Our Stories

One Book, Two Book, Red Book, Blue Book

July 29, 2020 By Cindy Sherwood

You can bet there are some big smiles hiding behind the masks—children at Virginia Beach’s Armed Services YMCA camp are the proud owners of some brand new picture books, thanks to a Women United book group who donated them to the United Way of South Hampton Roads (UWSHR). UWSHR is underwriting Arts for Learning’s residencies at the camp which is reserved for sons and daughters of members of the military.

Arts for Learning weaves age-appropriate literacy concepts into its curriculum, so the book giveaway was a natural. In true A4L fashion, teaching artists Lenecia Porro and Gary Garlic made it a fun educational experience instead of kids just being handed a book. In Lenecia’s Artsploration class for five and six year olds, kids drew numbers from a toy cauldron and had to match the numbers with the correct book. In Gary’s Poetry and Percussion class for seven and eight year olds, kids had to identify musical instruments from clues that Gary shared.

No matter whether it’s Pete the Cat or Pop-Up Dizzy Dinosaurs that’s sparking kids’ imagination, hats off to these generous donors and the United Way (hats that may look a lot like the red and white striped one below!)

Open Norfolk Hits the Spot for Safe Community Gatherings

July 27, 2020 By Cindy Sherwood

The need for safe, outdoor places for people to gather and a desire to have the arts play an important role in those spaces have come together in two innovative “neighborhood spots” in Norfolk.

As part of the Open Norfolk initiative, Arts for Learning artists are offering free workshops in dance, hip hop, scat singing, and more at the spots located in the Norview and Broad Creek neighborhoods. Today from nine a.m. until noon, drop in for a workshop in African Fusion dance by Jasmine Marshall at the Broad Creek spot, 1200 Roberts Road. At the Five Points spot at 6123 Sewells Point Road, you can enjoy Joél Casanova’s hip hop workshop today, also happening from nine until noon.

Hanging out at the Broad Creek spot with Joel Casanova (left), Open Norfolk volunteers, and Hillary Gentry (right).

“Each and every one of the instructors that have been on site has been very engaged with the community and really knowledgeable about what they’re doing,” says Hillary Gentry, project manager for Open Norfolk. “Arts for Learning has a variety of different programming, which is really fantastic because it meets the needs of various people.”

Open Norfolk began as a way to help businesses adapt to Virginia’s COVID-19 rules that allowed restaurants to offer outdoor dining. With funding from Cincinnati-based YARD & Company, Open Norfolk helped map the outdoor areas that could be utilized and provided signage and seating to restaurants. The program then moved to its next phase of creating neighborhood spots, based on the growing evidence that outdoor spaces are much safer environments in this COVID-19 crisis.

Joppa Whitehead leads a Dance FUNdamentals workshop.

The neighborhood spots offer resources and programming in four areas: health and wellness, recreation and fitness, education, and arts and culture. Pop-up food pantries, a mobile barber, an educational program on bees, and fitness boot camps are all part of the services offered at the neighborhood spots, free for the community to enjoy. The Arts for Learning workshops are a vital part of that programming.

It’s more than just food and beverage that fill our soul,” Gentry says. “Having a well-rounded experience in our spaces is something that we really value. We recognize that arts and culture is something that our brains need to fully develop.”

So what’s next for Open Norfolk? With the news that Norfolk Public Schools will be virtual learning only for the first nine weeks of the fall, the neighborhood spots may have a role to offer children and youth who will be missing in-person interactions. If funding permits, Open Norfolk could provide safe spaces for students to gather and have fun, whether it’s enjoying the arts or playing kickball. Gentry notes that staff members at the neighborhood spots are careful to follow all CDC guidelines for safety and adults are always on site to supervise.

For a schedule of upcoming Arts for Learning workshops and other events, visit the Open Norfolk website. And enjoy this snippet of A4L’s Joél Casanova from last week’s Broad Creek spot.

A Creative Collaboration: Suffolk Center Art and Theater Camps

July 23, 2020 By Cindy Sherwood

Get set for a rush of creativity flowing out of Suffolk starting next week. We’re thrilled to again collaborate with our partners at the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts (SSCA) to offer in-person camps for children ages six to twelve, with Centers for Disease Control COVID-19 measures in place to keep everyone safe and healthy. The camps offer a chance for kids to interact with their peers while learning and having creative fun.

Our teaching artists have led the camps for the past seven years. At next week’s visual arts camp, teaching artists Jerilynn Ruger, Matt Harrison, and Joppa Whitehead will mentor campers on the fundamentals of drawing, painting, sculpture, and collage. At the theater camp, teaching artists Katherine Willet, Jerilynn Ruger, and Jennifer Gammill will share the fundamentals of theater, costume design, set design, improvisation, scene writing, and more. At each camp, students will have the opportunity to share their work with their families at the end of the week.

These photos from 2013 give a glimpse of the fun kids have at the camp. A4L’s longstanding partnership with the Suffolk Center began that summer and has strengthened ever since. In 2018, Arts for Learning named the Suffolk Center its “Partnership of the Year” for the unique summer camp collaboration.

“We partner with Arts for Learning because they have talented and brilliant instructors who spearhead a week of creative fun while weaving in the need for art, the history of art, and the execution of art in our everyday life,” says Gavin Harper, SSCA Program and Education Manager.

The visual arts camp starts this Monday, running from 8:30 a.m. until 3 p.m. through Friday, July 31. The theme is “Our Future.”

We had decided on the Our Future theme before COVID-19 hit,” Harper says, “so what an interesting and pertinent time for students to think about their future and how the world will be affected and how art can be a source of light in a dark time.”

Campers will work on pottery, graphic novels, Picasso shapes/Cubism, pop art, splatter painting, and paper mosaic, and will also learn how art is translated to dance. A final art show will cap off the week, with artwork also to be featured in a new virtual exhibition for family and friends to view.

The theater summer camp will run from August 3-August 7, with campers learning how to act, sing, and dance. Our teaching artists will work with students to write, rehearse, and produce a ten-minute musical that they’ll present on stage at the Center’s Birdsong Theater. The historic 530-seat auditorium offers plenty of space for family members to social distance while they enjoy the show. The Center may also offer a virtual option by live-streaming the performance on its Facebook page.

To make sure campers have a fun, safe week interacting with their peers, Suffolk Center camp staff members will proactively follow guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Campers will have their temperature taken upon arrival and will work in small groups. Hand sanitizers and wipes will be available to campers and surfaces will be sanitized before and during camp. Both camps will take place inside and outside to allow for ventilation. Please visit www.suffolkcenter.org for a complete list of safety guidelines or email Gavin Harper at gavin.harper@suffolkcenter.org for additional information.

Registration is available on-line at www.suffolkcenter.org/summercamps/ or you can reserve a spot for your child over the phone at 757-923-0003, ext. 103. We’re looking forward to a great couple of weeks.

And the Winners Are…

July 17, 2020 By Cindy Sherwood

We’re thrilled to announce the winners of our Artful Thanks contest. Arts for Learning is a statewide nonprofit organization, and our entries showed it–Midlothian, Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, Charlottesville, Manassas, Poquoson, Richmond, and many other cities and towns were represented, as creative kids from throughout the Commonwealth used their talents to say “thank you” to our essential workers.

Congratulations to Braeley Ruby Male, a rising fourth-grader from King George,

and Charlise Brown, a rising sixth-grader from Chesapeake, the winners in the older elementary group.

Congratulations to Anika Awar, a rising second-grader from Herndon,

and Windsor Gordon, a rising second-grader from Virginia Beach, who won in the younger elementary school category. Each student will receive a $25 Amazon gift card.

Thank you to all who entered. Our judges were astounded by the creativity and talent of the young artists of Virginia. We’ve compiled all the entries for you to watch on our Arts for Learning Virginia YouTube Channel.

Happy Campers

July 1, 2020 By Cindy Sherwood

Thanks to a very generous grant by the United Way of South Hampton Roads, we’re pleased to announce we’re providing special performances and literacy-based arts programming to the children of service men and women at the Armed Services YMCA in Virginia Beach.

It feels so good for our artists to be working directly with students again (with all safety protocols being followed, including fewer campers than in years past.) On Mondays, campers can look forward to performances by our artists, with a field trip to WAVE Church’s outdoor picnic area.

Kicking it off last week was musician Gary Garlic with a dynamic steel drums performance.

Tuesdays through Fridays, a rotating group of our teaching artists will work in classrooms with campers ages five to twelve divided into three age groups. This week, teaching artists Joel Casanova, Jasmine Marshall, and Joppa Whitehead will present Dance for Life workshops. Campers will learn (in an extra fun way!) core literacy concepts they’ll need as school resumes in the fall—our curriculum has been adapted to combat the expected negative effects of learning loss from the “Covid Slide.”

Watch out for many more pictures and stories of summertime fun and success.

Thanks again to the United Way of South Hampton Roads for making this programming possible through its United for Children campaign to expand summer access to learning.

One Book, Two Book, Red Book, Blue Book

Open Norfolk Hits the Spot for Safe Community Gatherings

A Creative Collaboration: Suffolk Center Art and Theater Camps

And the Winners Are…

Happy Campers

State Headquarters

Behind the Scenes of the A4L Cultural Enrichment Project

Arts for Learning Shares Stories of the African American Heritage Trail

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