The Urban Gateways Blog

Dorothy Walker Runner, 1920-2010

2010-08-11T17:05:40Z

The Chicago Tribune
8/11/2010

It is with profound sadness that we send word of passing of Dorothy Runner, one of Urban Gateways' founding mothers. She will be missed by all, but her legacy lives on in the work we do everyday.

Read Article >>

Urban Gateways Awarded Motorola Foundation Grant for Female-focused Gaming Program

2010-08-06T14:19:32Z

Urban Gateways, Chicago’s most comprehensive arts education organization, has received more than $30,000 as part of the Innovation Generation grant program from the Motorola Foundation, the charitable arm of Motorola Inc. Through the grant, Urban Gateways will launch the program Girls Got Game, in which 125 female middle school students in the Chicago-area will design and build a fully-operational PC- based computer game.

The Motorola Foundation’s signature Innovation Generation program seeks to boost American students’ engagement in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by providing $7.5 million to K-12 programs across the U.S., including Urban Gateways, to support hands-on, innovative after-school programs, science and math clubs, teacher training and mentoring programs.

“Thanks to the Motorola Foundation, Urban Gateways will be able to spark the imagination and intelligence of young girls to pursue STEM-focused careers and develop their creativity. Creativity is rated by U.S. employers as one of the top five skills most needed in the 21st century global workplace. Arts learning is crucial in the development of innovational thinking,” said Julie F. Simpson, Urban Gateways Executive Director.

Through the Girls Got Game program, Urban Gateways will engage program participants creatively by challenging them to initiate and construct all components of a video game, including design, character development, theme, layout and sound production. The program will also introduce female students to the career possibilities within the gaming industry, which is experiencing tremendous growth. Currently women make up 38% of all gamers but represent only 12% of the gaming industry. Urban Gateways will jointly design and deliver this curriculum with Video Gaming faculty from Flashpoint Academy, one of the country’s most respected for-profit media and technology training colleges

“Engaging youth in STEM fields will be crucial to driving future innovation and keeping America competitive in a global economy,” said Eileen Sweeney, director of the Motorola Foundation. “With the help of these grants, Urban Gateways and Motorola can work together to ensure we are adequately building a diverse pipeline of critical thinkers and addressing the most pressing needs around education.”

Urban Gateways will also receive ongoing support from a Motorola employee through the company’s “Innovators” employee volunteer program, which utilizes the expertise of Motorola’s workforce to inspire the next generation of inventors. These volunteers will assist and mentor the Girls Got Game participants, as well as present ways in which Motorola employees interact with video game developers and sound engineers. In addition, Urban Gateways will bring in professional video game makers and sound engineers to speak to the students about STEM careers.

Since 2007, more than $20.5 million has been awarded to STEM programs nationwide through Innovation Generation funding. For more information on the grant program, please visit www.motorola.com/giving. For additional information on Urban Gateways please visit www.urbangateways.org.

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About Urban Gateways
Urban Gateways is one of the largest and most comprehensive arts education organizations in the country and a recipient of the White House’s “Medal of Arts.” For more than 49 years, Urban Gateways has brought the arts into the lives of millions of disadvantaged children in Chicago. We fulfill our mission – to ignite the creative potential of young people – by providing high-quality, customized programming before, during and after school to more than 100,000 Chicago-area youth each year in the areas of literary, media, performing and visual arts. For more information, please visit: www.urbangateways.org.

About the Motorola Foundation
The Motorola Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola. With employees located around the globe, Motorola seeks to benefit the communities where it operates. The company achieves this by making strategic grants, forging strong community partnerships, fostering innovation and engaging stakeholders. Motorola Foundation focuses its funding on education, especially science, technology, engineering and math programming. For more information, on Motorola Corporate and Foundation giving, visit www.motorola.com/giving.

IN THE CLASSROOM: Connecting to our Students

2010-07-01T15:51:46Z

Urban Gateways teaching artists led two artist residencies this spring around the theme of connectivity. These residencies resulted in student artwork that Urban Gateways featured and auctioned off at ArtsWired 2010, our annual interactive benefit on June 22.

The student artists were paid a stipend for their work and invited to the event to connect with our guests and share their artwork . Below is a description of each residency, as well as links to view the artwork.

RESIDENCY 1: CONNECTING TO YOUR STRENGTHS

At Finkl Elementary School, Urban Gateways teaching artist Nikki Zaleski worked with seventh and eighth grade students on a month-long residency focused on CONNECTING TO YOUR STRENGTHS.

The intention of the residency was to look at students as experts of their own experiences and to understand that each student has valuable skills and ideas to share, said Zaleski.

The students began by exploring what they knew and then choosing a subject of which they were experts. Next, they were asked to teach others what they knew about their expertise through photography and poetry. Using only their cell phones, students took photos and wrote text message poetry that corresponded to their expertise.

These photos were printed. Then local artist Andrew Brant silk-screened the corresponding poetry on top of each photo; and they were framed for the ArtsWired 2010 auction. The students also recorded their poetry, and Artswired 2010 guests were able to listen to the recordings inside an audio booth that night.

Watch a slideshow of the students' cellphone photos>>

RESIDENCY 2: CONNECTING TO YOUR FUTURE

At the Multicultural Arts High School, Urban Gateways teaching artist Jesse Avina worked with high school students on a month-long residency focused on CONNECTING TO YOUR FUTURE.

In this residency, the students were asked what goals they have and how they can be achieved. Rather than asking what he or she wants to be, we focused on what it will take to get there, said Avina.

The students began by listing out job-related or serious goals, as well as absurd/fantasy goals, and then outlining the 5 steps it would take to achieve those goals.

Next the students selected one goal and created brief descriptions and sketches that illustrated each step toward achieving that goal. Finally, using magazines, paints, pencils and fabric, the students created a collage for each step.

The collages were scanned and assembled to create an image of their steps leading downward to their goal. These digital compositions were printed out and framed for the ArtsWired 2010 auction.

Urban Gateways Selected as Provider for CPS "Culture of Calm Initiative"

2010-07-01T15:20:13Z

Urban Gateways is among 25 community organizations selected by the Chicago Public School District to provide services through its "Culture of Calm Initiative", which is part of the district’s $25 million dollar plan to support high schools and communities most at risk of violence. Urban Gateways is the only arts education organization included as a Culture of Calm provider.

On June 22, Mayor Richard M. Daley and Chicago Public Schools officials announced
that the school system will use almost $25 million in federal economic stimulus
funding for mentoring, community watch, and “Culture of Calm” initiatives.

CPS will use $10 million of the funding to support of creating a “Culture of Calm” in 38 high schools where there is a high-risk that students may become involved with violence.

The funds will be used to support staff development services such as instruction in behavioral management, leadership training, change management and conflict resolution.
They will support student development services, such as instruction in leadership and student violence prevention.
The program is expected to result in more focused instructional time in all classrooms, increased staff capacity to address student needs, improved effectiveness of teachers in utilizing behavior intervention techniques, reduction in disruptive student.

The other new programs funded by the stimulus will provide: mentoring services for 1500 high school students at 13 high schools; and 390 “school community watchers” whose assignment will be to keep watch along designated safety routes at arrival and dismissal times of 13 designated high schools.

Below is a full list of all Culture of Calm Providers.

Staff and Student Development Services:
Alternatives, Inc.
Community Matters
Community-Linked Mental Health Services Programs
Umoja Student Development Corp.
Urban Gateways
WES Corporation
Youth Guidance

Staff Development Services:
Educators for Social Responsibility
Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home
International Institute for Restorative Practices

Student Development Services:
A Knock at Midnight
Aspira, Inc.
Assist Her, Inc.
Broader Urban Involvement and Leadership Development
City Year, Inc.
Inner Vision International, Inc.
Life Directions
Logan Square Neighborhood Association
Metropolitan Family Services
Mikva Challenge
Ripple Effects
Black Star Project
Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois (Cease Fire)
Uhlich Children’s Advantage Network
Youth and Family Services

Chicago Schools Pushing Big Bucks for Mentorship, Safe Passage, Culture of Calm

2010-06-22T20:25:00Z

WBEZ
6/22/2010

This article highlights the expected decision by the Chicago Board of Education to approve nearly 25-million dollars in federal stimulus funds for a district-wide violence prevention initiative. Urban Gateways is among the organizations to receive funding through part of this initiative known as Culture of Calm.

Read Full Article>>>

Urban Gateways Partners with Chicago Corporate Leaders to Launch "Arts-Wired" Schools

2010-06-01T20:50:41Z

Jenner & Block and Fifth Third Bank Adopt Schools to Prepare Students for the 21st Century

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Urban Gateways: Center for Arts Education is pleased to announce the official launch of the Urban Gateways Arts-Wired Program, a whole-school change model which infuses the arts into struggling schools to transform them into high-quality hubs of learning with the support of corporate partners.

Urban Gateways, Chicago’s oldest and largest arts education organization, recognizes the unparalleled impact of arts learning on a school culture and is partnering with like-minded Chicago-area schools and business leaders to transform schools in need.

How does the Arts-Wired Program work? A business partner adopts a Chicago-area school for a period of four years, during which Urban Gateways delivers in-depth, customized arts programming. Just as a school which is “wired” for technology raises the possibility for success in any educational environment, Urban Gateways will infuse four key components of arts learning into Arts-Wired Schools, in order to increase the academic achievement levels for all students. That arts programming includes:

Artist Residencies, which bring professional artists into the classroom – before, during and after school - to provide students with high quality arts experiences that offer enrichment, inspiration and engagement for all types of learners.
Professional Development for teaching staff, certified arts specialists and administrators that expands their knowledge of the arts and teaches them how to build the arts into their teaching strategies and curricula;
Exposure to high quality performing arts and cultural experiences through Urban Gateways’ touring and matinee performances in dance, music and theatre; and
Out-of-school opportunities, such as workshops, classes, and special events for students parents and neighborhood residents that embed arts learning into a larger community development context.

The Arts-Wired funding model is a progressive one, so as each year passes, the Arts-Wired School is supported less by the adopting corporate partner and increasingly by reallocating its annual budget along with leveraging a combination of public and private funding sources.
The first two business leaders to fund or “adopt” an Arts-Wired School are Jenner & Block and Fifth Third Bank, which have adopted Fairfield Academy (6201 South Fairfield, Chicago) and Roosevelt Middle School (2500 Oak Street, Bellwood), respectively.

“Student involvement in the arts has been proven to contribute to improved academic achievement, decreased drop-out rates, and increased self-esteem and responsibility in youth,” said Urban Gateways Executive Director Julie F. Simpson. “An Arts-Wired School can provide children with an environment to exercise their voice and develop the self confidence and leadership skills necessary to become catalysts of change in their schools, communities and the world around them.”

Local businesses were a natural partner for this project, since they have a vested interest in preparing the next generation for the workforce. “It is a privilege to bring the Urban Gateways Arts-Wired Program to Roosevelt Middle School,” said Chip Reeves, Fifth Third Bank Chicago Market President. “Fifth Third Bank’s commitment to building strong communities begins with a quality education for children to give them the best possible start in life. We are proud to play a role in making this innovative program a success.”

The Arts-Wired Program has also provided a way for businesses to encourage their employees to further support their community. Jenner & Block lawyers and staff for many years have supported Fairfield Academy through weekly tutoring sessions and other programs, as well as with financial and technology support. The firm challenged its personnel to raise half of the $30K goal it needed in order to bring the Arts-Wired program to Fairfield, with Jenner & Block providing the rest of the funds. The response to this challenge from across the firm was overwhelming, with more than $22K raised.

“The arts are an important part of a robust education that every child deserves and we’re proud to help bring this innovative program to Fairfield Academy,” said Jenner & Block Chairman Anton R. Valukas, who has spearheaded the Jenner & Block’s firm-wide support of Fairfield. “The Arts-Wired curriculum will help Fairfield students to grow academically in all subjects, bolster their confidence and broaden their horizons.”

Urban Gateways’ first Arts-Wired Schools, Fairfield Academy and Roosevelt Middle School, were launched this past spring. It is anticipated that they will be receiving the full complement of services within the first nine months of operation.

To learn more about Urban Gateways’ Arts-Wired program or to request an interview with constituents from Urban Gateways, the schools, or the corporate partners, please contact Becky Schneck Allen, Urban Gateways Marketing & Communications Manager, at 312.445.2749 or bschneckallen@urbangateways.com

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Urban Gateways
Urban Gateways is one of the largest and most comprehensive arts education organizations in the country and a recipient of the White House’s “Medal of Arts.” For more than 48 years, Urban Gateways has brought the arts into the lives of millions of disadvantaged children in Chicago. We fulfill our mission – to ignite the creative potential of all young people – by providing high-quality, customized programming before, during and after school to more than 100,000 Chicago-area youth each year in the areas of literary, media, performing and visual arts. For more information, please visit: www.urbangateways.org.

Jenner & Block
Jenner & Block is a national law firm with approximately 470 attorneys and offices in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, DC. Founded in 1914, the Firm has grown and prospered because of an unwavering commitment to our clients, to the Bar, to our people and to public service. Jenner & Block has been widely recognized for consistently delivering excellent legal representation in the courtroom and the boardroom. The Firm has also traditionally served as a leader in public service and pro bono advocacy, having been consistently ranked as one of the top ten pro bono firms in the country by The American Lawyer magazine. In 2009, The American Lawyer recognized Jenner & Block as the number one law firm in the country for pro bono service for the second year in a row.

Fifth Third Bank
Fifth Third Bancorp is a diversified financial services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Company has $113 billion in assets, operates 16 affiliates with 1,309 full-service Banking Centers, including 102 Bank Mart® locations open seven days a week inside select grocery stores and 2,366 ATMs in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Florida, Tennessee, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Georgia and North Carolina. Fifth Third operates four main businesses: Commercial Banking, Branch Banking, Consumer Lending, and Investment Advisors. Fifth Third is among the largest money managers in the Midwest and, as of March 31, 2010, had $190 billion in assets under care, of which it managed $25 billion for individuals, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. Investor information and press releases can be viewed at www.53.com.

Urban Gateways Partners with Chicago Corporate Leaders to Launch "Arts-Wired" Schools

2010-05-25T22:14:56Z

Jenner & Block and Fifth Third Bank Adopt Schools to Prepare Students for the 21^st Century

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – Urban Gateways: Center for Arts Education is pleased to announce the official launch of the Urban Gateways Arts-Wired Program, a whole-school change model which infuses the arts into struggling schools to transform them into high-quality hubs of learning with the support of corporate partners.

How does the Arts-Wired Program work? A corporate partner adopts a Chicago-area school for a period of four years, during which Urban Gateways delivers in-depth, customized arts programming. Just as a school which is “wired” for technology raises the possibility for success in any educational environment, Urban Gateways will infuse four key components of arts learning into Arts-Wired Schools, in order to increase the academic achievement levels for all students. That arts programming includes:

Artist Residencies, which bring professional artists into the classroom – before, during and after school - to provide students with high quality arts experiences that offer enrichment, inspiration and engagement for all types of learners.
Professional Development for teaching staff, certified arts specialists and administrators that expands their knowledge of the arts and teaches them how to build the arts into their teaching strategies and curricula;
Exposure to high quality performing arts and cultural experiences through Urban Gateways’ touring and matinee performances in dance, music and theatre; and
Out-of-school opportunities, such as workshops, classes, and special events for students, parents and neighborhood residents that embed arts learning into a larger community development context.

The first two corporate leaders to fund or “adopt” an Arts-Wired School are Jenner & Block and Fifth Third Bank, which have adopted Fairfield Academy (6201 South Fairfield, Chicago) and Roosevelt Middle School (2500 Oak Street, Bellwood), respectively.

Student involvement in the arts has been proven to contribute to improved academic achievement, decreased drop-out rates, and increased self-esteem and responsibility in youth,” said Urban Gateways Executive Director Julie F. Simpson. “An Arts-Wired School can provide children with an environment to exercise their voice and develop the self confidence and leadership skills necessary to become catalysts of change in their schools, communities and the world around them.”

To learn more about the Urban Gateways Arts-Wired Program or to request an interview with constituents from Urban Gateways, the schools, or the corporate partners, please contact Becky Schneck Allen, Urban Gateways Marketing & Communications Manager, at 312.445.2749 or bschneckallen@urbangateways.com

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In The Classroom: Students Take Flight in Theatre Residency

2010-05-07T14:17:07Z

In the Classroom is a new monthly feature created to take you inside a different Chicago-area classroom, introduce you to the Urban Gateways Teaching Artist who is working there, and share with you the experiences of the teaching artist and their students.

"Birds, Wings and Flying Things” – that’s the theme that the students of Hamilton School (K-8) have been exploring this year. It sounds like a science lesson, maybe even history, but it has also been the focus of a 20-week Urban Gateways Artist Residency at the school.

Hamilton is one of the schools that participate in Urban Gateways’ Cultural Education Program (CEP), which is a multi-year grant partnership between UG and selected schools through which students and teachers receive training in one of four specific arts disciplines each year: dance, music, theatre and visual arts. The goal is to give educators the tools to make connections between the fine and performing arts, social sciences and language arts.

This year, Hamilton students and teachers are exploring the discipline of theatre, and for the past few months, they’ve been doing so with Teaching Artist Maia Morgan.

Maia is working with 11 different classes, at least one from each grade level, all focused on “Birds, Wings and Flying Things”. “It was stimulating and interesting to re-invent the theme for all 11 groups of students, making sure the content was both age appropriate and would engage them for the full 20 weeks,” said Maia when talking about the challenges of the residency.

So how did Maia and her students re-invent the theme? Here’s a look into a few of Maia’s classes:

With 2 classes of kindergartners, Maia focused on fireflies, bees and butterflies. One class explored the idea of metamorphosis, leading them to a personal reflection on how they have grown up. The other class examined the question: “What makes little things important?”. They started by asking “What do fireflies do? Butterflies? Bees?”. Then finally, they asked “What do kindergartners do?”, and how does that make us important. As one of her students noted, “Even though I’m little, I’m still big to a bug.”
The second graders studied birds and literature, focusing on three children’s books: Make Way for Ducklings, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and Stella Luna. As they studied different kinds of birds, they also reflected on all the different people in the world and asked the question: “What’s cool about being different?”.
With the fifth through the eighth graders, Maia delved into the mythical story of Icarus, which lead to a discussion about disobeying your parents and when do we start making our own decisions. With the sixth graders, she took it a step further, and asked them to share a time when they had “crashed” or tried and failed. They had to write about the experience, and then write what a wise grandparent might say to make them feel better.

Each residency began with Maia presenting the students with books, poems, and essays that related to the theme and portrayed the type of writing she wanted to elicit from her young writers. They studied the works then embarked on writing exercises that explored sensory detail, comparison, character and point of view. She also led the classes through theatre games that worked on the basic skills of physicalizing an emotion or a character, collaborating and ensemble building.

After 9 weeks, Maia gathered all the writing from every student and assembled 11 different scripts; one script for every class – making sure that each student’s writing was represented. “When all the students’ work is juxtaposed, it becomes a revelation. And when we read the plays aloud, it’s exciting for the kids to hear someone else present what they wrote. It becomes more of a collective effort,” commented Maia.

This residency will culminate on June 2 with each class presenting their play, which will have been written, directed and performed by the students. “We are now rehearsing and staging the plays,” shared Maia. “They are getting up and embodying it. We keep adding layers, and it keeps making sense in a new way.”

TO READ SCRIPTS FROM THE HAMILTON SCHOOL PLAYS, CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW:

MusicianCorps Benefit Concert - Thanks for your support!

2010-03-19T21:20:45Z

On March 18, 2010, three local bands took the stage at Subterranean in Chicago for a benefit concert supporting Urban Gateways and MusicianCorps. A special thanks to the bands - Satellite 66, Paper Airplane Pilots and ManBirdBelly - and all the supporters who came out for the concert! Thanks to all of you, we raised hundreds of dollars that will support music education in Chicago schools!

Check out photos from the concert below!

And to learn more about MusicianCorps, watch this NBC Nightly News story>>

In the Classroom: Our New Teaching Artists

2010-03-11T19:00:34Z

This month, we want you to meet three of Urban Gateways newest teaching artists! Each year, we welcome a handful of new teaching artists to our roster. After a rigorous application and interview process, a select few are asked to participate in professional development, as well as a provisional residency in the fall. Depending on the outcome of those short-term residencies, the teaching artists are then asked to officially join Urban Gateways roster.

We have some incredible new teaching artists this year. Below is a look inside three provisional residencies led by visual artist Jillian Gryzlak, media artist Hondo Lawrence, and media artist Jesse Avina. And definitely check out the photo slideshow of the residencies, as well.

Jillian Gryzlak – A Place for Everyone in the World

The first graders at CICS Loomis were already learning about the mapping of physical space, when Jillian arrived for her month-long residency entitled A Place for Everyone in the World. She wanted to take the idea of mapping one step further by exploring the mapping of an abstract thought or emotion. Through brainstorming, writing exercises and games, Jillian and the students examined how they react emotionally to their world, specifically exploring questions like:

· What is the definition of emotion?

· Are you aware when you shift from one emotion to another?

· How can we symbolize emotion with color and line?

The students then created buildings that symbolized the emotions they had explored, and finally laid them all out together in an emotional city.

“A main highlight of this residency was learning that one student, who rarely shares his thoughts and work, due to having difficulty in many subjects, was one of the students raising his hand to answer every question and share his artwork at every chance. He felt comfortable and confident while making art and creatively writing, I am so happy that he found this confidence within himself and hope he continues to make art and find the confidence in other subjects”.

Hondo Lawrence - Universal Declaration of Human Rights Posters

For his residency, Hondo Lawrence worked with seniors at Perspectives High School of Technology. The residency was inspired by Woody Pirtle’s Poster Series for Amnesty International, which is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights developed by the U.N. In his research, Hondo discovered that the U.N. declaration was intended for school students and decided that the posters would be a perfect way to introduce students to human rights and to support students in creating their own Human Rights Poster.

For their posters, Hondo invited the students to use original drawings and photographs, as well as to create their own images using Adobe Photoshop. And while they were free to explore images, color and layout, Hondo prompted them to all use the same font to unify the posters. After the posters were complete, students participated in group critiques based on graphic design elements and discussion about the human rights themes from the posters. The students then shared their posters with their peers by displaying them at the school.

Most students were very enthusiastic, and the teacher was really into the whole curriculum. I loved the posters and how the students conquered their imagination and asserted themselves within Photoshop, which has many buttons and tools. When I looked in their eyes I saw respect and admiration. I feel that they saw within me a gift or certain skills that they wanted to possess and trusted me that I could provide them with the same. Many of them were already artists and just never really had that sort of push or guidance to create such a project.

Jesse Avina – Listen to me… I want to tell you something

When Jesse Avina met with Erin Kerrigan, a teacher at Perspective Calumet High School of Technology, she said her eleventh-grade students were interested in talking about violence, particularly the sort they encounter every day in their neighborhoods. As Jesse has also dealt with violence as a theme in his artwork, he considered this an excellent opportunity to expand upon his own investigations and introduce the students to artwork that does the same.

Through writing exercises, Jesse and the students explored, discovered and shared the issues and problems that were immediately and directly affecting them as individuals. These topics ranged from racism and teen pregnancy to global warming and mass consumerism.

In the end, each student created a short video that served as a proclamation of his or her concerns, worries, and frustrations that are not addressed by mass media outlets. Jesse and the classroom teacher then met with each student to discuss the message and its effectiveness, and offered suggestions for future explorations on the topic. Students also gathered in small groups to view each other’s completed work.

My favorite question was posed to me within the first ten minutes of the first class.

“I am an artist.” I said.

“Yeah, but what do you really do?” asked a student.

“Well, I make art.” I replied

“But what is that?” she asked.

“Uh…” I replied.

I answered the question after a momentary pause, but I was caught off guard by her confusion as to the role of a contemporary artist. This was very refreshing in a way; I mean there is starting with a clean slate and then there is starting without a blackboard at all. This question came at the beginning of the residency and allowed me to approach teaching the concepts and themes of the course in a straightforward manner that did not make presumptions on their exposure to video art. As a result the students showed no hesitancy in asking questions or expressing their opinions on the art pieces we viewed.

Making music, with a mission - ONLINE EXTRA

2010-03-08T18:48:49Z

NBC Nightly News w/ Brian Williams
March 8, 2010

A continuation of the Making a Difference segment entitled Making music, with a mission about the national MusicianCorps program with testimonials from founder Kiff Gallagher and Chicago MusicianCorps Fellows Vernon Lloyd and Cyndy Fyke, as well as their students.

Watch The Full Video>>>

Making music, with a mission

2010-03-08T18:01:16Z

NBC Nightly News w/ Brian Williams
March 8, 2010

This news segment features MusicianCorps - the national “musical Peace Corps” that was piloted in 2009-10 in four cities nationwide including Chicago. Urban Gateways partnered with MusicianCorps to bring six fellows to Chicago and managed the program locally. The piece features Chicago MusicianCorps fellows Cyndy Fike and Vernon Lloyd, and their students.

Watch Full Video>>>

In the Classroom: Global Rhythms

2010-02-08T23:33:52Z

In the Classroom is a new monthly feature created to give you an up-close look at Urban Gateways Teaching Artists in action. Each month, we’ll take you inside a different Chicago-area classroom, introduce you to the Urban Gateways Teaching Artist who is working there, and share with you the experiences of the teaching artist and their students.

In Fall 2009, teaching artist and musician John Knecht led a semester-long residency at Immaculate Conception School called Global Rhythms. John explored world percussion with first through fourth graders, connecting his lessons to music appreciation, reading notation, world cultures, sociology (concepts of community and identity) and literature.

The video below documents the residency through photos and the voices of students and teachers at Immaculate Conception.

What students learned through John’s residency:

“Before I was in John's class, I thought community was a just a neighborhood… but now I've thought about a community in different cultures, and how music unites people together.”

“We've learned about how other places have different cultures, and how they celebrate; where they live, and how they are together; and all the different music they have.”

“I think I can be a better person. Cooperate with more people, and be more kind and caring and listen to what they have to say, not just what I say. It's not all about me, it's about everyone. And what they think and what I think, and how we can work off each other.”

Teachers’ testimonials about this residency:

“Surprisingly in a rhythm class, they're getting geography skills. John is working in a lot of geography and other cultures …. so in addition to seeing kids rhythm skills develop, we can also see that the kids are remembering places that John has taken them in his residency and talking about them in other contexts.”

“I think UG in general is just a fantastic program. It presents art to the kids and teachers as more than just painting on paper. The arts, especially in this country, are underappreciated, so starting at such a young age and teaching kids that rhythm and dance and applied arts are all a part of the arts is just priceless.”

Ballroom Dance-off Brings Students and Community Together

2010-02-01T17:26:52Z

On Thursday, February 4, elementary students from Chavez Multicultural Academy – an Urban Gateways Community School – paired up and “Danced-Off” against students from five other schools in Chicago's Back of the Yards neighborhood.

The Dance-Off was the culmination of a four-month, after-school program called “Dancing with Class” – which focuses on building community bonds through the medium of social dance. Since October, the Chicago social dance studio May I Have This Dance has provided weekly lessons at all six elementary schools. Then the students came together for a final Dance-Off, in which partnered with both their classmates AND with dancers from the other schools.

“We have a fundamental belief in the power of social dance to build and strengthen communities, to bring people of all socio-economic backgrounds together, to do something that brings joy and strengthens respect for self and others,” said Margot Toppen from May I Have This Dance.

This is the fourth year that the studio has taught “Dancing with Class”, but this year, the studio also added an apprenticeship program. May I Have This Dance trained 15 juniors and seniors from Lindblom High School to assist with the elementary school dance classes; and the classes are also having a positive impact on them.

“I initially participated in the program because it was a part of a grade for my class, but as time went on, I realized that I was not just doing this for a grade,” said Jahliel, a senior at Lindblom High School and one of the apprentices. “I enjoy working with children and impacting their lives in a positive way. These students are Latino, and I am African American. The cultural gap between our races is becoming extremely large. Not only do I use this opportunity to be a positive influence to the youth, but I help bridge the gap, showing that we are all equal.”

The Dance-off took place at Chicago's Linblom High School and involved the following elementary schools: Chavez, Daley, Hedges, Lara, Namaste, and Seward.

UG Launches Blog Focused on Arts Education & its Impact

2010-01-21T17:44:51Z

Blog Features Experiences of Six Chicago-area Teaching Artists

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS –Urban Gateways: Center for Arts Education is launching a blog to bring attention to the importance of arts education. The blog, entitled Urban Gateways Artists Wired (www.ugartistswired.typepad.com), features six Urban Gateways’ teaching artists, who will post regularly about their experiences in Chicago-area classrooms.

“We want to chronicle their journey with the students, in hopes of drawing attention to the importance of the work these professional artists do and the impact they have on the children, on the schools and on the communities where they work,” said Julie F. Simpson, Urban Gateways Executive Director.

Founded almost 50 years ago, Urban Gateways is one of the largest and most comprehensive arts education organizations in the country. Each year, the organization provides in- and out-of-school programming in the literary, performing, media and visual arts to more than 100,000 young people in the Chicago-area.

The six teaching artists contributing to the blog are all part of Urban Gateways Artist-in-Residence program, which brings professional artists into the classroom – before, during and after school - to engage students in the complex and dynamic study of art and to provide a creative approach to learning.

Each residency is customized for the community, school and classroom, in which the artists are working. The artists collaborate with classroom teachers to identify major ideas students will be exploring; and then create an original and engaging curriculum that uses art to dig deeper and find meaningful connections between those ideas and the world around them.

The teaching artists who are blogging represent different art disciplines, including music, literary, dance and visual arts (see bios below). They hope that the blog will shed light on the importance of arts education, as well as create an open forum for teaching artists. “Blogs are an excellent way to share thoughts, best practices, and insights. Online communities like this will help artists get better at what we do and ultimately achieve our goal, which is to get students excited and engaged in the arts,” said John Knecht, one of the Urban Gateways teaching artists and blog contributor.

For more information about the blog Urban Gateways Artists Wired or to interview the artists involved, please contact Becky Schneck Allen, Urban Gateways Communications Manager, at 312.445.2749 or bschneckallen@urbangateways.com

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BIOS – Urban Gateways Artist Wired Bloggers

Kevin Brown is a company member of Be the Groove, a rhythmic dance ensemble that performs at theaters, schools, and community events throughout Chicago and provides educational workshops and masterclasses to students of all ages.

John Knecht is a professional percussionist who has traveled to over 25 countries to master the art of drumming. He has studied and performed with legends in jazz, rock, funk, classical and African styles, with an emphasis on drum set and African percussion.

James “Casper” Jankowiak is a painter and installation artist, whose work has been exhibited at the MCA, Northwestern University and the SAIC’s Roger Brown Gallery. He has also been commissioned to paint murals for such entities as the Chicago White Sox, Leo Burnett and Nintendo.

Rachel Javellena is a poet and teaching artists, who facilitates workshops in poetry and performance through nationally recognized organizations such as The Poetry Center of Chicago, Words@Play, Urban Gateways, and Gallery 37 Center for the Arts.

Maia Morgan’s critically acclaimed plays and monologues have been produced throughout Chicago. Her work has been featured numerous times in Live Bait Theatre’s perennial Filet of Solo Fest and was selected Critic’s Choice in the Chicago Reader back to back in 2006 and 2007. A founding member of Running with Scissors, Maia appeared in their award-winning production, The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon and wrote and performed in Breathing Underwater.

Stephanie Paul is a co-founder, artistic director, teacher and ensemble member of Be the Groove, a rhythmic performance/education ensemble that focuses in dance and percussion. She is also on staff at Dance Center Evanston, Lake Forest Dance Academy, and Urbanbeat Dance, teaching hip hop dance at all 3 locations.