Arts Corpsyear 13

PROOF ARTS CORPS YEAR 13 Welcome 1 WELCOMEWELCOME the creative voice and leadership of For our school-based young people, many of whom are collaborations, we are now low-income youth of color facing expanding our lens to evaluate systemic oppressions and using our impact on students’ academic their creativity for personal and behaviors. Classroom teachers collective liberation. reported that 51 percent of their students demonstrated We stepped into a leadership an increased ability to pay role locally and nationally, attention in class as a result of working closely with the Creative their participation in the Creative Advantage, a city-school district Schools Initiative. partnership aimed at closing the opportunity gap in access to arts Proof is stories. Again and again, education in Seattle schools. We students and teachers tell us we are partnered with youth development making a difference: “I liked being leaders to develop shared goals and able to express myself without assessments of the mindsets and judgment.” … “Our teacher gives us DEAR 21st century skills linked to school an atmosphere of trying. We can COMMUNITY, and life success so that we can have never say ‘can’t’ because she knows A donor once told me that one a greater collective impact. And we we can.” of the things he loves most about trained teaching artists and leaders Arts Corps is that we are so of arts education organizations Proof is Mary Lambert. This unexpected — a small, scrappy on culturally responsive teaching rising star in the music world arts education organization practices. and subject of our cover story is with big unexpected ambitions, proof that transformative social steadily taking steps to transform How has all of this been possible? change is possible when we invest education and youth development Proof. in the voice and leadership of our in our region and beyond. youth. An alumna of Arts Corps’ Proof comes in many forms. Youth Speaks program, Mary That insight has stuck with me lent her voice to the movement for years because it’s so true. Proof is data. Year by year, for marriage equality and proved In the past year, we have made independent impact studies find that if young artists believe in major headway in our admittedly that our students show significant themselves and their ideas, they ambitious agenda. growth in their creative practices can shape history. and mindsets associated with We served 2,518 students and academic and life success, such Proof is replication. Seattle Public provided 36,199 hours of arts as persistence and discipline. Schools hired Arts Corps to bring instruction. We launched our Eighty-nine percent of students our focus on creativity and other Creative Schools Initiative, a model who strongly disagreed with the 21st century skills into school-day for transforming learning in middle statement “I finish whatever I arts learning. We worked with local photo by Justine LaViolette schools through whole-school arts begin” prior to their classes report art teachers to expand student integration. We expanded our teen improvement after participation assessments and develop strategies Seattle slam team member, Kiawe, performs at the Youth Speaks Seattle 2013 Grand Slam. artist program, an investment in in an Arts Corps class. to cultivate those skills in their 2 Welcome Contents 3 WELCOME CONTENT classrooms. Through this work, we influenced the district’s strategic plan TEACHING ARTISTS Shannon Andersen PG. 4 PG. 6 to include goals for 21st century skill development goals across curricula. Jerome Aparis Daemond Arrindell WHITE HOUSE MARY Proof is recognition. Out of more than 350 school arts organizations Roberto Ascalon HONOR LAMBERT Lauren Atkinson nominated nationwide, the White House singled out Arts Corps’ Cham Ba excellence when announcing the winners of the 2012 National Arts and Charhys Bailey Humanities Youth Program Award. Zoey Belyea Sumayya Diop Silvio Dos Reis First Lady Michelle Obama praised Arts Corps and 11 other award winners Vicky Edmonds BOARD OF DIRECTORS for teaching youth “that no matter what life throws their way, if they draw Robert Eyerman John Boylan, secretary Amber Flame Rebecca Dale on their own talent and courage and creativity, if they are persistent and Florentino Francisco Jeff Davis, vice president PG. 8 PG. 10 tenacious and bold … then they can truly make something extraordinary of Geoffrey Garza Donte Felder SOCIAL STUDENT Della Kostelnik Juarez their lives.” Nate Herth JUSTICE SPOTLIGHT Maxie Jamal Sara Lawson Tina LaPadula Mary Myslewicz Over the years, we’ve had our instant champions — those who understand David Lasky Welling Savo Justin Arts Corps’ work in their gut, who readily believe in our power to Henry Luke Liza Sheehan, president Fides “Anna” Mabanta Bryan Syrdal transform lives. Carter McGlasson Anna Von Essen Eduardo Mendonça Jeff Young We’ve also had our skeptics. Some are people who have a hard time relating Erica Merritt Chris Zweigle, treasurer Amos Miller to our work because of the low-caliber arts education they had in their Carla Moreno STAFF PG. 11 PG. 12 Dora Oliveira Newman youth. Others don’t seem to realize that the high-quality arts education Leslie Collins, deputy director they received is a rarity for far too many youth today. Daniel Pak ARTISTS IN YOUTH Arturo Rodriguez Devon de Leña, partnerships SERVICE LEADERSHIP Jaala Smith & teen program manager We’ve heard too many times that an arts education is nice to have, but not Lana Sundberg April Heding, data coordinator a must-have. We’ve heard that the arts should be a much lower priority in Sammy Tekle Nate Herth, Creative Schools Gabriel Teodros Donald teaching artist our education system than basic learning in math and reading. Jave Yoshimoto Tina LaPadula, education director CLASSROOM ASSISTANTS Eduardo Mendonça, With proof, we are committed to turning our skeptics into champions. Stephanie Billmayer faculty development manager The evidence is compelling: Arts education is a powerful lever for closing Kristina Burbano Hillary Moore, Creative Schools PG. 15 PG. 16 the opportunity gap in education. The work we do at Arts Corps is helping Romeo Daniels program manager Michael Dunford TEACHING CREATIVE Laura O’Quin, Creative Schools young people reach their full potential in school and in life. I know we Theo Garcia ARTIST SCHOOLS teaching artist can all agree that is what all young people deserve. Justin Hamacher PROFILE INITIATIVE Mylen Huggins Bernadette Scheller, finance Mohammed Jagana & events manager Donte Johnson Elizabeth Whitford, Lisa Mackie executive director Christine Miles Rafael Newman Elizabeth Whitford Troy Osaki CONTRIBUTORS Executive Director Steven Silverman Liz Murtaugh Gillespie, writer/editor PG. 19 PG. 23 Kiley Sullivan Patrick Mullins, graphic designer ROLLATHON Sean Suttikeeree PROGRAM PARTNERS Celine Vazquez Nasteeha Warsame PG. 20 PG. 24 Decontee Wea Zoe Wick DONORS FINANCIALS Jeffrey Young 4 White House Honor White House Honor 5 MAKE ART ANYWAY achievement and of the young IN THE FIRST people, volunteers, supporters, LADY’S WORDS … board and staff who made it possible.” You are pushing and inspiring our kids. Elizabeth and David, a gifted Arts You’re revealing their Corps break dancer, accepted boundless promise, and the award in the East Room of teaching them to believe the White House after First Lady in themselves. Because Michelle Obama raved about this of the programs that you work to inspire young people by all run, young people laying new pathways to creativity, are learning break expression and achievement dancing, hip hop, African outside of the regular school day. drumming … traditional music. They’re putting on “Arts Corps really says it best in plays, publishing poems their motto. Their motto is, and articles, and working ‘Make art anyway.’ … That’s what on museum exhibits. your programs are doing every They’re becoming single day,” Mrs. Obama said. historians, designers and champion debaters. … and 50 finalists that are making a “You teach them that no matter lasting difference in young people’s what life throws their way, if they You make all this happen lives by encouraging them to think draw on their own talent and on shoestring budgets; critically and express themselves courage and creativity, if they you do it in unbelievable creatively. This work not only are persistent and tenacious and ways, in some of the most helps youth discover and nurture bold … then they can truly make difficult circumstances WHITE HOUSE AWARDS their talents, it improves academic something extraordinary of their imaginable. And I know ARTS CORPS WITH TOP scores and graduation rates. It lives,” Mrs. Obama added. “Because that you put a lot of late NATIONAL HONOR enhances life skills and helps that’s what we expect: nothing but nights and long hours young people develop positive and extraordinary.” in to give these kids In November 2012, Arts Corps lasting relationships with peers opportunities worthy of expression — these skills aren’t in front of all these people and traveled to Washington, D.C., and adults. The President’s Committee their promise. just valuable in the studio or in perform anywhere, including the to accept the nation’s highest on the Arts and Humanities the theater, but they are critical East Room of the White House, honor for after-school arts and “We hope this award will draw administers the National Arts But you keep on doing this year in the classroom and will be in well, then certainly I can go to humanities programs. We were attention to the documented and Humanities Youth Program after year because you have seen the workplace when you all get college, right? Of course I can one of 12 programs across the fact that programs like ours Award in partnership with the firsthand the transformative there. … continue my education and expand United States to receive the 2012 are essential investments not National Endowment for the Arts, power of the arts and arts my ambitions and pursue my National Arts and Humanities just in the lives of our young the National Endowment for education in the lives of young You see kids who never considered dreams, right? You are here.

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