me arts ed

Visiting team members trained

David Greenham, Theater at Monmouth, David Patterson, Depart of Ed review materials

Over the next four weeks six identified Imagination Intensive Communities will participate in a day long visit. The communities are York, Arundel, Deer Isle/Stonington, Camden-Rockport, Blue Hill, and North Haven. Last week about 15 people attended a training session so they can be better informed about the communities they will be visiting. They had a chance to view the application materials from the communities. Participants were trained by lead consultant Dennie Wolf and planning committee members Gail Scott, Carol Trimble and myself.

The search for these communities grew out of a statewide census of arts learning documenting that children’s access to education in music, visual art, dance and theater is not equal throughout the state. The census raised the question, “Where are the communities that even in hard times use their available resources to support the development of young people’s creativity and innovation?”

Through an open application and juried selection process, nine communities that vary in size, location, and resources were selected to be honored and to be visited and studied by teams of Maine citizens from all walks of creative work. The purpose of these visits is to:
•    Acknowledge a set of Maine communities that value and invest in the creative interests of young people
•    Learn about the creative opportunities they offer children and youth
•    Find out how these communities sustain and grow these opportunities
•    Figure out how more Maine communities could do the same.

The volunteer visiting team members have a variety of backgrounds with some coming from the communities who have been identified. This work is being supported by the the Maine Department of Education, the Maine Alliance for Arts, the Kennedy Center, the Betterment Fund, and the Maine Arts Commission.