ARE YOU A STUDENT who wants to creatively express your vision for a better world? Are there students in your networks who want to make their voices heard about issues that concern them today? The Civic Circle’s Art for Change club with Community CHEER is accepting registrations for a civic arts residency at the Long Branch Community Center over four Thursdays in February and March. Students will work with teaching artist Kelsey Joyce to create art that creates change, building self-expression and civic skills. Interested students will be invited to showcase their art at The Civic Circle’s Youth Democracy Fest on March 14. Sign up for the Art for Change club HERE.
THE URGENCY OF our mission to empower students with civic skills continues to grow, and our team is expanding, too. We are thrilled to welcome our new Program Director, Katherine Wise. An educator, strategic communicator, and creative multimedia producer with extensive nonprofit experience, Katherine teaches English to adult language learners in Maryland. She has led communications, multimedia, and production work for international non-governmental organizations such as Jhpiego and FHI 360, as well as for the Council on Foreign Relations. Welcome, Katherine! The Civic Circle expresses gratitude to the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County for making this position possible.
YOUTH CIVIC ARTS will be on full display at The Civic Circle’s second annual Youth Democracy Fest, which takes place this year from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on March 14 at the Takoma Park Community Center. Students have many avenues to participate. In addition to signing up for the Art for Change club (see above), students can also join the “pop-up,” sing-along chorus on the day of the event, or submit a speech, poem, song or art piece for review. Just click the student registration link HERE. We are also offering free civic arts residencies to interested collaborators, so please email info@theciviccircle.org for details.
In addition to student songs, poems, speeches and art, this event will feature uplifting performances by Downwire, poets Malachi Byrd and Regie Cabico, and singer Munit Mesfin. We’ll have refreshments, and attendance is free, but space is limited, so reserve your seat today by clicking HERE. For more information, including sponsorships and volunteer opportunities, please email info@theciviccircle.org.
The Civic Circle thanks the Donors InVesting in Arts (DIVAs) Fund, a component fund of the Greater Washington Community Foundation, for supporting this event. We also thank our collaborators, including Story Tapestries, Action Youth Media, Community CHEER, and Liberty's Promise. If you cannot participate but would like to support our civic arts mission, just click HERE.