Student and Parent
For 14-year-old Zane Pihlstrom the inspiration for his ultimate career choice came as he watched a production of Phantom of the Opera. He was so taken with the production that he went back three times. He knew right then, without a doubt in his mind, that he wanted to design and build sets for theatre productions. He also knew his dream was a long way from fruition.

Zane's father Dean saw the opportunity in Zane's enthusiasm. Zane was eager, motivated, and intelligent enough to begin understanding the hows and whys of set design and construction, he just did not yet have the skills to actually accomplish the building.

But Dean did have the skills and so for three years Zane worked and learned at his father's side. At first Zane learned how to use the tools and read the plans, then he took drawings provided by set designers and made plans, ordering lumber and pounding nails. Before long, father Dean was working beside son Zane, and in 1998 at age 17, Zane was commissioned to design as well as build a set for the community theatre production of Getting Away with Murder. Then came Man of La Mancha, The Diary of Anne Frank, and Guys and Dolls.

Today you will find Zane designing sets for the Theatre Department of DePaul University in Chicago, where he is majoring in Set Design. His portfolio and curriculum vita were so impressive as a freshman that the department took the unusual step of assigning him the design for a lab theatre production of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. Then, when a sophomore, he was given an assignment to design one of the mainstage productions, Anna Karenina.

Zane's dream was nothing that some dedication, hard work, supportive parenting, and community opportunity couldn't deliver.

Parent of Child
Parents watch with interest as their children learn to find themselves and build their own confident identities.

"My son, Andrew Eastman, is a principal dancer with a community ballet company, sings with a community student choir, participates in community theatre, plays trombone in the high school concert, marching, and stage bands, is a black belt in Karate, and manages to maintain an almost 4.0 grade point. It is my firm belief that all of his accomplishments have fed and nurtured each other. Each time he has learned a new skill, a new Karate form, a new dance step, a new expression of emotion, he has shared his learning among all his passions.

"The emotions of a live theatre performance find their way into conveying the tone and tenor of a song. The focus and courtesy of Karate find their way into learning classical ballet variations. Each time a new experience has presented itself, Andrew has risen to the occasion. Not because he feels he must, but because he enjoys the challenge, and the accomplishment feeds his self-esteem.

"Andrew has been "on stage" at the Newport Performing Arts Center since he was four years old. To be in front of crowds of people does not in the least intimidate him. To make a mistake, even in front of an audience, is not a disaster, but a chance to learn and try again.

"Why is it so hard to explain to the non-believing the importance of the arts for everyone, especially children? A person in the audience sees a performance, knows that a certain amount of work was involved. Do they realize the commitment involved, not only of time, but stretching the demands placed on self?

"Self-esteem is built. Built by working hard, trying, sometimes failing, and trying again. It is built with each tiny success. The arts provide a perfect proving ground for individual achievement, nurtured by a community of creators. What better than to create well adjusted, productive, happy children?"

Parent
Cindi Sturni
Ohio

"My involvement in SPECTRA+ began as the approach was first being developed. I have served as a Trustee at the Fitton Center, I teach at a SPECTRA+ site, and my children attended a SPECTRA+ school.

"To say that the program is great will seem like I am tooting my own horn but what the heck, it is a great program. It is great because all children can participate, not just the gifted and talented. It is great because of the emphasis on the role of the arts in one's life. It is great because SPECTRA+ provided opportunities for my children to work with professional artists, learning new arts skills and refining others.

"It is important to my school because we are a neighborhood, inner city school that serves a clientele that may never be able to afford interactions with artists, take dance lessons, learn to act. It is important in my community because its notoriety has brought a positive message to the community and the school district rather than the negative one we often receive. It is important because of the theoretical grounding in Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligence, recognizing that every one of us is different we learn in different ways, and we can express our learning in different ways.

"SPECTRA+ is important to me because I could see my child in a different light at school than I did when she was at home. Her light shines bright when she is engaged in the arts. I don't know if I would have recognized her artistry and unique way of learning if I had not been involved with SPECTRA+.  My daughter has moved on to a higher grade now. If you ask her what she remembers most about her days in elementary school, she will tell you she remembers being involved with the arts and all the wonderful artists she saw perform or was able to work with. My daughter was lucky. All children should be as lucky as she was."

Teacher
Audrey D. Smith, Choral Director, Falling Creek Middle School
Recipient of a Partners in the Arts Grant for: A Space in Time: The Harlem Renaissance, a 50-minute stage production and art classroom mural

"Unquestionably, we teachers agree that the major success (of the project) is the accomplishments of our students. They have shown a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, dedication, and perseverance. In the process, they have gained an understanding of the events that led to the Harlem Renaissance, and they now recognize the music, dance, art, and poetry of that time. Moreover, they learned to conceive of an idea whether dialogue, dance, or a mural, and they are now artists: playwrights, poets, singers, choreographers, and painters. Wow!

"This creative spirit has led to some unexpected results. Language Arts students who are on a lower track have also demonstrated enormous creativity and interest. The arts students became a family committed to the completion of the mural, and chorus students are singing the blues and vocal jazz, which we never expected to teach in middle school.

"It is magic to see white children and black children, Hispanic, Lebanese, and Asian children all unite to accomplish a shared goal. When I see a child grab the hand of another child and run to the dance floor without hesitating, without segregating, then I know the power of art to unite us."

Partners in the Arts is a program designed to integrate the arts into the K-12 curriculum through partnerships among participating school divisions, independent schools, artists, arts organizations, and the community in the Metro Richmond area.  Initiated by the Arts Council of Richmond, Virginia, the program was established with funding from The National Endowment for the Arts, and is currently funded by schools, school systems, and individuals as well as corporate sponsors.

Teacher
Steve Murmer, Art Teacher, Turning Point Academy
Recipient of a Partners in the Arts Grant for: Painters' Math, a mural project involving 132 students learning to calculate proportion, scale, unit rates, and ratios

"This project has grown out of our school and is spilling into the community. I have more parent and community visitors interested in and coming to see our students' work since this project began.

"Students that haven't been excited about learning are willing to work after school; they even ask to come in during their lunch period to paint. It feels great to have a parent ask if they can come in to see the project that their child has been talking about so much."

Partners in the Arts is a program designed to integrate the arts into the K-12 curriculum through partnerships among participating school divisions, independent schools, artists, arts organizations, and the community in the Metro Richmond area.  Initiated by the Arts Council of Richmond, Virginia, the program was established with funding from The National Endowment for the Arts, and is currently funded by schools, school systems, and individuals as well as corporate sponsors.

Arts Patron
Joan Oates, Arts Patron, Benefactor

"As a funder, it is a joy to see teachers enjoy spending their summer vacation learning about dance, music, theatre, and the visual arts through Partners in the Arts. They are so revitalized at the end of a week-long exposure to the arts that they want to start a new school year in the middle of July!

"Many of them say that our Arts Summer Institute changes their lives. I am also continually thrilled to see the displays of creativity that develop out of the various K-12 school projects funded by Partners in the Arts grants."

Partners in the Arts is a program designed to integrate the arts into the K-12 curriculum through partnerships among participating school divisions, independent schools, artists, arts organizations, and the community in the Metro Richmond area.  Initiated by the Arts Council of Richmond, Virginia, the program was established with funding from The National Endowment for the Arts, and is currently funded by schools, school systems, and individuals as well as corporate sponsors.

Local Arts Council
Stephanie Micas, Executive Director
The Arts Council of Richmond, sponsor organization

"There is no more profound reward than to see young people embrace their own talents and potential through their participation in the Partners in the Arts projects. We enable children to learn better by introducing the arts into their core subjects and by inspiring their teachers to expand their realm of instruction. The Arts Council is proud to have created Partners in the Arts for the metro Richmond community."

Partners in the Arts is an innovative program designed to integrate the arts into the K-12 curriculum through partnerships among participating school divisions, independent schools, artists, arts, arts organizations, and the community in the Metro Richmond area.  Initiated by the Arts Council of Richmond, the program was established with funding from The National Endowment for the Arts, and is currently funded by schools, school systems, and individuals as well as corporate sponsors.

Partners in the Arts promotes collaborative programs that make the arts basic to the curriculum and that impact the cognitive development of students by employing creative teaching and learning skills. Projects within Partners in the Arts include:

• Grants for projects that integrate the arts into the core curriculum. Partners in the Arts has distributed over $300,000 in grants over the past 5 years.
• Resource Information available in the Partners in the Arts' library including unit and lesson plans and model curricula.
• Multicultural Arts Education for students, teachers, parents, and the public.
• Teacher Education through the arts with seminars, workshops, graduate courses, and a Summer Institute.

The Arts Council of Richmond can be reached on the web at www.richmondarts.org.