In our last story, we shared with you about the Building Bridges program at Montgomery Village Middle School. To continue that story, ST Artist Jenna Murphy shares some final thoughts and reflections:
That’s a wrap on Building Bridges at Montgomery Village Middle School for the 2017-2018 school year! Students spent the month of May rehearsing their plays and honing their performance skills in preparation for their debut at the Strathmore. They memorized their lines, polished their blocking, and embraced technical elements with grace. The night before their final performance, students performed excerpts from their plays at their school’s Pride Night. On May 31st, 20 students from Montgomery Village Middle School performed their original plays, “Worlds Apart” and “Destination Unknown,” at the Strathmore Mansion. These new works were created based on student writing and discussions that took place between February and March. “Worlds Apart” explored the dynamics of family, culture, immigration, heritage and ethnicity. “Destination Unknown” explored the challenges and rewards of transitioning from childhood to adolescence. Check out the footage from this special night at the beautiful Strathmore Mansion to hear the powerful words of these young artists.
In addition to this wonderful event listening to students’ stories, we also brought to a conclusion the first series of Amplify US! community storytelling workshops and performances. Amplify US! is designed and produced in partnership with Strathmore, Arts on the Block and Impact Silver Spring with funding support from Alternate Roots and the Montgomery County Neighborhood Fund. The program is also a part of the NEA’s Big Read series of events produced in collaboration with MCM, MCPL and the Friends of the Library. The program stemmed out of concern regarding the rise in hate crimes in Montgomery County and resulted in the formation of a Community Engagement Team who has worked together to plan and bring this project to life. The program included a series of storytelling workshops and performances at public libraries aimed at helping participants harness the arts to tell their personal stories, and culminated on June 24th with a final public performance at the Strathmore Mansion.
In these fun and inspiring performances, participants in Amplify US! workshops along with professional storytellers and spoken-word artist told their personal stories through storytelling, slam poetry, hip-hop, and visual arts. Participants shared funny, dramatic, and heart-wrenching moments from their own lives through short performances and pop-up art exhibits. This Amplify US! performance followed our series of storytelling workshops aimed at helping participants harness the arts to tell their personal stories. Get a glimpse of what happened!
One more exciting piece of news we want to share with this Press Release:
After a careful vetting process, the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington has selected Story Tapestries, Inc. to be part of the Class of 2018-19. Story Tapestries, Inc. has undergone a rigorous review process conducted by a team of 120+ experts in the local philanthropic field and has met the Catalogue’s high standards. Potential donors can be confident that the nonprofits in the Catalogue are worthy of their support.
This year the Catalogue celebrates its 16th anniversary: since its inception, it has raised $40 million for nonprofits in the region. It also offers trainings, neighborhood-based opportunities for collaboration, and a speakers series for individuals who want to learn about and engage with the needs, challenges, and accomplishments of our shared community.
For this new edition, reviewers helped select 77 charities to feature in the print edition, 38 of which are new to the Catalogue this year. It also selected an additional 49 nonprofits to be re-featured on its website. The network now includes 400+ vetted nonprofits working in the arts, education, environment, and human services sectors throughout Greater Washington.
“People want to know where to give and they need trusted information. Based on our in-depth review, we believe that Story Tapestries, Inc. is one of the best community-based nonprofits in the region,” says Bob Wittig, Executive Director of the Catalogue for Philanthropy.
Katrina Zimmerman, Board President of Story Tapestries, says:
Being featured in The Catalogue is an honor that we are very proud to have achieved and we are very excited for the possibilities this partnership will create for Story Tapestries. This increased visibility will allow us to be one step closer to achieving our goals in building stronger, more literate communities using the arts.
The Catalogue believes in the power of small nonprofits to spark big change. As the only locally-focused guide to giving, its goal is to create visibility for the best community-based charities, fuel their growth with philanthropic dollars, and create a movement for social good in the greater Washington region. The Catalogue charges no fees; it raises funds separately to support its work.
We’re very excited to share this news with you – a supporter of Story Tapestries – as it demonstrates our continued commitment to excellence and to serving our community.
These stories and accomplishments wouldn’t be possible without a strong network of dedicated contributors, like you, and for that, we give you our most sincere thanks.
Links:
- Building Bridges Final Performance
- Amplify US! Video Collage
- More Story Tapestries participant stories!