March is "Music in our Schools" month, and in the spirit of celebrating the arts and their enriching presence in education and growth, many of the topics covered in this issue highlight our endeavors to be a major part of the enriching presence.

As always, I am very excited to share with you the inspiring things our programs and staff are doing each and every day.  Please take note of all upcoming events, I would love for you to witness firsthand the results of the hard work our staff and participants accomplish here at USES.

Best,

The Harriet Tubman Gallery at USES is proud to host the Violence Transformed art exhibition this year.  The annual series of visual and performing arts events celebrate the power of art, artists, and art-making to confront, challenge, and mediate violence.  Beginning in 2007, Violence Transformed is a community initiative of the Victims of Violence Program of the Cambridge Health Alliance.  The program is an effort to draw attention to the transformative prospects of art, documenting the ways in which our diverse communities harness art's potential to affect social change and materially transform our environments.

 

The program represents a unique collaboration among artists, activists, museum professionals, academics, and community service providers from a variety of segments of the greater Boston area.  Gail Bos, participating artist and coordinator for Violence Transformed exclaims, "Being in Peace Corps was a gift...to live in the rich culture of Mali, West Africa, and to see the diverse ways people coped with life's challenges.  The subject of my art is about choices...what Americans value, what we turn away from."  Her work takes on a naive sensitivity through the use of contour lines and earthly tones.

 

As a result of Violence Transformed, a wide range of visual and performing artists at different stages in their careers have had the opportunity to create new works and present existing pieces to diverse audiences.

 

Stop by the Harriet Tubman Gallery, located at the Harriet Tubman House (566 Columbus Avenue), before April 26 to view the inspirational creativity of Boston's youth. 

Once again, USES is pleased to announce it will be hosting its second In the Mix Intergenerational Concert, this time featuring the Boston City Singers, as well as USES's own Platinum Singers.

On April 28, 2013, these two groups will perform together at the Harriet Tubman House. We hope you can come to this intergenerational concert to experience how music crosses generational boundaries in reaching our hearts and souls.

 

As many of you know from past galas, Step on Board features a delicious variety of food vendors all from the South End/Lower Roxbury area.  The diversity of the restaurants comes together with the on-site presence of USES and its programs' highlights to build a wonderful evening that is a celebration of the South End/Lower Roxbury, USES, and our friends and neighbors.  As we gain momentum in preparing for the gala, we will be sending you updates each step of the way.