A U.S. House Resolution recently designated April 9-22 as National Young Audiences Arts for Learning Week (YA Week) to honor the contributions YA has made to schools nationwide through arts-in-education programs.
Arkansas Learning Through The Arts (ALTTA) joined the Young Audiences Arts for Learning network in the spring of 2016 because of the similarity of mission and purpose and the possibility of working with others around the country who are implementing arts- and curriculum-based education programs at all academic levels.
The concept for Young Audiences (YA) began in 1950 in Baltimore, Maryland, and quickly expanded to New York City, Philadelphia and Boston. The Young Audiences network has since grown into a national arts-in-education organization, with YA chapters presenting a full range of performing arts events that include opera, jazz, folk music,
dance and theater programs. YA has produced books and videos for artist training, developed major partnership programs with cultural organizations, and recently inaugurated the Arts for Learning initiative.
Young Audiences Arts for Learning serves more than five million schoolchildren annually and has 32 affiliates, the newest of which is Arkansas Learning Through the Arts. YA affiliates reach out to over 8,900 partnering institutions to sponsor 80,000 performance demonstrations, workshops and teacher services provided by 4500 teaching artists.
By joining the YA network, ALTTA now has the backing and support of a time-tested national organization. “Becoming part of the Young Audiences Arts for Learning network will give us access to resources that we can use to serve students in Arkansas schools,” stated ALTTA executive director Craig Welle.
For more information about ALTTA, visit altta.org; to learn more about Young Audiences, go to youngaudiences.org.
