Now Celebrating 75 Years of serving our community - Institute of the Arts - Making the Arts Make a Difference
Offsite Outreach 2008-2009
Partnerships...
The Institute of the Arts Partnerships include:
Alvernia College
The Berks Art Alliance
The Barclay Classes
Berks Community Television (BCTV)
Country Meadows Retirement Community
Metamorphosis Performing Company
Milestone Acheivement Centers
GoggleWorks Center for the Arts
Greater Berks Food Bank
Holy Name High School
John Paul II Center for Special Learning
Olivet Boys and Girls Club Center for the Arts
The Reading School District
Second Street Learning Center - Preschool
Outreach...
The Institute of the Arts participates in a variety of Outreach Programs, believing that community growth is possible with socially conscious initiatives. Through the arts, the Institute works to promote positive community development.
Greater Berks Food Bank
The Greater Berks Food Bank is the Institute’s primary partner in making the arts accessible to at-risk youth. Through the Food Bank’s Kids Cafe, the Institute has provided classes in dance, visual arts, and theater.
Art Goes to School
“Art Goes to School” is an outreach program serving county, public and parochial schools, Kindergarten through 6
th
Grade . The program is funded by the Institute as a community service.
Does the Elephant Have to be Gray?
This program is the outreach arm of our Primary Stages program. “Does the Elephant Have to be Gray?” was developed for at-risk youth to introduce and explore multiple art forms. It is an interactive program based on observation, conversation and hands-on participation.
Primary Stages Productions
Every Primary Stages Production offers free performances for at-risk and special needs groups. Past participants have included: the Greater Berks Food Bank, John Paul II Special Learning Center, Reading School District Elementary Schools, and more. If you have a group that may be interested in participating in one of these performances, please call Beverly Houck at (610) 376-1576.
Scholarship Ensembles:
We offer talent-based scholarship ensembles for Teen Theater, Dance, Instrumental and an Artist-to-Artist Honors Class. If you are interested in any of the above, please call (610) 376-1576 ext. 205.
Neighborhood Bridges
Neighborhood Bridges offered in BerksCounty:
In January 2008, the Institute of the Arts surpassed a lengthy waiting list of schools and organizations across the nation to be chosen, trained and recognized as a satellite site to bring Bridges to BerksCounty schools. There are only 13 sites nationwide at this time. The approval followed a screening and interview process of the organization and key personnel of the Institute of the Arts. This was followed by an intensive training of our teaching artists by CTC. To maintain the integrity of the program, ongoing assessments and observations by Bridges Captains are scheduled in each classroom.
To develop the program locally, the Institute of the Arts held two 12-week pilot “mini bridges” programs that started in January 2008. These programs were so successful that one school requested we hold a second mini-bridges program in a second classroom while the other extended the program until the end of the school year.
Neighborhood Bridges - History:
Neighborhood Bridges is a comprehensive program of storytelling and creative drama for elementary, middle and high schools. Curriculum based, it develops children's critical and cultural literacy, their vocabulary, writing and communication skills. It is recognized by the Department of Education's Office of Improvement and Innovation as an effective model for integrating the arts with standards-based education programs, Neighborhood Bridges (Bridges) is being requested across the country.
Founded in the fall of 1997 by Peter Brosius, artistic director of The Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis (CTC), and Jack Zipes, Professor of German and Comparative Literature at the University of Minnesota, The Neighborhood Bridges program of The Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis (CTC)
has
been studied over the course of 10 years and has been approved through by the Arts in Education Model
Development and Dissemination Program of the U.S. Department of Education.
Neighborhood Bridges – the Program:
Bridges is a 32-week or 12-week program of literacy through storytelling and creative drama for elementary, middle and high school students intended to help them:
• develop their abilities to write, speak, and think clearly;
• improve their achievement in reading and writing; and
• achieve state and national standards for theatre;
• recognize their capacity to become storytellers of their own lives;
The Institute is thrilled to offer this program to schools in BerksCounty for 12 week Mini-Bridges Programs or for full school-year programs.
During the 2008-09 School Year, Neighborhood Bridges with the Institute of the Arts was a part of the following schools' curriculum:
13th & Union Elementary School, Grades 4 & 5 a year round program
Gateway School for the Performing Arts, Grade 6 a year round program
Wyomissing Hills Elementary Center, Grade 4 a 12 week mini bridges program
Second Street Learning Center a year round Preschool version
Please call Susan Rohn, Executive Director or Beverly Houck, Program Director with any questions at (610) 376-1576