ArtWorks Spring Theater

 So! The Artworks openhouse was last week. I WAS SUPER DUPER EXCITED to show people what we do here! In case you couldn’t make it, I’m excited to give you a small taste of the things we have done in the theatre co-op thus far! We’ve been doing a lot of improv, and acting skills. Through this the people in my co-op have really gotten to be really close as friends, coworkers, and fellow artists and actors.

 

Artworks Theatre

A really cool place

to work, learn,

and participate

in acting, improv

working with tim

has been a great experience

I always love coming in

to work

with inspirational people

in a beautiful building too

I love artworks

how bout you?

Behind the Lens: Spring ArtWorks Photography

Hello, Photo ArtWorkians and their families! We hope you kept safe and warm during the (many) winter storms that have kept us all in.

Things at ArtWorks are heating up, even if the weather’s not. Shutters are clicking away and beautiful portraits are being taken. We are helping to make the Theatre Co-op portfolios show-ready by providing professional pictures for them to use for their future auditions. We were also able to take three fantastic field trips to the ICA, the Cleveland Print Room and Transformer Station. The Cleveland Print Room featured an exhibit on Vivian Maier, “Marry Poppins with a Camera”, who took over 100,000 pictures during her life time. We were also able to view a documentary about her life and saw a few of her photos on display. They were all very personal, as they exposed the people behind the city of Chicago. On February 13^th, we were able to also go to the ICA, an organization that is dedicated to restoring damaged art. We saw an artist working on a mural that had been damaged by the weather. It almost looked like new! After that, we saw another exhibit on Hank Willis Thomas. He is a photographer that loves to stretch the boundaries of what a picture should be. All of his subjects are regularly put into various odd positions that make a statement. The show was very provocative, as we got to really examine how pictures influence culture. We now click away even more enthusiastically, as we are inspired by great photographers. Keep clicking ArtWorkians!

Week 1 ArtWorks Recap :: Halle Building

*Post written and photographs taken by the ArtWorks Summer 2013 Photography Co-op

Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio’s ArtWorks Apprentices at the Halle Site started a week before their counterparts on the Tri-C campus. Only a week out of school and these apprentices are already back to work. The work force is on full power and everything is going according to plan.

Poetry Co-op

Poetry ArtWorks apprentices

 Day two of work, and these apprentices and their Master Teaching Artist (MTA) are already working diligently on their individual poems at the poetry co-op. Ray, the poetry MTA, conducts group bonding exercises such as playing his guitar, which entertains and unites the apprentices to his melodious tunes. Their first project was to use three things: a color, a thing, and a prepositional phrase, and use them to create a poem. Ray has been a spectacular MTA; being as magnificent as he can be, the apprentices will have no problem working with him.

Sneaker Design Co-op 

Sneaker Design ArtWorks apprentices

As we take our time observing the sneaker design, co-op, we interviewed a gentleman by the name of Aaron and he shared his experiences to us. The sneaker design co-op works together to design one sneaker. The sneakers were meant to portray a mission statement. Beside the work, the group has also bonded especially well. Van, the MTA, starts every day off with a quote to inspire the apprentices. Focused and relaxed, everyone is looking forward to the next six weeks.

Photography ArtWorks apprentices

Photography

Today the Photography co-op interviewed and took pictures of the other co-ops for the blog. Laura, the MTA, and Sydney, the Assistant Teaching Artist (ATA), have conducted multiple group bonding exercises and we have gotten to know each other. The apprentices are eager to go out and take pictures, and they know the opportunity is just around the corner.

Architecture ArtWorks apprentices

Architect Co-op 

The architect co-op has been working on creative designs for their storyboard projects. Within these designs, they have to create a world from their imagination using two words given to them by their MTA. Such as “Tropical fish and the Moon.” This teaches the apprentices about exploring their imaginations and how two brains are better than one.

Art. Family. Success.

Augusto Bordelois is a Young Audiences of Northeast Ohio Professional Teaching Artist. He worked with the students at Luis Munoz Marin to create a mural that celebrates and honors the nationalities of all of the school’s students, encouraging them to embrace their heritage and support the rich diversity in their community.

First, the students all took surveys about their nationalities. Students then researched their national animal, flower, and bird. Initially, Augusto was going to incorporate all 3 items into the mural, but this school is so rich with diversity that he decided to take a little more of an abstract approach (see photos).

 

As mentioned in a previous post, murals can teach collaboration, teamwork and show students how important it is to maintain the discipline to start and finish a project with dedication. This particular mural not only involved the Marin students and their caregivers, it helped to beautify the school and will continually remind everyone that individuality should be celebrated.

Happy Earth Day!

Why celebrate Earth Day on just one day of the year? Incorporate the arts to celebrate our planet all year long.

Here’s how:

7 Mile Isle

Engage a trio of musicians from the acclaimed 7 Miles Isle to perform a concert of music from instruments made entirely from recycled materials. Students will create music and learn that re-purposing items from a junkyard can help save the planet.

Hal Walker

Invite Hal Walker to your school. Hal uses everyday materials to shape sound and experience how sound travels. Students experiment with making music out of just about anything, as they’re challenged to become scientists out of sound.
Recycled materials also benefit the world of visual arts.

Bring Wendy Mahon or Kristen Cliffel, for example,  to your school so students can utilize recycled materials to create stunning works of art. Create masks, ceramic pieces, and murals, made all the more beautiful due to the unique materials students use to create them.

Beautify your school with a mural!

And speaking of murals…students of all ages can work to design and create a mural to beautify any space!  The design and images for the mural may be based on whatever classroom connection you’d like to emphasize, and utilizing recycled materials from the community can help your mural become even more meaningful.

How do you celebrate Earth Day all year long? We’d love to hear from you!

Listen Up! ArtWorks Slam Poetry Apprentices

The Slam Poetry Co-Op at ArtWorks this Spring has been busy. Check out what they’ve been up to thus far, and watch two of the Apprentices in action.  Want to see the rest of the crew? Come to the ArtWorks Open House TODAY (March 14) at the Halle Building from 5-7 PM.

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At this point in our co-op, we are learning many things from our MTA (Master Teaching Artist), Carla. Things such as performing our poetry, playing with words to make our poetry sound better, and body language in poetry. These are all things that will help us preform better for our upcoming competition during open house on March 14th.

Although we do a lot of work, we still have fun. For example, we previously went to the art museum, which was amazing. Everyone had an nice time viewing the beautiful art work.  There was a little work, but it was fun. We all had to pick one fine art and write an poem on it. It was so nice because everyone had poems on different pieces of art

Another place we visited was Playhouse Square. Their we worked on performance and movement with a lovely lady named Paige. We did an incredible workshop with her for Slam U! She gave us very good and useful tips on writing and performing our poetry. We are working on competing to be on the Cleveland team for the Brave New Voices national youth poetry slam in April.

-Shanautica Devine, Slam Poetry Apprentice

Hear Brandon Peck in action!

Hear Nandi’s take on a pair of custom designed baby sneakers.

Celebrate Black History Month through the Arts

Sean Jones. Tracy Chapman. Jim Brinkman. Robert Lockwood, Jr.

These talented black musicians should be honored and celebrated all year long, but should especially be noticed in Cleveland during February’s Black History Month as they all have ties to the Greater Cleveland area.*

Partner with Young Audiences to bring an artist to your classroom during Black History Month to celebrate the accomplishments of these, and so many other African Americans in the arts and throughout history.

Explore the Harlem Renaissance poetry through dance and movement. Investigate how music reflects the social and political culture of a time period. Study the poetry of Langston Hughes to create artwork that conveys its themes. Young Audiences offers hundreds of customizable programs that enhance learning about Black History through the arts.

President Obama, in “A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement”  shares that we really should be honoring these amazing individuals all year long–we as a nation would not be the same nation without their amazing accomplishments.

Young Audiences couldn’t agree more, which is why all of our programs are available all year long. We look forward to showing your students the importance of Black History through the arts. Contact us today! (info@yaneo.org; 216-561-5005)

*Sean Jones, the Artistic Director of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, was born in Warren, Ohio. 4-time Grammy winner Tracy Chapman was born and raised in Cleveland. Grammy-winner Jim Brinkman grew up in Cleveland and attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case. Robert Lockwood, Jr. brought his blues to Cleveland in 1961 and performed in gigs around the area well into his 90s.

ArtWorks Sound Bites: Poetry Co-Op

The Poetry ArtWorks Co-Op has certainly been busy. Hear from Yixuan, a Poetry Artworks Apprentice, about what they’ve been up to!

Things have been going quite well in the land of the poetry co-op; our main project this session has been a compilation of poems based on interviews of ordinary working Clevelanders. This undertaking is, fittingly enough, called Cleveland Working, and so far we’ve interviewed quite a number of people already, comprising a full range of occupations from cupcake-bakery owner to security guard. We’ve based it all on the assumption that everyone has a story to tell, and so far they have yet to disappoint.

The poetry, in a variety of styles, will be featured in our co-op’s chapbook (along with photos helpfully provided by the photography co-op) as well as the culminating performance on December 18th.

Lately, though, we’ve taken a bit of a break from career interviews and writing new works in order to polish our existing poetry so that they’ll be ready for the publishing and performance. The one major exception to this is a new project, which is a collaboration with the dance co-op set for 14 December at the Cleveland Museum of Art. We’re hoping to successfully combine physical movement with the spoken word to create a sense of unity; the idea right now is to interview various members of the dance co-op, in a similar fashion to what we’ve been doing already, and telling their own stories while they dance. The poetry will also most likely feature a group component, where certain phrases or lines will be repeated to further emphasize the unity. The project is still in relatively early stages as of right now, but we’re very excited to see where it’ll go.

Yixuan, Poetry ArtWorks Apprentice, sharing her words

-Yixuan, Poetry ArtWorks Apprentice

Growing a Reader

Fill in the blanks:

Harold and the ____Crayon.

One Fish, Two Fish, ____Fish, ____Fish.

___Eggs and Ham.

There’s a reason that so many children’s books incorporate color and rhythm.  Books with vibrant illustrations, tied with repetition, rhyme, and engaging sounds help to make the reading process a more memorable experience. After all, can you imagine The Very Hungry Caterpillar eating his way silently through a black and white apple, cake, or pickle?  Some of the magic just might fade away.

Even with some of these fabulous reads, we all know that not everyone learns the same way. Not all kids take to the written word, or picture books, or have the desire to sit while being read to…no matter how vibrant the page, no matter how fun the rhyme.

That’s why we at  Young Audiences tie the literary arts to the learning experience.  Programs and Workshops like Lara Troyer’s “Suess in Song,” Susan Weber’s “What’s Inside a Story: Structure and Key Details” and George Woideck’s “From Books to Art: Reinforcing Childhood Literacy” help with differentiated learning and early academic success.  They bring the written word alive and encourage collaboration and creativity. Kids can learn through the song, dance, rhyme, repetition (and so much more!) that these programs embrace.

Susan Weber’s Programs Bringing the Written Word to Life

Our hope is that we can help all teachers and parents grow readers. Join us.

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Want to learn more about how to incorporate the literacy arts  in the classroom? Check out our programs or email us at info@yaneo.org.

 

Take Action Against Bullying with the Arts

Once upon a time, bullies at school may have been thought of as “just a part of growing up.” Young Audiences believes that nothing should be further from the truth.

We’re not alone. Schools and state legislators have enacted zero tolerance policies and laws and school counselors have risen to the challenge. Why?

It could be because, as the National Crime Prevention Council states, “Parents, educators, and community leaders now see bullying as a devastating form of abuse that can have long-term effects on youthful victims, robbing them of self-esteem, isolating them from their peers, causing them to drop out of school and even promoting health problems and suicide.”

The National Institute of Health provides the following statistics:

• Every 30 minutes a teenager attempts suicide due to bullying.
• About 47 teens are bullied every 5 minutes.
• 71% of students report bullying as an ongoing problem.