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Summer Arts Partnership Institute Recap

3 dancers from Northwest Tap Connection on stageOn August 17, 2017, Seattle Art Museum (SAM) hosted the fourth Creative Advantage Summer Arts Partnership Institute for classroom teachers, teaching artists, administrators, youth development workers, and community members.

Dancers from Northwest Tap Connection opened the day with a rousing performance garnering multiple standing ovations, that showcased the skill, passion, and creativity of three incredible youth performers.

Leaders from the Office of Arts & Culture, SAM, and Seattle Public Schools (SPS) contextualized the day through a lens of racial equity and social justice, which serves a foundation for The Creative Advantage, our citywide initiative that is reinvesting in equitable access to arts education for all SPS students.

Dr. Shawn GinwrightAuthor, professor, and activist, Dr. Shawn Ginwright provided a timely and relevant keynote entitled, “Radically Healing Schools and Communities: The Power of Policy from the Heart.” Dr. Ginwright and teacher activist and organizer, Farima Pour-Khorshid, offered sessions on his Radical Healing Framework, which is based in the premise that, “Radical healing involves addressing both (1) collective healing, and also (2) transforming the institutions, policies, and systems that are causing harm in the first place.”

Local teaching artists Lauren Atkinson (visual arts) and Roberto Ascalon (poetry, creative writing) engaged participants in creative reflection workshops to unpack what it means for practitioners and administrators to be authentic, take risks, and work in community.

Thank you to those who were able to attend, and benefit from this powerful day of learning and building.  For more information on professional development opportunities, please visit the Office of Arts & Culture