Summer at ArtsConnection

Summer in the City

It has been a busy summer here at ArtsConnection. Busy reading, exploring, filming, and storytelling. From grade school through high school, we had young people engaged in the arts throughout the 5 boroughs. They used their imaginations, they improved their literacy and vocabulary skills, they made new friends, and some even had a special guest! Continue reading below for a look at our summer in the city.

Multilingual Learners Summer Academy

We partnered with the NYC Department of Education for the second year in a row, collaborating with 85 schools for Summer in the City 2019: Multilingual Learners Summer Academy.

Over 4,000 multilingual learners in grades 2-8 read a book specific to their grade level and, in response, created puppets out of their book’s characters, choreographed a dance, or made their own matchbox diaries that shared their families’ stories. Grade-level books included The Matchbook Diary, The Rose That Grew from Concrete, When the Beat was Born, and Roadrunner’s Dance.

YSO Professional Development

Every year we host at least two free professional development workshops  for Youth Serving Organizations. The all-day workshops include instruction on preparing young people to see the performing arts. In July, 27 leaders and other staff from the Administration for Children’s Services, Community Healthcare Network, and Lutheran Services of NY, among others, attended the workshop focused on theater and saw Broadway’s Come from Away.

Teen Reviewers and Critics (TRaC)

We partnered with DreamYard to bring TRaC to the Bronx for the first time. The summer workshop focused on documentary film making. In a six-week intensive, students immersed themselves in viewing documentaries and discussing the impact of storytelling; they practiced conducting interviews; and they learned how to handle equipment, set up shots and edit in post-production.

Map Free City

Our annual summer TRaC intensives included exploring each borough for music, theater, dance, and visual arts. Teens recorded music in studios, visited artists, and attended a masterclass taught by ballerina Aesha Ash, one of our new Artist Advisory Council members.