The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts Presents ARTSReach Spring 2021

As part of its continued mission to present innovative, unique, entertaining, and diverse performances and museum exhibitions, the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts will be hosting its ARTSReach program online for the Spring 2021 semester. The ARTSReach program typically provides free performances and tours of the Weisman Museum of Art to over 5,000 K-12 schoolchildren in Los Angeles and Ventura County each year. As a result of the closures caused by COVID-19, the ARTSReach program was transitioned online for the 2020-2021 season. The Center for the Arts has announced new ARTSReach content in the digital format in Spring 2021.

Each month during Spring 2021 (February through May), Center for the Arts will email participating ARTSReach teachers and schools with curated activities for the month. These resources will include performances, art criticism, and art analysis opportunities, and will consist of a combination of video and "screen off" activities for students encouraging them to engage with and be inspired by art.

"We are thrilled to share these virtual performances with our schools in Los Angeles and Ventura County," Rebecca Carson, Managing Director for the Center for the Arts, said. "This has been an incredibly challenging time for young people, their teachers, and their families. I selected these performances to bring some joy, wonder, and delight to the students and schools in our community."

The diverse range of professional presentations in the spring ARTSReach series includes jazz singer Jazzy Ash, GRAMMY-nominated Latin singer Sonia de los Santos, hip-hop dance company Versa-Style Dance Company, and Theatre and Music alumni from Pepperdine University. Performances are pre-recorded, so teachers can share the content with their students at their convenience over a four-week period. Each performance will be paired with a live question-and-answer session with the artist, so students have the opportunity to ask questions of the artist.

Each professional presentation is paired with four or more arts education activities designed to inspire and educate students in visual art, music, theatre, and dance. Many of the arts education activities were created by Seaver College students at Pepperdine University, under the direction of professional staff at the Center for the Arts.

Dates for the ARTSReach Spring 2021 monthly content are as follows:

Jazzy Ash and Black History Month: February 15-March 14, 2021

Sonia de los Santos and Spotlight on Women Artists: March 15-April 11, 2021

Versa-Style Dance Company and Spring into Dance: April 12-May 9, 2021

Pepperdine Alumni and Travel and Adventure: May 10-June 6, 2021

"I am incredibly proud of the hard work and talent shown by our student team at the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts," Carson said. "In the midst of their own struggles and challenges, our students turned to creativity and innovation. Years from now, I think our Pepperdine students will look back at this time and be proud that they took a challenging, difficult time and used it as an opportunity to inspire and help others."

The ARTSReach program is free to students and schools in Los Angeles and Ventura County, thanks to the support of donors to the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts. Advance registration is required.

ARTSReach monthly content is subject to change.

THE DETAILS:

WHAT: ARTSReach Spring 2021

WHEN: February-May 2021 (various times)

WHERE: Online

TICKETS: Register here

PRICE: Free

To post a comment, you must register and login.