Class Acts Arts celebrates its 10th year of strengthening education, building community and celebrating diversity through the arts
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Photo: Julie Wiatt
In 2004, Class Acts Arts sponsored a group of Maasai performers from Kenya, many of whom developed strong ties to the Takoma Park/Silver Spring community. |
It all began in the summer of 1995 when Busy Graham, then newly appointed executive director of the Institute of Musical Traditions, approached House of Musical Traditions owner and IMT founder, the venerable David Eisner, with the idea of launching an educational and community arts outreach project to be named Class Acts, under the Institute’s non-profit umbrella.
As a result of an overwhelmingly positive response, the project grew exponentially and soon required a separate board of directors and became incorporated as Class Acts Arts.
Ten years later, Class Acts Arts is now under the directorship of Joan Burns and has seven full-time and three part-time employees, facilitating over 2,500 performances, workshops and residencies each year in the visual, literary and performing arts, representing an inspiring range of cultural traditions and artistic disciplines, reaching more than 450,000 children and teachers, families, at-risk youth, seniors, and special needs populations throughout Maryland, D.C. and Virginia.
"The artists we work with share our conviction that the arts are among the most accessible and cost-effective means of engaging youth, building community, and creating pathways to peace through celebrating differences, while also providing important outlets for creatives expression."
— Busy Graham, Founder, Class Acts Arts |
In addition to facilitating arts outreach programs in hundreds of area schools and communities, Class Acts Arts’ scope of activities includes several ground-breaking initiatives: |
•Project Youth ArtReach, bringing culturally diverse and uplifting arts programs and residencies to D.C. area detention centers, correctional facilities and middle schools as a positive means of intervention;
•Hoop & Holler for Health, drawing on the performing arts to educate children about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity;
•Carpe Diem Choral Arts Residency Project, an opportunity for children, youth and adults to participate together in learning a wide-ranging repertoire of music, working with world-class musicians/composers, guest artists and choir directors; and
•World Class Arts, a new initiative to promote artists in the national market, partnering with public presenters to reach under-served communities.
In addition, Class Acts Arts presents several public performance series in Montgomery County: Kaleidoscope Family Performance Series, Jump Start with the Arts (for pre-school age children), and Arts Alive! in partnership with Montgomery College-Takoma Park. Class Acts Arts also provides gainful and meaningful employment, career development, and other support services for over 100 artists.
For more information, to make a contribution, or to offer volunteer support, visit www.classactsarts.org or contact Class Acts Arts at 301-588-7525, info.classacts@verizon.net.
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