March 25, 2016

Through a partnership with the organization ArtistYear, recent Westphal graduates can help to bring arts access and education to underserved Philadelphia schools. Students with a deep passion for their art form will be placed in Philadelphia public schools as Fellows for a year of service, where they’ll develop arts curriculum and work with youth to help build equity in our communities through arts-based learning. In addition to utilizing creative expression as a way of strengthening the social and economic fabrics of our city, ArtistYear provides recent graduates with the opportunity to develop into professional citizen-artists.

The founding Artist-Citizen Service Year launched in 2014-15 at the Curtis Institute of Music, engaging five new Curtis graduates in designing curriculums in performance, composition, and artistic expression. The recent graduates worked with schools and community organizations such as Play On, Philly!, Project Home, South Philadelphia High School, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Cooper's Poynt School, and the Center for Autism Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

ArtistYear Fellows work full-time during the one-year experience and receive a national service allowance, living stipend and medical insurance, in addition to accessing weekly coaching and fellows meetings. To learn more about ArtistYear, click here. Applications for the 2016-2017 program, which will start on July 1^st, open in April 2016. Alums up to age 28 and those about to graduate should feel free to write to Dean Sabinson at acs48@drexel to express their interest and receive further information in the coming weeks.