Profile: Class Acts Arts director Busy Graham

Interview by Audrey Engdahl

What is the goal or mission of Class Acts? Class Acts' mission is to bring high quality and culturally diverse performances, workshops and artist residencies to our community—essentially, to bring joy and laughter into people's lives, along with fresh insights and perspectives, inspiration and motivation; perhaps opening doors to new possibilities by tapping into resources and talents never before realized.

How much audience do Class Acts programs reach annually?

This past year, our programs reached close to 400,000 people; children and teachers, youth, seniors, inmates, and special-needs populations. Each year, the numbers increase exponentially.

How has your financial situation changed over the last two years?

Are grants still available? No doubt about it, these are difficult times for non-profits in general. There has been a dramatic cutback in funds available, and it looks as though it will get worse before it gets better. The effect on Class Acts is that we are more limited in what we can do in terms of arts outreach to under-served populations.

How has your mission been impacted by the events of September 11, 2001?

More lasting and significant than any of the incidental roadblocks and detours caused by that tragic and sobering day was the impact on our sense of mission as an arts organization.

There is a renewed conviction that the arts are an essential link in the pursuit of global and domestic peace. The arts provide an effective medium for educating and enlightening our next generation of leaders, broadening their understanding nd appreciation of diverse cultures, traditions and beliefs, thereby advancing the concept of world citizenship—essential in the pursuit of a sustainable world peace.

The arts, more than any other medium, communicate across language barriers and country borders; across barriers of race and ethnicity, culture and religion, gender and generation.

They nurture the soul and uplift the spirit in times of darkness. And they make us think, often in new and enlightening ways.

What are your dreams for the future?

I have many more dreams than I could ever hope to realize in a lifetime, and yet I believe in the possibility of those dreams, regardless of how impossible they might seem. From a broad perspective, my dream is of a world where the arts are an integral and consciously valued part of everyone's everyday life; a world where corporations, local businesses and individuals seek out opportunities to help fund arts programs everywhere.

Photos: Julie Wiatt Sarah Wallace, Busy Graham, Joan Burns, Claire Schwadron, and Heather Scheeler in Class Acts' new office in the Silver Spring Arts & Entertainment district.

And what is your future vision of Class Acts, specifically? My dream for Class Acts involves establishing a solid and secure funding base, and perhaps hiring a full-time director of fundraising and development. In the long term, my dream is to establish an endowment that would effectively remove the financial stress behind our day-to-day operations, enabling us to stay focused on the higher order of our mission.

How is the health of arts in our community?

I think overall there is a growing appreciation of the arts, and of the positive impact they have on our lives. The role the arts play in the pursuit of health and happiness, quality of life, in strengthening education and building community across all kinds of divides, is significant—not to mention the value of the arts in stimulating our local and state economies. In fiscal year 2001 alone, the arts generated $817 million in terms of economic impact for the state of Maryland.

How did you get the name Busy?

I have my parents to thank—or rather, blame—for that. With my being the first of five children, they didn't know I was an ordinary one-year old, having the usual flair for mischief and hyper busy-ness. My real name is Peggy Sue, named after two extraordinary aunts. When my family lived in Tunisia, Busy was too hard to pronounce, so I became known as Sue Graham, pronounced sous gramme (under-weight).

What is your background?

I grew up in Milwaukee. When I was 10, my father, Dick Graham, took a job in D.C., on staff at the Peace Corps during the Kennedy years. After a couple years, we moved to Tunisia where all 5 of us kids (ages 5 to 12) learned to speak French fluently—within a matter of weeks, thanks to a total immersion experience—plus some Arabic. Those were unquestionably two of the most formative, happy and memorable years of my life, and for us as a family.

I graduated from college—University of Vermont in the end, with SUNY/Old Westbury, University of Salzburg, University of London, Sarah Lawrence College, and Harvard Summer School en route. In the mid-'70s, I was teaching at Charlotte Central School, and living in the old carriage keeper's house on Shelburne Farm, south of Burlington, Vermont, staging great potluck suppers and dances with incredible musicians coming from far and wide.

I continued teaching in North Carolina for many years after that, and continued my involvement in music and dance with banjo lessons, clogging, and singing. They were wonderful times, with lots of great influences along the way.

Any encounters with anyone famous?

One memorable encounter with "celebrity" was thanks to my Lebanese friend Zelfa Hourani in Tunisia. Zelfa's father was, I believe, the minister of tourism and, as such, was given the responsibility of providing the Beatles with an enjoyable holiday in North Africa. As it turned out, only Paul McCartney wound up coming, with his friend Jane Asher.

We picked them up at the airport; Zelfa and I riding in the back seat of a little VW, Paul and Jane up front. We took them on our own private tour of the Roman ruins of Carthage, which Zelfa and I had come to know as a second home, and then rendezvoused with the rest of the party for an incredible weekend in a villa on the Mediterranean, where Paul wrote "I've Just Seen a Face," on the original Rubber Soul album.

What projects are you most excited about right now?

Project Youth ArtReach is a project we launched in response to a front-page article in the Washington Post between Christmas and New Year's of 1999, reporting an incident of violence at the Noyes youth detention center. As a means of positive intervention, Class Acts raised the funds necessary to infuse the center with the arts between Christmas and New Year's the following year, as well as during other holidays, to help compensate for what are traditionally difficult times for both inmates and staff, exacerbated by over-crowding and minimal provisions for education, mental and physical health.

Our goal is to bring arts programming to correctional facilities serving Maryland, Virginia and DC youth as a cost-effective and pro-active measure in rebuilding lives.

Project Youth ArtReach also brings performances, workshops and residencies into area middle schools as a means of motivating, educating and inspiring kids at that age. It's during those middle school years that adolescents make choices that can dramatically change the course of their lives, and others' lives.

The Carpe Diem Choral Arts Residency Project provides an opportunity for children, teens, adults and families to share together in an extraordinary arts experience. The 100 member community choir, ages 7-75, meets once a week with choral director Margie Farmer over the course of 9 weeks, culminating in a public performance on March 15. This first Carpe Diem experience is a dream come true for me. It is a life-affirming project—something I think we all need right now. The music sings and speaks for itself, and celebrates what is right with the world.

Anything else?

Our big news is that Class Acts has moved its offices out of the lower level of my home, where we have been operating since 1995, to the beautifully restored Historic Silver Spring B&O Railroad Station at 8100 Georgia Avenue, in the newly designated Arts & Entertainment District.

How can people find you and learn more about Class Acts?

We would, of course, welcome a visit, either at our office or at classactsarts.org. We can be reached by phone at 301-588-7525 and by email at info.classacts@verizon.net. Or perhaps we'll meet at a performance in one of the local schools or libraries, community centers, or at the Arts Alive, Kaleidoscope, or Jump Start with the Arts series in Takoma Park and Silver Spring.

What opportunities are there for volunteering with Class Acts?

Volunteer support is needed in: fundraising, graphic design, concert production, publicity, ticket sales, ushering at concerts, artist support services, website maintenance, and general office support. Anyone interested should call Elizabeth Gallauresi in our office at 301-588-4475 or 301-588-7525.

What can individuals do to further support the arts?

We all need to contact our local and state representatives and let them know that funding for the arts is important to us. The Maryland Citizens for the Arts has provided an excellent way to get our voices heard at www.mdarts.org. Follow the simple steps to connect with our representatives in the House and Senate. There is a current proposal to cut $5 million in the Maryland State Arts Council budget, which could have a devastating impact on arts organizations and activities throughout the state. Now is the time to let them know we object.