Jessie's Kids Foundation supports youth and families involved with the Tippecanoe County juvenile justice system. In 2014, Jessie's Kids supported youth on probation in obtaining their GED, participating in sports, and taking music and art classes. Jessie's Kids also supported Tippecanoe County Youth Services programs at Cary Home by purchasing incentives for making positive changes and funding cultural enrichment and recreational activities, such as field trips to the Indianapolis Museum of Art and horseback riding. 

 

Special Hands School of Arts celebrated its grand opening on August 1 and has grown to include 53 students of all ages/abilities and 20 local artists/volunteers. Students are encouraged to choose any combination of music, dance, painting, sculpture, costume making and mixed media to develop their own unique curriculum. After school programs, private instruction and small group classes all focus on open ended instruction along with working side by side with other artists and peers, creating an accepting environment that helps these special artists express their unique voice in the art community.
 

The  Indiana Fiddlers' Gathering continued its partnership with the Tippecanoe Arts Federation in bringing free fiddle and banjo classes to TAF's After School Arts Program.  Students from grades 5-12 were introduced to the instruments and bluegrass music throughout the 9-week course, collaborating with Fiddlers' Gathering members such as Alan Frodge and Howie Clark. 

 

Lala Gallery also continued its partnership with the Tippecanoe Arts Federation in bringing free ceramics and clay classes to TAF's After School Arts Program.  Students worked with Angela Vinson to create multiple clay pieces, which were then exhibited at the Tippecanoe Arts Federation December exhibition. 

 

Purdue Music Organization ensembles collaborated with several high schools around the state in 2014.  The Varsity Glee Club performed with Munster, Lake Central and West Lafayette High Schools, and the Purduettes worked with McCutcheon High School. ­The PMO Christmas Show was performed at a reduced rate for more than 3,000 K-12 students from 35 area schools.

  

ArtSmart:Indiana is the Art Museum of Greater Lafayette's web-based program teaching the history of Indiana through the eyes of its artists.  The program adheres to the academic standards of the fourth grade social studies curriculum.  This year they added two new kiosks and four interactive games.  Additionally, the program was made an Indiana legacy project by the Indiana bi-centennial commission.

 

The Education & Outreach programs of the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra reached over 4,300 students and families in 12 Indiana counties in 2014 with live, interactive musical programs. The annual Symphony On The Go programs allowed nearly 1,600 4th and 5th grade students to attend a daytime symphony performance free of charge. The LSO also strengthened its Suzuki Strings program- the only local formal source for Suzuki method string instruction- holding 30 instructional classes and community performances at the Lafayette and West Lafayette Farmers' Markets, Mosey Down Main Street, and other local festivals.

 

The West Lafayette Public Library is proud to enjoy a rich involvement with the Greater Lafayette community and beyond. Welcoming over 20,000 visitors in 2014, the Library hosted four weekly children's story times, a monthly Lego club, arts and crafts days, and an annual Family Fun Day.

 

The Purdue Black Cultural Center is experiencing an exhilarating cultural surge. 2014 included numerous artistic advancements and new partnerships in their programming.  A community highlight was the Gospel Meets Symphony performance in April.  The Fall theme, "Unmasking Blackness through Rhythm, Culture and Celebration," explored the Caribbean tradition of Carnival while highlighting the dance, mask making, storytelling and music influenced by the African diaspora. Brazilian rhythms and dance lessons were featured at their Samba school.  The BCC also premiered their newest ensemble, The Gordon Parks Fine Arts Ensemble, to honor the iconic photographer, poet, filmmaker and author and to celebrate visual art.

 

The Tippecanoe County Public Library partnered with the West Lafayette Public Library, Robots & Rogues Bookstore, Tippecanoe Arts Federation, Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette, Wabash Area Lifelong Learning Association, and Barnes & Noble Booksellers in 2014 to bring One Great Read to the Greater Lafayette area.  This year's events, which were dedicated to Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time, covered a spectrum of topics including physics, planets, philosophy, and spirituality.  The success of these events shows TCPL's dedication to broadening a county-wide audience for arts and culture.

 

Frank Lloyd Wright's SAMARA hosted over 466 students, from kindergartners to graduate students, from around the United States and the world at a free or reduced rates. Their unique tours offer people an opportunity to surround themselves and interact with Wright-designed works.  In all, people from 35 different states and 14 different countries visited in 2014.

 

In 2014, the Purdue Galleries offered a dynamic line-up of solo and collaborative shows by significant contemporary artists, including Purdue University's own Min Kim Park and Jenny Morgan.  The Fountain Gallery in downtown Lafayette successfully hosted the Wintry Mix series of lunchtime music performances in the midst of a visual art setting.  These performances, combined with extensive programming to accompany exhibitions, speak to Purdue Galleries' continued efforts to build a deep audience for art on either side of the Wabash.

 

The Tippecanoe Arts Federation hosted numerous technical assistance workshops in 2014 for its member artists, including using the internet and social media effectively and photographing artwork. The Art Connection: Arts Integration Conference brought together educators across the county and beyond to discuss the implementation of an art curriculum in non-art K-12 classes in order to improve learning.  

 

 

The West Lafayette Public Library hosts local artists' work in its meeting room spaces, arts receptions, and cultural groups from around the state.  This year, the WLPL saw the inclusion of art and design by Purdue students, highlighting the availability of arts resources for students in the area.

 Hundreds of ceramics, several over four feet tall, were added to the Haan Mansion Museum's impressive Indiana art collection.  The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette added 23 pieces to the permanent collection and had 17 conserved. 

 

The Art Museum of Greater Lafayette offered educational resources including gallery talks, docent-led tours, weekend workshops, and classes for lifetime learners in painting, drawing, printmaking, pottery, textiles, mosaics and yoga.

 

The Wabash Valley Youth Symphony welcomed its new Artistic Director, José Valencia, in 2014.  Valencia holds two masters degrees from the Jordan Conservatory of Fine Arts at Butler University, and has taught, performed, and conducted across Indiana for the past 10 years.

 

The Purdue Latino Cultural Center continued its mission to provide professional advice and help Purdue students leverage academic and professional resources in 2014, including the Latino Leadership Retreat, which provided leadership skills while promoting collaboration and unity among Latino-based organizations.

 

The Greater Lafayette Chapter of the Indiana Black Expo hosted a series of robust discussions centered on the annual State of Our Black Youth report.  This resource has led to a multi-tier action plan to improve conditions for black youth in our community.  Organizations such as the Tippecanoe Arts Federation have been able to use this report as a resource to strengthen arts programming in the area.

 

Civic Theatre of Greater Lafayette welcomed its new Director of Education and Outreach, Julie Doan, in 2014.  Doan will continue and expand their theatre classes, summer camps, and work with their community partners at Oakland High School, Sunnyside Intermediate School, LARA and other groups.

 

The Tippecanoe Arts Federation developed resources for arts and culture by granting more than $140,000 to nearly 30 organizations across Tippecanoe County and beyond on behalf of the Indiana Arts Commission.