PYA Workshops & Residencies

PYA workshops and residencies consist of weekly 1-2 hour long workshops held in correctional facilities and in the community. These workshops are taught by professional artists specializing in a wide range of artistic disciplines. Many of our artists practice art forms that are an extension of their cultural heritage, thus introducing participants to a diverse pool of artists and traditions. Below is a sampling of our programming.

Visual Arts

Mural arts: These residencies normally span 8-10 sessions. Artists lead participants in a discussion about the process of creating public art, share information about the proposed location (if it has been identified) and brainstorm about imagery for the mural. In many cases the artist uses ideas and sketches from the brainstorming session to create an overall sketch, and then youth work collaboratively to paint the mural. Murals have been painted on walls in detention centers and on panels that can be placed in the community.

Drawing and Painting: Artists lead workshops in a wide range of drawing and painting styles and techniques. Participants learn techniques for rendering landscapes and portraits, as well as abstracted forms. Participants are also introduced to a variety of mark-making materials.

Mixed Media: Artists introduce participants to a variety of mixed media processes, including but not limited to collage, assemblage, printmaking, weaving, etc.

Mosaic: Mosaic workshops take place periodically in community settings, such as the Choice Program of the Shriver Center in Baltimore. These residencies often run 6 sessions and provide participants with the opportunity to work independently and collaboratively on mosaic pieces.

Sculpture: Artists lead workshops and ongoing residencies in ceramics (handbuilding and wheel throwing), paper sculpture, and plaster sculpture. Functional pieces, masks, and decorative sculptures are made and often given to family members or donated.

Literary Arts

Poetry: Poets introduce youth to their poems by reading them aloud and discuss their writing style and delivery. Youth then participate in writing exercises, and in some cases have the opportunity to read their poems to the group.

Performing Arts

Storytelling: Storytellers share stories (some personal and some traditional) with youth, and afterward lead discussions breaking down what makes a good story, how the performer can use movement and changes in their voice to enhance the delivery, etc. Youth also participate in “theater games” that help to loosen them up, get them moving, and be more comfortable speaking and performing in front of the group.

Music: Musicians often begin residencies with a short performance to introduce youth to their style of music and to pique their interest. Workshops in African Drumming, guitar, ukulele, and choral music give participants an opportunity to learn basic skills associated with playing these instruments while getting to play and release some pent up energy in a safe and constructive way.

Contact Us

Phone: 301-588-7525
Fax: 301-588-1618
info@goartivate.org

Street Address:
8455 Colesville Road, Suite 202
Silver Spring MD 20910

Mailing Address:
PO Box 11242
Takoma Park, MD 20913

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VISION

Professional artists enriching and inspiring every community through culturally diverse arts experiences.

MISSION

Artivate connects artists and communities in order to facilitate engaging, educational, and inspiring arts experiences for all. We partner with professional artists representing a wide range of artistic disciplines and cultural traditions to provide high quality, interactive programs for schools, libraries, theaters, detention centers, and other community sites across Maryland, the District of Columbia, and northern Virginia.

HISTORY

Artivate was established in 1995 as Class Acts Arts, the educational outreach arm of the Institute of Musical Traditions, a Maryland non-profit focused on presenting concerts which preserve and promote American and international folk traditions. Founded by community arts activist, Busy Graham, Class Acts Arts served roughly 25,000 students and teachers with 80 school programs that first year, working with seven touring artists: dancers, storytellers and musicians. Now 25 years later, Artivate facilitates an average of 1,300 programs a year, reaching more than 200,000 children, teens and families at 250 sites across the Greater Washington, DC area, providing programs for libraries, community organizations, local theaters, town festivals, and correctional facilities, as well as schools. Designed in response to a demand for high quality, ethnically diverse cultural arts programs in schools, our roster has expanded to over 32 solo or ensemble artists, one-third of whom tour nationally, and now includes theater and visual arts. Many of the artists embody their cultural heritage, including artists from Argentina, Ecuador, India, Egypt, Ghana, Ukraine, and Quebec. In addition to our partnerships with dozens of professional artists and public and private schools, we collaborate with other arts education organizations and presenters such as Smithsonian Associates, Wolf Trap National Park for Performing Arts, Hylton Performing Arts Center, M-NCPPC’s Publick Playhouse, and other local theaters to develop programming and supplement tours.

In 2000, founder Graham designed and launched Project Youth ArtReach (PYA). Initially created to address the benefit of expressive outlets for incarcerated youth, PYA has grown from one detention site with only a handful of workshops to more than 300 programs per year at some six sites annually, and now engages detained men and women as well as teens. In addition to educational workshops in visual, literary and performing arts, we provide a variety of performances (20-25 per year) for larger groups inside some detention sites. Working with the Montgomery County Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, and The Choice Program of the Shriver Center at UMBC, Project Youth ArtReach has received local and national recognition for its excellent curriculum and meaningful impact.