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DC Collaborative E-News
December 2010
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 | Notes from the Executive Director
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Arts and Humanities are Integral to Global Education
The DC State Board of Education (DCSBOE) held a public meeting on Global Education on December 15, providing an opportunity to hear from many DC-based organizations about the ways the arts and humanities are so integral to advancing global learning here in Washington, DC. So many DC Collaborative members do a fantastic job helping students hone the skills necessary to being productive global citizens, introducing them to world cultures and perspectives, for example. A world-cultures perspective is inherent in so much of our of our members programming, with many offering student arts experiences grounded in traditions of other countries and cultures. As an example, the In Series produces an interactive program that teaches students about the history, geography, music and dance of Spain and Latin America. Other examples include "Experience India" at the Gandhi Memorial Center, "Clothes of Many Cultures" at the Textile Museum or "Let's Read about Africa" at the National Museum of African Art. In addition, many of our members offer workshops for teachers to enrich their classroom lessons using the art and traditions of other countries. The depth and breadth of globally focused arts and cultural experiences offered by our membership here in DC provide DCPS and DC charter school students with the potential for an incredibly unique set of learning opportunities. So many DC Collaborative member organizations, individual members, and arts education colleagues also work to advance culturally responsive education as a means of supporting understanding and helping to reduce conflict, thereby contributing to positive learning environments.
The DC Collaborative also partners with the Kids Euro Festival, the nation's largest festival of professional children's performers from Europe. All 27 EU countries participate in the festival. Our experience with the Kids Euro Festival has demonstrated to us that arts education, and education itself, has no borders. Artistic expressions of the human experience enhance our understanding of the world around us and contribute to our ability to be productive global citizens. Providing access to global education opportunities is very much a local issue, and it was encouraging to see the DC State Board of Education identifying global education as a priority.
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| Program Update |
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Arts for Every Student
The AFES program included a variety of winter-themed experiences this month, including "Snow White, Rose Red (and Fred)" at the Kennedy Center, "Seasons of Light" at Discovery Theater, and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" at Adventure Theatre. Collaborative staff is looking forward to the few quiet weeks during the winter break, before trips start back up in full force on January 4th!
Recent feedback about the AFES program from participating schools include the following:
"We have been consistently impressed with the breadth and quality of arts experiences that the program offers the students of Garfield." Angela Tilghman, Principal, Garfield Elementary School
"Each AFES program we have participated in has been a positive experience from start to finish. I often marvel at how lucky we all are to live in such a wonderful and culturally rich city." Elizabeth Whisnant, Principal, Horace Mann ES
"Without AFES, it would be extremely difficult to fund the arts and humanities trips for our students and the professional development for our teachers." Janine Gomez, Principal, Capital City Public Charter School
We appreciate these supportive words from some of our partner schools, highlighting the great work of our AFES providers.
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Professional Development
The Professional Development program is also on track for the year, with several teachers registering for workshops this year. In November, 16 educators registered for the Phillips Collection's "Teaching with Jacob Lawrence's Migration Series" workshop. The workshop received high praise from educators, many of whom are also registered to bring their students to the corresponding AFES school experience.
This spring, Tyler Elementary, one of the Arts Education Initiative schools, will work with DC Collaborative member Karen Bernstein on a limited professional development residency for teachers, focused on dance integration. Tyler teachers in the Preschool and Pre K classrooms will participate in the residency, which will have a focus on dance integration for special needs students.
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| Board Member Spotlight |
| | Anne L. Corbett
 | | Anne L. Corbett |
Anne is an accomplished board member of the DC Collaborative, currently serving as the Immediate Past President. Anne helped the Collaborative transition out of the Kennedy Center and chaired the search for our current executive director. In her other work, Anne created Cultural Development Corporation, forging partnerships with the DC government, real estate developers, and community organizations to ensure that affordable, accessible space for artists to live, work and present exists in the region. She created the Flashpoint arts incubator and reinvented Source theatre as a collaborative arts venue that enables the creation of new work; the presentation of emerging arts; and the capacity-building of small arts organizations. She holds a Master of Community Planning, specializing in Economic Development, from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Economics from Wake Forest University. She is currently an adjunct professor at George Mason University as well as a parent of a son in an arts-integrated program of DCPS. She is a member of the Leadership Washington Class of 2001 and is a 2008 Meyer Foundation Exponent Award winner. The DC Collaborative is so thankful for all that Anne has done to further arts education and to strengthen the DC arts community.
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| Member Spotlight |
| | Discovery Theater
Discovery Theater is a long-standing, and much-appreciated member of the DC Collaborative. One of the earliest providers in the Arts for Every Student program, Discovery Theater's annual programming has a broad thematic reach, featuring performances about math, science, history, and literature. It is also multicultural in scope, featuring dance, music and folk traditions from around the globe.
Currently in the theater is Seasons of Light.This seasonal favorite calls in the warmth of many holidays filled with light in a fun-filled interactive celebration. The history and customs of Devali, Ramadan, Sankta Lucia, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, Christmas, and a First Nations tradition of the Winter Solstice are all explored during the show. Seasons of Light is a favorite amongst Arts for Every Students schools and DC Collaborative staff! Serving as a gateway to the Smithsonian for many students, Discovery Theater is truly an asset to DC's arts education community, and the DC Collaborative.
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| Updates
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| | DC Collaborative Testimony at DCPS FY12 Budget Hearing
DC Collaborative Executive Director, Louise Kennelly, provided testimony this November 30, 2010, at the DCPS FY12 budget hearing, arguing that a "robust and comprehensive arts education is essential to the future prosperity and vibrancy of DC." To view her testimony, click here.
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| Opportunities
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| | National Cherry Blossom Festival Call for Applications!
Become a part of DC's premiere two-week springtime event! The National Cherry Blossom Festival seeks applications for its Cultural Performances on the Sylvan Stage, taking place March 26 - April 10, 2011. Performances on the stage are part of the annual celebration of the friendship symbolized by the gift of flowering cherry trees from Tokyo to Washington, DC, and demonstrate cross-cultural exchange through a dynamic mix of American, Japanese and other cultural performing arts. The Open Application period for interested performers ends January 14, 2011. There will also be an art contest open for student artwork submissions. More information on this to follow. The Washington Examiner, a DC Collaborative partner, is a proud sponsor of the National Cherry Blossom Festival.
Please take advantage of this opportunity to participate in one of DC's dynamic festivals!
For a performance application,click here!
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| Forum to be hosted by DC Collaborative
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| | January 26, 2011 Convening
The DC Collaborative invites our members and other community arts educators to participate in an arts education convening. Together we will work to Identify Promising Approaches for Providing Arts Education Via Community Partnerships.
The half-day session is designed to allow participants to explore how arts education providers can work together to more comprehensively serve the children, youth and families of Washington, DC, and builds on the take-aways identified at the November Arts Education conference sponsored by the Sitar Arts Center.
Reaching the goal of providing every child in Washington, DC, access to a comprehensive arts education requires the necessary steps of identifying the current opportunities as well as barriers to that goal and mapping arts education programs where they are at work across the city in order to identify gaps.
To register for the event, click here!
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| Donate Now!
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| | Provide the Keys to Wonder
Make the DC Collaborative a part of your giving plan this year! Help us bring quality arts and humanities education to all DC public and chartered public schools. Your donation can provide tickets and transportation through the Arts for Every Student program, support teacher registration fees for Professional Development workshops, or provide for support for arts-integrated work with schools as part of the Arts Education Initiative.
Donate Now!
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| Job Opportunities
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About the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative:More than fifty members strong, the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative (DC Collaborative) provides equitable access to quality arts and humanities education for all DC public and chartered public schools for the growth of the whole child. Working with its partners, since its founding in 1998, the DC Collaborative produces such exemplary programs as Arts for Every Student and the Arts Education Initiative.
For more information on the DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative, Please visit our website by clicking here.
On behalf of the DC Collaborative we look forward to working with you and we hope you have a great fall!
DC Arts and Humanities Education Collaborative
1835 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
p. (202) 204-7750
f. (202) 204-7803 |
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