Newsletter – June 28, 2022
Lately it feels like there are so many things spinning out of control – it’s hard to know what to focus on. What are you doing to create calm in the storm? Have you tried turning up the music and “moving” it out? What about picking up a pen and letting the words flow giving yourself some short prompts like “If I could…” “I would love it if…” “In my perfect world…” For the Story Tapestries team, we are also focusing on gratitude and on the things we can control – putting our all into that one project, into that one child who needs support, into that one teacher who is struggling – and saying THANK YOU to you, the reader of this message. Just by reading, you’re a part of our joy.
Thank you to all who joined us at Topgolf earlier this month – we truly had a blast!
There’s much more fun to be had this summer, so be sure to scroll down for upcoming events – including an important Save the Date for our Main Fundraising Event scheduled for Friday, October 7th. We can’t wait to gather at Tommy Joe’s and enjoy the sweet sounds of The Gem Fatales!
Story Tapestries is grateful to all our partners and collaborators. The Maryland State Arts Council Arts in Education grants have supported our ability to engage Maryland residents in arts for learning activities at 45 sites in 2021-22. These include both school-based and community-based initiatives that support individual’s exposure to the arts and understanding of how to use arts activities to be a better communicator and more effective learner. Feedback is coming in with comments like:
“I love how engaged my students are and how passionate they became about writing their poetry! Every grade level from K-5th grade was thrilled about writing poetry.”
“This was an amazing experience for all involved!!”
“Teachers walked away with a variety of tools to integrate lessons particularly by incorporating the arts into future lessons. All the presenters provided inspiration for adding more movement to the school day; which is greatly beneficial to students’ cognitive and physical development.”
We also had a blast working with early childhood educators in childcare centers and PreK classrooms and look forward to launching an in-depth early childhood-focused program in August 2022 that will include in-depth professional development, coaching, and direct work with artists co-teaching in the classroom. Our young children, and the adults who support and teach them, have faced a unique set of challenges these past two years and we are looking forward to responding to their concerns with some collaboratively developed arts-centered solutions. We look forward to sharing more news about that SOON!
Thank you and sending you HUGS and smiles,
Arianna Ross, Chief Executive Officer
PS See the dates for our Family Performance Series, with Scavenger Hunt led by Game Genius, at FRESHFARM Markets in Downtown Silver Spring
PPS Learn more about how we’ll Elevate Voices and Celebrate Community on October 7, 2022