The Houston Endowment granted the School of Theatre & Dance $260,000 to launch its summer art camp at elementary schools in the 5th Ward.
‘This grant is the largest that the School of Theatre & Dance has ever received,’ School of Theatre & Dance Director Steven Wallace said. ‘In addition, it supports the University’s commitment to community partnerships and funds a pilot program that will be the seed for an ongoing arts education relationship between UH, HISD and the 5th Ward.’
Under the guidance of UH teaching artists, students will be able to participate in workshops, expressing themselves through acting, puppetry, storytelling and dancing.
The summer camp will conclude with a public performance showcasing the plays, dancing and other works students will develop during the three-week period.
‘Public performance is an incredible experience for a student and certainly builds confidence,’ Associate Director for Theatre Education Jackie deMontmollin said.
Wallace echos the sentiment.
‘Even if you do not believe in the arts as part of a well-rounded education, just look around,’ Wallace said. ‘We are surrounded by art everywhere we go. It is on our walls, in our homes and offices, in the creation of new products and in the minds of the creative thinkers. The arts involve the ability to synthesize, to take the ordinary and look at it from a different point of view.’
For more information on the UH School of Theatre & Dance, visit http://www.theatredance.uh.edu
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