom”. Lucas maintains a Michigan L.L.P. and completed a MA in clinical and humanistic psychology at MiSPP. She is a 2015 graduate of Tamalpa Institute, Kentfield, CA.—Expressive Arts and Movement Therapy.

AleshaNicole" Mickens is a singer, songwriter, pianist, and arts educator. Her mother, a retired music teacher of 30 years with a M.A in Early Childhood Education, has been a great motivator and resource. Alesha grew up surrounded by musical talent and started singing and playing instruments at the age of 3. She began writing her own songs in middle school. Alesha graduated from Oakland University of Rochester Hills, MI with a double B.A in Spanish Language and Literature & Women and Gender Studies. From 2010-2015 she worked as a dueling piano player, traveling all over the United States to perform at various venues. During this time, she released two independent albums of her own original music: "Smiling Through Tears" (2012) and "Spread Love, Share Joy" (2014). AleshaNicole, as she is known artistically, is currently working on her third and fourth albums - "In Spirit, In Truth" and "Intertwine." AleshaNicole, along with her husband and partner Aaron JM (concept artist, poet, and screenwriter), launched Look Up Visions in 2015. Look Up Visions is a creative outreach program empowering Metro Detroit through art-infused methods of healing, self-discovery, transformation, and achieving oneness. She currently works as a teaching artist with Living Arts Detroit, bringing arts-infused education into both in-school and out of school programs, including the Detroit Wolftrap early childhood program. Being able to pair her talent with her passion for people and their personal growth gives her so much pleasure. Alesha is full of life, fun-loving, and she truly enjoys sharing her gift with the world.

Elevating the Voices of Detroit Youth

My sixth graders on the outskirts of the Yavapai-Apache reservation in Camp Verde, Arizona had just read a passage of a Sherman Alexie novel on belonging, when a hand shot up and asked: “Ms. Novoselick, what is your tribe?”

I paused. As a 23 year-old white woman, fresh from teaching in a predominantly African-American classroom in Southfield, Michigan, I said, “I don’t belong to a tribe.” This wide-eyed twelve year-old looked at me, puzzled, and responded, “But then who are your people?”

Executive DIrector

Alissa Novoselick.

Her question was loaded with ideas of home and purpose—concepts I have thought about heavily in the last months as I take the helm at Living Arts.

Living Arts represents all that is important about arts education and fuels questions like this. From Detroit Wolf Trap and In-School Arts, to our Out-of-School Arts programs, to events that drive community cohesion, Living Arts brings high-quality arts education to Detroit’s youth, equipping them with the tools they need to succeed in school and in life.

I decided to join this mission—and this exceptional team—because our impact is substantial: Living Arts serves over 3,200 students each year across the city. And I believe we have just scratched the surface with regard to what we can accomplish when we put artists at the center of community change and development.

On one of my visits prior to taking the position, I was able to see Teaching Artist Jeron Howie’s after-school hip-hop class. I watched a room full of excited and engaged youth perform, spoke with them about their dreams for competition, met with a group of their committed parents, and left knowing this very work is how we change—not only our city—but our world. We must expose children to creative thinking, experiences, and problem solving through professional artists like Jeron. We must elevate the voices of Detroit youth and listen to the challenges of the people who raise them. And we must keep social and economic justice at the center of our work.

The classroom experiences I’ve gained, paired with an MBA and arts administration roles, have given me the practical skills to take on this challenge. However, the insight I gained over the past six years working in rural Appalachia has far surpassed my formal credentials. West Virginia has considerable challenge: an economy with heavy reliance on one industry, significant socio-economic injustice, pervasive and unfair stereotypes, and a sizeable lack of resources for arts and education. I am very proud of the work accomplished by the West Virginia artists, policymakers, administrators, and advocates during my tenure, but there is still great challenge ahead.

Now more than ever, artists need to be at the center of the work. 

As I bring, now, a national perspective back to Detroit, I recognize the gaps I have in my own knowledge about the city in 2017 and the conversations that are already happening that I desire to be part of. As the weeks and months continue, I look forward to learning from so many of you who have laid the groundwork for Living Arts and have ideas about how we can continue to grow.

For me personally, taking this position represents a homecoming of great joy. When I left the Detroit area in 2009, like so many others, I never thought my career path would afford me the chance to come home. The embodiment of Living Arts—and the organization’s many artists, educators, and stakeholders—defines my student’s question about tribe.

After pause, I retracted my answer and told her about the values I share with so many different people that make up my sense of place. It is those of us who believe in the power of arts, education, family, and community that have always bound me to this work.  

I look forward to all of the promise to come for Living Arts, alongside you.

Thank you, Living Arts!

Executive Director

Cara Graninger

I joined Living Arts nine years ago, after contributing to “El Arte Alliance” as a teaching artist, program manager, and then director, for twelve years prior. “El Arte” was a passionate coalition of schools, teachers, arts organizations and artists which became Living Arts’ school-based arts education division when El Arte merged with Living Arts in 2008. The merger was based on the hope that re-inventing Living Arts would ensure the long-lasting positive impact of both El Arte’s school-based programs and Living Arts’ out-of-school programs.  Our hope has definitely come to fruition!

• Living Arts now consistently engages several thousand youth, teachers, parents and community members in meaningful arts learning every year--and it feels like we’re just getting started!

• To bring our programs to youth in schools across Detroit and in our community studios at the Mexicantown Mercado we’re employing ten dedicated staff and providing ongoing work opportunities to 30 Detroit artists who fuel our programs with their love, talent, and skillful teaching artistry.

• Thanks to generous support from our stakeholders including 12 committed board members, we’re now investing nearly $1,000,000 in Detroit youth, schools and neighborhoods every year!

I developed my administrative and leadership skills with “Cara-cteristic” determination to guide Living Arts through the challenges we faced as we grew, and I’m very proud of our successes.  I made Detroit my home in 1993 after working with some of the city’s most passionate and effective community activists the previous summer. It has been very satisfying to grow Living Arts’ powerful work in my chosen community.  However, Living Arts would never have succeeded without the inspiring contributions of its founding Executive Director, Chris Blunden, and its founding Artistic Director, Christine Allen Carlson, who steered Living Arts through 2010 and 2015, respectively.  I want to thank them as well as Living Arts’ founding board for taking multiple leaps of faith, love and labor to launch Living Arts.

I’m also grateful to the talented staff who strongly invested in Living Arts’ mission over the years, contributing remarkable strengths in programming and operations. And a special shout-out to Living Arts’ current team who will help our incoming executive director develop Living Arts in its next era.  I’m leaving my role at Living Arts to invest more of my time and energy directly into dance, teaching, and community activism. It’s a huge blessing to know as I leave that Living Arts’ staff, board and community partners will develop our work for years to come.

Last, but actually foremost, I thank Living Arts’ amazing students and your caring parents and schoolteachers for partnering with us to bring back the benefits of high-caliber arts education to Detroit for the last two decades. We couldn’t have succeeded without your enthusiastic participation and expert feedback, and I celebrate my opportunity to continue working with you as a teaching artist and fellow Living Arts supporter! Thanks to you, I’ve received this gift described by an 8th-grade poet in one of Living Arts’ programs: “Faith is everywhere you go. It’s a never-ending feeling….Whenever you need it, just call It.”

THANK YOU LIVING ARTS!

Generations of Learning Through the Arts

Since I was very little, I’ve understood how important it is for families to share experiences in the arts.

My father is a doctor, but he’s also a guitarist—and music is his passion. I started taking arts classes when I was 8, appeared in my first show at age 11—Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat—and I never stopped. I’ve been in at least one show each year ever since. I attended a school for the arts in Juarez when I was young. Then I studied further at the university level. When I was young, I was in shows like Annie. When I was older, it was more like Rent. The performing arts gave me a sense of confidence that nothing else could give me—and now I want to share that with children.

There are so many life lessons we can learn through theater arts. You learn that, even if your part is a little one on stage, without you the whole project won’t work. Everybody needs everyone else in a theater company. That’s a unique lesson you learn through theater: Everyone is important. In the theater, you become a community—and that’s a great thing for a child to learn.

Theater arts also are good for health. When I was a child, I wasn’t always healthy. I didn’t eat well and was overweight. That’s a common problem for children today: Parents work; kids get home and open the fridge; they watch TV. When I got involved in theater, I was way more active than I’d ever been before. I was practicing dance and was feeling so much better.

And that’s not all. In theater, lines are memorized. That discipline has to help with homework for school.

I would describe our new bilingual Family Involvement series as classes that are similar to what we do with children during a residency—but, in this setting, we actively involve the family in the class. I completed an eight-week series in the summer of 2016 with Alesha Nicole, and we usually had full classes. We had enrolled eight kids and an adult family member, and occasionally, someone would bring along a sibling. Most of the time we had a good size group. This was new for us at Detroit Wolf Trap and Living Arts. It was the first time we had enrolled parents as we do children.

The whole experience was surprising. As I stepped into the first class, I could see the question in the parents’ faces: What’s this all about? I realized they were assuming that they would be observers as we invited their children to play. Little did they know! These parents soon were the main characters in our journey together.

My first impression of the preschoolers entering the room was of immense pride. Through their words and actions, they were saying: Hey, look at me! I am here—and so is Mom! They were exited to wander around the room.

I invited everyone to sing our “Hello” song—first in English and then in Spanish. The moment I started the Spanish version, a shy mother in the corner began to relax. Her face was glowing.

She knew that her inability to speak English wouldn’t be a barrier here. What a powerful setting for a class. Everyone felt confident.

One day’s class sounded something like this:

It’s time to learn a song about today’s story, Bear and Bee. It’s time for caregivers to model what we are doing with our bodies and voices.

I have two friends,
Bear and Bee.
Bear sounds like this: ROAR!
Bee sounds like this: BUZZ!

Now we use our bodies to become big as a bear—and then as small as a bee. Time to speak in a low-pitched bear voice—then in a high-pitched bee voice. By the time we finish the song, each family has become a two-character team in this imaginary world.

It’s fun. It feels like play.

It’s actually learning. Our participants are using many tools without even thinking about what’s happening: English and Spanish, and the establishment of a steady beat through body
and voice, just to name a few. This story about the bear and the bee is about fear and friendship. Through our activities, we call on another skill—using feelings to understand the two roles. As the story unfolds, we travel with these characters from feeling scared to overcoming those fears and making new friends.

Then, we bring the story to life! We perform roles on a pretend stage. The parents and caregivers get to play bears; children play bees. Or we can switch it up, and play the opposite roles. It’s a powerful experience as adults and children interact this way.

I can see that some parents have a bit of stage fright, but they overcome it to help their children. We cheer each other on along the way.

The end of the little play is the beginning of the best part of our session: Reflection. This time is the most reassuring moment for our children. First, Parents—not me—ask their children about what happened in the story everyone just created, working on recall and memory skills and surprises about their own child’s interests. The second thing the adults do is make observations about their children’s growth in the arts. I can hear parents praise children for all sorts of things: “You were so loud when you sang!” “You became such a big bear!” Children smile. Their pride becomes the main tool for growth in the next few days as they eagerly anticipate coming back for a brand-new story. And they do come back, all together, children and adults learning through drama and music.

“All grown-ups were once children ... but only few of them remember it.” —Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince.

I have always loved the story of The Little Prince. This quote is saying exactly why we as adults all need to find time to play, imagine and remember. In this work that we do, I strongly
believe that our world is full of possibilities and that we are here to be effective creators. We need to use the arts as a motor of constant creativity to better ourselves and the spaces we live in.

About the author: Karilú Alarcón Forshee was born in Mexico. She graduated from the University of Texas in 2009, with a degree in theater arts and English-Spanish translation. She moved to Detroit in 2011. In addition to her work with Living Arts, Karilú has worked with children and teenagers in many artistic programs including, Matrix Theatre and the Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit. 

To purchase your own copy of the book visit our Amazon page.

"Generations of Learning Through the Arts" by Karilú Alarcón Forshee is an excerpt from the upcoming book Living Art's Detroit Wolf Trap, Empowering Early Learners, their Teachers, and Families through the Performing Arts. This book was created in partnership with United Way for Southeastern Michigan (UWSEM), through the Corporation for National Community Service's Social Innovation Fund grant in the Detroit area. Opinions or points of view expressed in this book are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of UWSEM or CNCS .

Copyright © 2016 by Living Arts Director of Programs Erika Villarreal Bunce. All Rights Reserved.

The Freedom of the Open Studio

"I knew I liked taking photos," says Diamond, looking through dozens of beautiful images, "but I didn't know that I really loved photography in a serious way before I worked with the SPOT." 

 Teen Open Studio student Diamond Davis

The SPOT is a visual arts & media program for youth 12-18 that emphasizes studio time, field visits to local studios & galleries, and visits by local working artists. Youth participating in the program investigate and express their own creative interests, following the threads to new techniques, new tools, and new artistic mentors in the community. 

The SPOT isn’t your average art class. On a given day, a visitor could run across a pair of students spray painting a cardboard sculpture just outside the studio door, hurrying to get their work ready for a local art festival. Inside, music plays as a pair of girls rehearse dance moves in a corner. A main table is covered with drying clay figurines as students use iPads to research why their figures’ arms keep falling off. “Can we get armature wire to try next week?” one asks, looking up from a ceramics website. Will it work? We’ll all find out together. 

Other times, a visiting artist will lead a short workshop or students will meet at a local studio or shop. Together, students have lifted each other up while learning Acro-Yoga, created their own custom chocolates at a workshop hosted by BonBonBon, and had their artwork admired by hundreds at the Sidewalk Festival in Detroit. Every month, we brainstorm new places to explore, new art experiences to have, and what other awesome stuff we want to create with our friends in our neighborhoods.

That choice is vitally important. Diamond chose to use the freedom of open studio time during the SPOT to experiment with a professional-quality digital camera. At first, she took snapshots of different class moments, but following her natural curiosity, she began focusing on capturing Living Arts dance students mid-movement. Diamond's next experiment is learning to take formal portraits of Living Arts dancers under the guidance of a local photographer. "At first I was just playing around," she says, "but now I feel serious. I’m telling my mother I want a camera of my own." 

That’s how learning happens at the SPOT: with play, with curiosity, and with a lot of surprises along the way.

The SPOT is accepting new students, with a focus on printmaking for the next 3 months. Interested students should contact Zack at 313-384-2902.

The Crowd Erupted in Cheers!

Last season was a journey for the Fever Dance Troupe.  As we worked diligently this past year, not only did the team compete well, but FDT received top honors in several areas of competition and were invited to compete at the World Dance Championships at the Meadowlands in New Jersey.

In 2008, I was a Regional Hip Hop Soloist champion and was invited to the World Championships in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where I placed third in the world. This year, leading the Fever Dance Troupe, I was able to share this victory with my students. During the semi-final round of the competition, the girls were nervous. The arena was amazing, full of lights and decor from the dancer red carpet to the international flags surrounding the Meadowlands Expo Center, and that was an exciting reminder that we were here to compete on a world level. It was an honor to participate in this competition because teams can not register on their own, they must be chosen..

With over 30 years of dance experience, training and teaching, Jeron strives to be one of the innovators in youth hip hop. He has taught ages 6-adult for many years and helps mold youthful dance minds into creative performing artist thinkers.

Although our entire team was not able to attend the performance,  we managed to amaze the judges and the crowd, and left the stage feeling accomplished and proud. Although we were unsure of the outcome, we were proud of the opportunity to compete against the best of the best from around the globe. It was a triumph and a shock to us that the performance award went to our team.

After our performance, the crowd erupted in cheers,  along with the parents and family members that attended the event with us. The entire event was live streamed on the competition website and we all had many families and friends watching back home. We came in third in the semi-finals, and this made us proud to be representing our city and state; we were the only team from Michigan in our division.  

It was rewarding to see the four years of hard work with the Fever Dance Troupe as they prepared for competition with so much discipline. Despite the dancers being tired from a long journey from Detroit to the competition; when they hit the stage they were electrifying. The commentators had nothing but praise for the team, boasting about their energy level and how the diversity of the team stood out from other teams . By the end of the evening, we were given the honor of being named one of the top five novice dance teams in the world, which was a huge accomplishment.

I  have always worked hard as an instructor to give our students the extra push they need to feel confident and proud of themselves as dancers, no matter their color, shape or size. We learn as a group about proper etiquette when dealing with other teams at competition. We are supportive of each other first, and competitive second. The Fever Dance Troupe knows the importance of giving your all and doing your best and knowing that winning isn't everything. But now that we have had our first opportunity to compete with such an elite set of dancers, the Fever Dance Troupe has shown our community how far we have come and that we are able to show the world what we are capable of.