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// Awards & Accomplishments

In a continuing effort to create with the community, Living Arts has formed strategic partnerships with other organizations. These partnerships, allow us to offer infinite opportunities for residents to discover their creative spark. This collaborative effort contributes to the vitality of the area.

 

AWARDS:

• Southwest Dance is celebrating 14 years of providing excellence in dance instruction.
• Recently named the only Michigan-based Wolf Trap regional site from the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning based in Vienna, VA.
• Living Arts is one of four Detroit Community Arts Alliance (DCAA) members. DCAA is an administrative and programmatic collaboration of four arts organizations: Heritage Works, Living Arts, Matrix Theatre, and VSA Michigan. The focus of programming is primarily in Detroit, but also extends to surrounding areas and throughout Michigan. DCAA organizations have a combined annual operating budget of $1.7 million and offer high quality arts programs that deeply engage 3,900 youth and reach an additional 20,000 individuals of all ages with arts exposure activities.
• One of the lead organizations in a collaborative effort to create and open the Center of Music and Performing Arts Southwest (COMPAS) in Fall 2007, which hosts a variety of classes in ballet, hip hop, flamenco, Brazilian capeoira, African dance and drum, Mexican folkloric, violin, guitar, keyboard, salsa and tango.
• Started with 19 students in 1999 and now serves more than 3,700 participants annually.
• We have engaged several thousand teachers, artists, parents, and students directly in curriculum-based creative projects.
   

ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Southwest Dance is celebrating 12 years of providing excellence in dance instruction.
• One of the lead organizations in a collaborative effort to create and open the Center of Music and Performing Arts Southwest (COMPAS) in Fall 2007, which hosts a variety of classes in ballet, hip hop, flamenco, Brazilian capeoira, African dance and drum, Mexican folkloric, violin, guitar, keyboard, salsa and tango.
• Youth Dance Ensemble has performed at Wayne State University, “That’s Tap” student production, Marygrove College, and Music Hall.
• Started with 19 students in 1999 and now serves 2,000 participants annually.
• We have engaged several thousand teachers, artists, parents, and students directly
  in curriculum-based creative projects.
• "Truck Art" project had students use math, social studies and visual arts to
  design murals for GM trucks displayed nationwide (El Arte project).
• A 2007-2008 study revealed that students who engaged in our arts-infused educational programming methods for three years scored, on average, twice as high academically as those students who did not  participate.

 

Quotes of Impact:

"Our teachers and students have benefited greatly from the infusion of local artists into the classroom and corresponding curriculum--a process that has produced real, long-term learning."

— Dr. Cecilia Kendrick, Principal, Academy of the Americas

 

"Our teachers have benefited by learning new strategies for teaching core curriculum and by working with our community's artists."

— Ellen Snedeker, Principal, Maybury Elementary