Freddy: Um, are we going to be goofing off like this, every day?
Dewey: We???re not goofing off we???re creating musical fusion.
(School of Rock)
Sunday, February 25 at 2pm at Brown U: A panel on the value of “making a mess”
February 25 — Brown University, the RI Teaching Artist Center (RITAC), and Providence CityArts will look at the constructive purpose of ???goofing off??? at a panel on Sunday, February 25 as part of Brown???s annual Rhythm of Change Festival. Six artists from around the country and Rhode Island, will talk about the importance of play as part of the creative process in general, and in teaching art to kids, in particular. ???Turning things upside down, making a mess, engaging in activities for enjoyment is part of creativity,??? says Saulo Castillo, Rhythm of Change producer and a teaching artist at Providence CityArts. ???This conversation will explore how play is a healthy, essential part of childhood– and the creative process.???
Artists include, Anjell Newmann, Director of AS220 Youth; Pierre Arreola, a Brown University graduate and founder of Hip Hop 4, in Northern California; Javier Nunez, a teaching artist at Providence CityArts who runs a creative Dungeons and Dragons game; Matthew Garza, a dance teacher at Trinity Academy of Performing Arts, among others.
The panel is sponsored by a consortium of organizations advocating for the importance of the arts as a vital element to the comprehensive education of all youth. The consortium includes Brown University???s Rhythm of Change Festival, which is hosting the event, along with RITAC, a statewide network of artists who use their creativity in schools, health centers, and other institutions, and Providence CityArts for Youth, a community arts organization located on the south side of Providence that is one of the largest providers of school day and after school arts programs in Providence ??? serving 1,000 youth annually.
6×6 Panel:
Michelle Baer (NY Community Trust) -??Program Associate for Thriving Communities
Pierre Arreola (The GR818ERS/ Hip Hop 4)
Anjel Newmann (AS220 Youth)
Aneudy Alba (New Urban Arts) – Youth Engagement Associate??
Javier Nu??ez (Providence CityArts) ??? Teaching Artist
Matthew Garza (Trinity Academy of Performing Arts) – Teacher
About Rhythm ofChange Festival: Rhythm of Change is an annual festival at Brown University celebrating??African and African diasporic performance. For over twenty-seven years, The Rhythm of Change Festival has been gathering people across divisions of class, nationality, culture and discipline to co-create art for social change.
About ProvidenceCityArts for Youth: Founded 25 years ago by Sister Ann Keefe, a nun at St. Michael???s Church, CityArts follows Sister Ann???s social justice vision by encouraging youth voice, and creativity for elementary and middle school youth in both schools and community programs. CityArts focuses on joyful experimentation, positive youth development, student-centered arts learning, and opportunities to learn about diverse cultures and communities.
About RI TeachingArtist Center: ??(RITAC) is a collaborative project run by??Providence ??CityArts! For Youth and the??Rhode Island State Council on the Arts. RITAC promotes and supports the positive impact of teaching artists across the state’s various sectors by: serving as a bridge between teaching artists and those in need of their services and providing physical and virtual spaces for teaching artists to further develop their skills.
photo credit: Providence CityArts for Youth