Arts In Education
At the Center, Arts Education Has a Huge Impact
This week (September 13 - 19) is National Arts In Education week! This week is a chance to celebrate and advocate for the arts, and consider the impact of arts education on our lives. At the Center, we believe arts education is foundational for students and learners of all ages.
Hear from some of the incredible artists and staff who work with the Center about how arts education impacted their lives!
Explore the Arvada Center's fall art classes for all ages and skill levels!
Bebe Alexander, Ceramics Coordinator
“I discovered ceramics as a medium when I was in high school and was immediately hooked. I loved everything about it, from the making of objects, to the science of firing and glaze chemistry.
As a painfully shy teenager, I had found my place and my people in the ceramics studio.”
Gabriel Morales, Patron Services Representative
"A counselor asked me - 'If you could take any class, what would it be?' I immediately said, ‘Acting class." "And once again, the arts came to my rescue.”
"Once again, the arts came to my rescue."
John Hamilton, Ceramics Instructor
“My calling to the arts came during community college when I discovered an affinity for clay. This was the first time I saw the medium as a way to convey emotion. My art became about the child at heart and play, but more importantly – identity. Ceramics gave me a voice I never knew existed.”
"Ceramics gave me a voice I never knew existed.”
Cal Meakins, Children's Theatre House Manager
“When I was five, my twin brother and I got in the habit of memorizing full movies between each other and repeating them rapid-fire (think Abbott and Costello meets Brother Bear). In an effort to channel this energy my Mom got all of my siblings and me to audition for A Christmas Carol at the Longmont Theatre Company. Olin and I ended up being cast and alternating nights in the role of Tiny Tim. I spent a lot of weekends helping (well, watching my Dad help) build the set and being mesmerized by all the different design elements coming together.”
Brenna Clendaniel, Corporate Relations Manager
"I can still remember the first performance in my mind."
“My best friend in middle school wanted to audition for Annie. I wasn't as interested but desperately wanted to hang out with her. She didn't show up for auditions, but I did, got cast and actually really enjoyed the experience! I can still remember the first performance in my mind - I had the biggest grin on my face.”
Emily Grace King, Galleries Exhibition Manager
“My mom integrated creation into every subject. She taught me drawing as a method of accurate communication rather than artistic expression. This focus on drawing fundamentals in my childhood proved essential to finding my place in humanity.”
Jon Olson, Lighting Director
“My sophomore year of high school my guidance counselor mistakenly placed me in an advanced performing arts class for juniors and seniors. I had never done theatre before, but there I found an amazing teacher and life-long friend in Annell Weissenbuehler, as well as a passion for theatre. That passion quickly turned into a calling.”
"That passion quickly turned into a calling."
Jessie Page, Wardrobe Supervisor
“I took dance classes all through my childhood, started playing in my school’s band in 5th grade, and have been involved in theatre literally my whole life! My dad is an actor, so my brother and I grew up sitting backstage at different theatres or watching him from the audience.
I feel super lucky that the arts were something that I was around constantly, and I knew from a very young age that I wanted to make a career in it somehow.”
Explore the Arvada Center's fall art classes for all ages and skill levels.
