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Guiding Arts for Learning: Lessons, Challenges, and Achievements

September 14, 2022 By Cindy Sherwood

Chris Everly at the 65th anniversary celebration in September 2019.
CEO Chris Everly at the 65th anniversary of Young Audiences of Virginia, which was rebranded to Arts for Learning in September 2019.

Three years ago this month, Young Audiences of Virginia became known as Arts for Learning, a change announced to better reflect our mission as part of our nonprofit’s 65th anniversary celebration. We’re also celebrating another anniversary this year—Chris Everly became CEO five years ago in February.

Chris came to A4L after retiring from a 30-year career at Bank of America where she held several executive positions in the areas of credit and operational risk. In this “second act” at A4L, she uses her business acumen to lead an organization that combines two of her passions: helping children, especially those who are disabled or disadvantaged, and the arts. Chris received both her B.S. in Business Administration and her MBA from Temple University in her hometown of Philadelphia.

A resident of Virginia Beach, Chris and her husband John are the parents of two adult children. They adopted Katrina (nine months old) in May 1993 and Peter (two-and-a-half years old) in September 1993 from Russia. Katrina loves children and animals and has worked in jobs helping each. Peter works as a scenic artist for a repertory theater in Florida.

In this interview, Chris reflects on her time leading Arts for Learning, the premier arts-in-education organization in Virginia.

You’ve talked about your children having learning struggles when they were younger. How do you think the arts would have helped them?

“With hindsight we could have done more to actively engage them in the arts beyond taking them to art museums or concerts. For example, I didn’t focus on getting them piano lessons even though we have a piano because I was more worried about scheduling after-school reading enrichment lessons than playing the piano. We were so focused upon mastering the core academics. We knew all the statistics about kids not reading at grade level and what the future held for them. We were trying to do anything we could to give them a strong foundation for academic success. Greater involvement in the arts would have helped both of them with their self-esteem, confidence, and social interactions.

“It wasn’t easy for us or the children to cope with having learning differences, and so if I have the opportunity to encourage other parents who might be struggling to do the right thing for their child, I tell them I believe that giving them opportunities for active engagement with the arts is just as important as giving them a reading tutor.”

Peter eventually found his way to a career in the arts. How did that happen?

A painting Peter made for Chris that hangs in her office
Peter created this painting for Chris. It hangs in her Arts for Learning office in Norfolk.

“When Peter was in high school, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do as a career or what to study in college. He’d heard about the Conservatory at Shenandoah University, so we arranged a tour. The admission director noticed his interest in scenic lighting and design and suggested he apply for that major. So even though I knew he had excellent visual art skills and a strong interest in design and building work, I’d never thought of it as something he could do as a career and be successful. The director, in fifteen minutes, figured out something that I should have considered before.

“I think the arts and being around other artists have helped his self-esteem and his confidence in his ability to master something new or difficult. Involvement with the arts has led to him being more open with other people and expressing curiosity. He was very shy when he was younger, but now he enjoys talking with anyone about anything. The arts filled a void in him that I didn’t understand how to help him address.”

If you were to tell someone why the arts matter, what would you say?

“I think the arts is a great equalizer. It’s a universal language with tremendous social-emotional benefits. At one time I would have minimized that. Now I fully understand, having had the opportunity to watch children participate in our programs and hear stories that our staff brings back about the power of the arts to make a difference.”

When you were first hired as CEO, what did you expect? Have there been surprises?

“I had been on three nonprofit boards in the past, so I’d had exposure to governance and interacting with paid staff, but I don’t think I fully appreciated all that would be asked of me as executive director, how much of a business it really is and how you have to think of it as a business. Our mission is to inspire and engage, but there are a lot of  different things that need to be in place behind that—technology systems, finance, all of the requirements for grants. Besides the ‘aha’ of what a difference the arts can make in the lives of children in ways I didn’t fully appreciate before—any child—I think I didn’t realize how much is involved behind the scenes in terms of administrative work that needs to be done to make the arts possible.

Immediate past president Chuck Spence, CEO Chris Everly, and board member Becky Livas at a gathering in Virginia Beach.
Immediate past president Chuck Spence, CEO Chris Everly, and board member Becky Livas at a gathering in Virginia Beach.

“One thing I learned from banking that I brought to this job is an understanding that relationships are everything—how you deal with all the different stakeholders and how they all need something different from you. You have to learn what’s important to them and respond appropriately.

“I’ve enjoyed great support and encouragement from the board of directors. A lot of executive directors struggle with their relationship with the board, who you’re working for. But that’s always one thing that has gone well, and I’m grateful for their dedication to our mission.”

What has been the biggest challenge during your first five years?

Aisha Noel and Aaron Kirkpatrick set up for recording "Take 10" in spring 2020.
Aisha Noel and Aaron Kirkpatrick set up for an artist to record a “Take 10” video segment in spring 2020.

“The pandemic upended everything for everybody. It was important to keep everybody on an even keel with the belief that somehow, someway, we would figure it out. Thanks to the creativity of the staff when schools were shut down, we produced ‘Take 10’ videos, short segments by our artists for families to watch at home with their children. It was the right thing to do—it gave artists the opportunity to practice their art form when normal opportunities weren’t available to them, so it fulfilled a need.

“At the bank, I was very involved in the commercial and residential real estate market, so I went through a lot of real estate cycles. And I realized eventually it does work out, so that gave me a little bit more confidence to say, ‘I don’t know how we’re going to do this, but if we work together as a team, we’re going to figure it out.’ That’s one advantage of being older. Having the perspective that things would work out meant there was no need to panic.”

What has been your biggest achievement?

“Our greatest achievement in the past five years is the way we’ve grown and adapted to the circumstances. We didn’t always know it would turn out well, but we deliberately took some risks, after careful consideration, that proved to be the right approach. Sometimes we had Plan A and then quickly had to switch to Plan B and it was finally Plan C or D we implemented.

“I’m really proud of the staff and how everyone who has worked here, even the ones who have left, have left the organization better in some way. We’ve had the right people in place at the right time.”

Where would you like to see Arts for Learning in five years?

Chris chats with board members Rae Benn and Michael Geller.
Chris chats with board members Rae Benn and Michael Geller.

“I’d like to see us do more work outside of coastal Virginia. It would be good to figure out ways to expand our influence further outward in the state. We were getting ready to do more of that and then the pandemic hit. Now that we’re coming out of that and have built up our staff, it’s enabled us to seek out new opportunities and new relationships with other nonprofits. I think we’re focusing more on the greater community than we were able to do before and sharpening our focus upon how to best reach underserved children.

“We also want to continue to grow our board. It’s important that we have a diverse board, which I think we’ve done a pretty good job of building, but we need to look at how we continue to engage them and bring in new people as donors and volunteers.”

How have you grown as an individual in the five years you’ve served as CEO?

“I think it’s helped me be much more engaged in the larger community, raised my awareness and knowledge about social issues, and deepened my commitment to help change injustices and inequality. I’m a great believer in the importance of continuing to learn and challenging yourself through all the seasons of life. I love how this position exposes me to new ideas and a wide range of people with vastly different life experiences.

“I used to be quite reserved and shied away from asking people for money and from public speaking. But the organization is depending on me, so I’ve had to come through. I need to be the organization’s biggest cheerleader and spread the word about supporting our mission. I was actually a marketing major as an undergraduate, and that’s what I’d hoped to do. I get to do marketing all the time now, but in ways I never envisioned. Life’s come full circle.”

Filed Under: COVID-19, News, Staff Spotlight Tagged With: CEO Chris Everly

Arts for Learning Awarded Major Grant To Use Art to Build Community Among Students Affected by the Pandemic

July 11, 2022 By Cindy Sherwood

Arts for Learning (A4L) is pleased to announce it has received the largest grant in its organization’s 68-year history. Over the next three years, the $97,500 Cultural Vitality grant from the Hampton Roads Community Foundation will fund a series of arts-integrated afterschool programs at high-need schools in south Hampton Roads, guided by Arts for Learning’s professional teaching artists.

The project is named IDEAL, Intentional Designs of Expression in Artistic Languages, and will target fifth-grade students in the critical year before they transition to middle school. During the course of each ten-week residency, students will create multiple mixed media works of art as they explore various aspects of self-identity through dance, written and spoken poetry, and visual art. Approximately 270 students from nine different elementary schools are expected to participate, drawn from the Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk Public School divisions, with one school per division taking part each year. Students will have the opportunity to collaborate with students from outside of their own schools and see how they and others impact and fit into the wider Hampton Roads’ community.

Meeting twice a week in 90-minute sessions, the students in each school’s residency will be led by Arts for Learning’s teaching artists who are experts in their particular art forms. A4L’s education and program team developed the curriculum, which is tied to various Virginia Standards of Learning, including visual arts, dance, English, and social-emotional learning. The program’s highlight each year will be a collaborative art exhibit of student work from all three schools, hosted by the Chrysler Museum. 

“To bring students to the museum and show them it’s their place to have a voice is just an amazing opportunity,” said Anna Green, chief operations officer for Arts for Learning. “It may inspire them to go on and create art or find their voice in writing or in other ways, and they’ll also learn how to build pieces of community within where they live, outside of where they live, and then bring it all together into one. There will be 270 students that will see their work professionally hung in a professional museum. I can’t even bring words to how important that is, to make the museum accessible and for students to feel like they’re a part of a larger community.”

In addition to helping students develop creative and artistic talents, the IDEAL project is designed to increase students’ self-worth, while improving their academic performance and decreasing absenteeism and problem behaviors. For students entering adolescence, the year before middle school is a crossroads, as they are faced with choices that impact their future selves academically, socially, and physically. Decades of research connects positive self-worth with a reduction in risky behaviors. With studies showing the pandemic’s devastating toll on students—along with a disturbing rise in crime—the need is great to provide effective interventions that boost the self-worth of at-risk students at a critical life stage.

“We’re looking to reach the students who are struggling, to give them that hands-on opportunity to discover their voice through the arts and to broaden their view of community,” Green said. She pointed out that the fifth-graders who will participate in the first year of the project entered the pandemic as second-graders, missing out on the key socialization and building of community that typically happens during third and fourth grades.

Collaboration is a central feature of the IDEAL project: among student peers within the same school and other schools, and among Arts for Learning and its community partners—the Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk school divisions, the Chrysler Museum, and the Richmond Ballet. Partnering with the Richmond Ballet and the Chrysler will deepen each student’s artistic experience.

The Richmond Ballet will present a series of in-school performances for third to fifth graders enrolled at each school, reaching a larger community of students beyond those participating in the residencies.

The Chrysler will present a virtual gallery talk on art works that exemplify human expression, examining elements such as color, line, shape, and composition that students can use to inspire their own sketches. In addition, by hosting exhibits each year of student artwork created during the project, the Chrysler will bring together students from all of the schools, along with their families. Students will be transported to and from the event by bus at no cost, so that each has the opportunity to attend.

The IDEAL project is the largest and most ambitious in Arts for Learning’s history,” said Christine Everly, A4L’s chief executive officer. “We’re excited to partner with two other respected arts organizations and three of our school divisions in Hampton Roads.  And we’re proud and humbled that the Hampton Roads Community Foundation has placed its trust in us by funding this project.”

No student will be charged a fee to participate in the IDEAL program. The first three residencies are expected to launch in the spring of 2023.

Filed Under: COVID-19, Grants, News, Press Releases, Program Spotlight, Uncategorized Tagged With: afterschool programs, Arts Ed, arts education, dance, grant, pandemic

Looking Back and Planning Ahead

August 4, 2021 By Cindy Sherwood

As we wrap up the summer and prepare programming for the fall, we wanted to take a moment to share highlights from the last year, one that was filled with unprecedented challenges and many accomplishments. We found new and innovative ways to reach the children and families of Virginia with the power of the arts, despite COVID-19 restrictions. And we look forward to continuing to do so, wherever and however students are being schooled. Enjoy!

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight, Arts Integration, ArtsEd, COVID-19, News, Virtual Learning, Virtual programming Tagged With: Year in review

A Chat with our CEO: Kids, the Arts, and the Pandemic

March 3, 2021 By Cindy Sherwood

Tidewater Family Plus featured Arts for Living’s CEO, Chris Everly, in its March issue. As a parent, what did she tell her son when he was thinking about a job in the arts? Click below to read her answer! https://www.tidewaterfamily.com/learning-fun/art-folks-meet-christine-everly

Plus there’s much more, including how COVID-19 has changed Arts for Learning for the better.

Filed Under: ArtsEd, COVID-19, Staff Spotlight Tagged With: CEO Chris Everly

Dominion Energy Honors Arts for Learning with ArtStars Award!

January 27, 2021 By Cindy Sherwood

Woo-hoo! It’s a happy day here at Arts for Learning, as we were thrilled to receive the Dominion Energy ArtStars Award for Eastern Virginia last night at the Virginia Commission for the Arts’ live virtual conference. Dominion Energy presented the award, which comes with a $10,000 prize, for A4L’s “Take 10” digital programming, recognizing the project’s innovation, enterprise, and artistic quality.

When Virginia’s schools shut down last March, more than 350 hours of our programming was canceled, threatening our mission to connect students with the power of the arts. But our mission was not interrupted. Within days, the Arts for Learning office in Norfolk was transformed into a makeshift recording studio, artists took a leap of faith and tried something new, and our program team figured it out on the fly, including how to shoot and edit video while following strict safety protocols required by the global pandemic. The result: 118 ten-minute video segments that served as engaging and educational art breaks for students and families who were suddenly thrust into remote learning.

Take 10 was a major team effort,” says Christine Everly, CEO of Arts for Learning. “We had no budget, no prior expertise, and no production studio—but we knew we had to find a way around those obstacles. Especially during the COVID crisis with students learning at home, we needed to reach them through the power of the arts. And we also wanted to provide some income for our artists who suddenly found themselves unemployed.”

Participating artists received stipends for their work on Take 10. The program ended in June, but Arts for Learning’s commitment to quality virtual arts programming did not. Thanks to an investment in new video technology and additional training for staff and artists, Arts for Learning now offers dozens of virtual arts experiences to schools, libraries, and community centers. The $10,000 ArtStars’ prize money will support Arts for Learning’s efforts to continue to build a digital library of engaging and innovative new programming to connect students with the arts, wherever and however they are being schooled.

Filed Under: Arts Integration, ArtsEd, COVID-19, News, Press Releases, Virtual Learning, Virtual programming Tagged With: 757 arts, 757 nonprofit, arts education, ArtStars Award, coronavirus, digital programming, Dominion Energy, Take 10, virtual learning, virtual programming

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