Creating an Outreach Program with the Beverly Arts Center

The Beverly Arts Center works with schools and organizations to create tailored fine arts programs in theater, dance, music, interdisciplinary, and visual arts. Below are several common program structures, but our Director of Outreach will work closely with you to create a program that fits your time, budget, and curriculum needs.

In-School Programming:
The BAC provides a part-time Fine Arts teacher at several local schools. These guest artists supplement the student?s regular lessons with visual arts, music, theater, or dance classes that meet once or twice a week as part of the students? regular school day. In-school programming can offer curriculum-integrated fine arts education to students at schools that may not be able to afford a full time Music, Drama, Dance, or Art teacher.

Average Program Length: 1-2 full school days per week, 8-10 months. 

Average Program Cost: $5000-$10000

After School Clubs:
These programs are a great choice for Extended Care programs looking for weekly or daily fine arts programming to help engage students who regularly stay after school. These programs offer a broad overview exploring multiple facets of one or more of the fine arts. After School Clubs pursue both short and long-term project or performance goals such as writing and performing a script, preparing a short dance concert, or creating a mural or large work of sculpture for your school. These programs also function well as stand-alone programs open to students who wish to register for extra-curricular activities.

Average Program Length: 1-2 hours, 1-4 days per week, 4-10 months

Average Program Cost: $3000-$7000

School Play or Musical:

Many schools use the Beverly Arts Center as a resource for staffing and producing their yearly dramatic production, from a fall drama to a full-scale spring musical. Some schools hire only part of their staff, such as the Director or Musical Director, through the BAC. Others use our services to take care of everything from the first audition notice to the last curtain call. In all cases, Beverly Arts Center staff work hard to make sure that students involved in these productions have a positive performance experience that builds self-confidence, lasting friendships, and life-long memories.

Average Program Length: 2 hours, 2-4 days per week, 8-10 weeks

Average Program Cost: $2000 to $6000

After School Classes:

The BAC has several shorter, specialized classes that can be offered as a Fall, Winter, or Spring extra-curricular option for interested students. These classes tend to focus on a more specialized area of a fine arts field, such as Sculpture, Improvisation, or Ballet. This is a great way to gauge interest in after-school fine arts programming at your school, and also a good option for schools with serious budgetary concerns.

Average Program Length: 1-2 hours, 1-2 days per week, 6-8 weeks

Average Program Cost: $500-$1500

Field Trips/ Guest Artists:

The Art Center is often available during the school day for groups to visit our state-of-the-art facility for a special one-time project or workshop. Likewise, our Guest Artists are available to come into the classroom or after-school program environment for a one day or one-week project that fits your curriculum.

Average Program Length: 1-2 hours, 1-4 days

Average Program Cost: $150-$500

Remember that these formats are just a place to begin! We?re always happy to explore new ways to bring the Fine Arts to schools and organizations.

For Your Staff:
Teacher/Staff Workshops are an opportunity for groups of teachers to come to BAC to learn how to integrate the fine arts into classroom curriculum. Teacher workshops can incorporate dance, visual art, music, and theater.  Groups can select and rotate through multiple disciplines or choose to focus on one area. Teachers can earn CPU's for attending the workshop.

How to get Started Creating your Outreach Program:

Average Program Legnth: 1-6 hours

Average Program Cost: $150-$1600

Start planning your program 3-5 months in advance. Programs can begin a minimum of 30 days after your program has been created and a contract has been signed. This gives us plenty of time to secure all necessary materials, place an instructor who is a perfect match for your program, schedule meeting time between the school or organization staff and the instructor, and help your organization promote the new program to the student body.

Be realistic about your budget, but remember that there are many ways to raise funds for fine arts programming. Our Director of Outreach will be happy to meet with you and discuss funding options that you may not have previously considered.

Consider polling your students to determine what kinds of programming they are interested in. This can help ensure minimum enrollment in after-school programs that depend on student registration for funding. We have ready-made questionnaires that we can share with you to help you get started.

Set a meeting with our Director of Outreach to discuss your available options. Some schools have a very clear idea of what they want, while others only know that they have a need for programming of some kind. We?re delighted to work with you either way to ask questions and make suggestions until we?ve found the perfect program for your students.

How to contact the Director of Outreach:

Communication by e-mail is preferred to help track information and conversational threads.

Emily Dugan

Director of Outreach

Beverly Arts Center

2407 W. 111th St

Chicago, IL 60655

773.445.3838 x216

Emily@beverlyartcenter.org

Once you have contacted Emily she will ask you a series of questions about your organization’s needs and interests and set a meeting time to begin discussing details and start planning your ideal outreach program!

Beverly Arts Center Partners with Target for Sponsorship of Umbrella Project

Target has become the first corporate sponsor of the Beverly Arts Center?s Lamb Umbrellas for Peace
project, a fine arts outreach program that encourages children to express their hopes and fears in a
perspective of peace, love and tolerance. The $500 sponsorship is part of the ongoing support Target
provides to local communities across the nation, with a focus on education, the arts, social services and
other vital community partnerships.

The Beverly Arts Center first offered the project in spring at Cassell School in Chicago?s Mount Greenwood
neighborhood. Umbrellas for Peace is a world-wide project, developed by artist and native Chicagoan Matt
Lamb following Sept. 11, 2001, and designed to use artistic expression as a vehicle for promoting
creativity, self-awareness and intercultural awareness. 

A hands-on experience, students participating in Umbrellas for Peace view Matt Lamb?s art work, using
it as a catalyst for a discussion about world cultures, diversity and unity. Then, using umbrellas
as their canvases, paint their hopes and dreams on the underside and their fears on the outside. 

The program is geared to 5th and 6th graders because they're open to the project?s message of peace and
understanding. They?re old enough to have had some exposure to the world and its problems, and young
enough to really engage in talking about concepts and hearing each others? voices.

The project serves about 35 students in each 2-hour session, and the $5 per person fee covers all
materials, including the umbrellas.

The BAC ArtReach's mission is to provide access or an extension to arts programming through support, supplement and enhancement of in-school education. BAC Outreach offers quality classes in music, drama, visual arts and dance. Our professional resident artists customize classes to fit the needs of any curriculum and budget. Our artists constantly strive to create exciting and challenging ways for students to gain confidence and an appreciation for the arts through our programs. It is our unyielding belief that providing arts education has far reaching potential to change lives for the better.

For more information or to set up a meeting to discuss such a program at your school send an email or call 773.445.3838.