BY: SUSAN H. KAHN Assistant Editor
Cleveland Jewish News
ArtWorks, a creative program for teens that teaches valuable life skills, enlivens Shaker Square
It’s a hot summer morning, and under large white tents on Shaker Square’s south lawn, energetic teens are at work.
Cleveland School for the Arts junior Latasha Miller is trying to master a tricky sequence of moves taught by instructor Jenita McGowan, a member of Cleveland’s Dancing Wheels company.
Several yards away, Brianna Miracle is perched on a stool, sketchbook balanced on her lap. She is trying to draw her own hand with encouragement from Cleveland painter Augusto Bordelois.
These young women are among the 65 participants in ArtWorks, a unique six-week program sponsored by Young Audience of Northeast Ohio (YANEO) which melds arts instruction with practice in life skills. In addition to learning drama, dance, music composition, painting, photography, mural making and collage under the tutelage of local professional artists, ArtWorks students are paid “apprentices,” practicing behaviors essential for successful future employment.
ArtWorks is patterned after a highly successful summer program called Gallery 37, begun 15 years ago in Chicago. (It has since grown into a year-round program called After School Matters.) Shaker Heights resident Deborah Ratner is credited with bringing the program to Cleveland.
“While visiting Chicago, I discovered a lovely retail gallery where all the work on display was made by teens who participated in Plot 37,” recalls Ratner, a former gallery owner and member of Young Audiences’ advisory board.
After researching the Chicago project, she became convinced a similar program could work in Cleveland. She pitched the idea to Young Audience’s executive director Marsha Dobrzynski and volunteered to coordinate the project.
In 2005, ArtWorks launched a two-week pilot program for 40 teens. It was a resounding success. The following year, the program expanded to six weeks with 60 enrollees.
Funded by grants and personal and corporate donations, ArtWorks has a $180,000 budget which covers supplies and professional and student salaries. Forest City Enterprises supplied computer equipment for the music students to use, and the Coral Company has provided Shaker Square office space to house several activities. (Both are Jewish-owned companies.) Art students exhibit their work for sale during the public performances, with proceeds plowed back into the program.
“Deborah has been a phenomenal fundraiser,” says Dobrzynski. “We’ve been able to start this program and keep it going largely because of her efforts.”
In the spring, high school guidance counselors and art teachers are asked to identify potential ArtWorks participants. Candidates then engage in a competitive selection process that approximates real- life job-seeking: they complete applications, including essays in which they discuss their interests and their value as an employee; they obtain letters of recommendation from a teacher or principal; and they are interviewed by YANEO staff.
“We are trying to simulate a real work environment from start to finish,” says Dobrzynski. “For many teens, this is their first paid job, and they have to learn how to present themselves.”
Each student selected is asked to choose a discipline in which to work n prior experience is not necessary. Apprentices earn $7 an hour for a 30-hour week, and they are expected to demonstrate a professional attitude and good work habits. That means being disciplined, getting themselves to work on time, dressing appropriately, and not talking on cell phones.
Over the summer, participants working in the various disciplines collaborate to present three free, public performances at Shaker Square in the evenings and on weekends. Planning and executing these events gives ArtWorks apprentices valuable organizational experience in decision-making, budgeting, and publicizing n skills transferable to future work settings.
Another important component of the program is the lunchtime speaker series. Twice a week, students hear from representatives of a wide range of area arts organizations. Speakers have included actor Andrew May, associate artistic director of the Great Lakes Theater Festival; Michael Bloom, artistic director of The Cleveland Play House; and Warren Zanes, vice president for education at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.
“We want to offer the teens the broadest vista about the arts that we can,” says Ratner. “The speakers point to ways the kids can incorporate the arts into their lives, either professionally or for enrichment.”
In addition, speakers from the Cleveland Scholarship Program provide the ArtWorks students with information on funding higher education. The 11th- and 12th-graders have also had a field trip to the University of Akron for a look at college programs and to learn about the admissions process. Since the ArtWorks apprenticeship is the first job most of the teens have had, a tax expert from Forest City will teach them about filing income tax returns.
“Our dream is for ArtWorks to grow and become a year-round program,” says Dobrzynski. “We’ve been talking to the city of Cleveland because there is such a need for quality after-school programs, especially one that provides an income.”
ArtWorks presents performances and art shows at 6 p.m. on Thurs., July 19 and Thurs., Aug. 2. The free public events take place under the tents on the south lawn of Shaker Square.
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