The significance of the arts to education will be discussed at Drexel, April 30. Photo credit: Lois Greenfield, 2010.
Using the arts to foster learning, motivation and success for urban students will be the topic of conversation among a panel of artists and educators at “Learning through the Arts” on Tuesday, April 30 from 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m., the fourth event in the Critical Conversations in Urban Education lecture series hosted by Drexel University’s School of Education.
To exemplify themes explored during the panel discussion regarding the significance of the arts to education, DANCO 3, the youth ensemble of acclaimed Philadelphia dance company PHILADANCO, will present a special performance of three dances, “I Believe,” “Dream Catchers” and “Girls Rule.” Participants from the Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement will also perform.
An exhibit of art initiatives from prominent arts-based community organizations across the city will be open to guests throughout the evening, displaying a vibrant collection of work from the diverse arts-based programming available to Philadelphia’s children and youth.
The exhibit will feature work from organizations including ArtsRising; the Barnes Foundation; The Franklin Institute; Philadelphia Charter School for the Arts and Sciences at H.R. Edmunds; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Philadelphia Young Playwrights; Rock to the Future; and Taller Puertorriqueno, as well as by Mary Jo Grdina, associate clinical professor in the School of Education; and Drexel students Grace Gamble, Dawn Mazzola and Catherine Natter.
The panel discussion will take place in Mitchell Auditorium in the Bossone Research Center (3140 Market St). The event is free and open to the public, and all are welcome to attend. To register, call 215-895-6770, email ccues@drexel.edu or visit http://soe.drexel.edu/ccue. The event also will be webcast live at http://soe.drexel.edu/ccue.
Panelists include:
- Steve Wills, coordinator, Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Education Resource Center, moderator
- Megan Giampietro, vice principal, Philadelphia Charter School for Arts and Sciences at H.R. Edmunds
- Dr. Miriam Giguere, director of dance, Drexel’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design
- Dr. Youngmoo Kim, assistant dean of engineering for media technologies, Drexel’s College of Engineering
- Donald T. Lunsford, artistic director of DANCO 2
The School of Education’s Critical Conversations in Urban Education lecture series aims to become a vehicle for discussion within the Drexel and Philadelphia communities. It seeks to create a space for dialogue related to a range of education topics in an urban context for a mixed audience. The series provides professional development that augments understanding of factors in preparing educators, and that transforms learning outcomes for urban students.