Speaker Series: Creative Cities, The Next Generation

Michigan Nightlight | Monday, August 19, 2013

Join us August 22 in Detroit or Grand Rapids for a dual-city conversation on the state of arts education.

The future of our cities depends on imaginative, forward-thinking leaders who can ask the right questions, think outside the box, and solve problems creatively. How are we teaching our children to imagine and innovate? How could we do better?

Join us Thursday, August 22, 2013, 6 p.m. at Henry Ford Academy: Elementary School in Detroit or Creative Youth Center in Grand Rapids for a special dual-city conversation about the state of arts education in Detroit and Grand Rapids. (Doors open at 5:30.) We'll hear from innovative educators on both sides of the state who are pushing the needle to ensure our city kids are bright, inquisitive and ready to tackle the challenges of the future.

Both programs are free and open to the public.

Grand Rapids speakers series panelists include Kim Dabbs, WMCAT executive director; Lori Slager, Creative Youth Center executive director; Casey Stratton, Boys & Girls Club music program coordinator; and Jo-Ann VanReeuwyk, Calvin College director of art education. The panel will be moderated by Dustin Dwyer, Michigan Radio reporter and producer. Seating is limited; register here.

Detroit panelists are Anita Bates, Henry Ford Academy: School for Creative Studies; Terry Blackhawk, InsideOut Literary Arts Project founder and executive director; Shawntai Brown, InsideOut alumna; Andre Dowell, Sphinx Organization artistic administrator; Roberta Lucas, Living Arts early learning director; and Amanda Uhle, 826michigan executive director. The panel will be moderated by Jennifer White, Michigan Public Radio’s All Things Considered host. Seating is limited; register here.

IN DETROIT: Henry Ford Academy: Elementary School is located at 10225 Third Street in the newly renovated Duane Doty Elementary School in Detroit’s North End community. This historic building is on the edge of the Boston-Edison District, just west of Woodward, between the Davison Freeway and Chicago Blvd. For a map & directions, click here.

IN GRAND RAPIDS: Creative Youth Center is located at 758 Wealthy St. SE in its new, magical space at the corner of Eastern Ave. SE. For map and directions click here. Seating is limited; register here.

These Speaker Series are presented by Model D (Detroit) and Rapid Growth (Grand Rapids), in partnership with Michigan Nightlight and Urban Innovation Exchange (UIX) thanks to support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and Knight Foundation.

The two conversations will be happening simultaneously in Detroit and Grand Rapids, both using hashtag #CreativeEdMI. Follow us on Twitter at @minightlight.

Read more in Michigan Nightlight about The Next Generation of Creative Problem Solvers.

Related Tags

Arts & Culture, Education, Enrichment Programs

Grand Rapids, Detroit

Signup for Email Alerts

Parents working more than one job or odd hours, a lack of funds, and no transportation often prevent kids from experiencing one of Michigan’s incredible natural resources. For the majority of west side Grand Rapids elementary school kids, Lake Michigan is sadly out of reach. OST has teamed up with Grand Rapids Public Schools to give fourth-graders at west side schools the opportunity to experience the big lake firsthand.

For Grand Rapids students who serve as trustees-in-training on the GRCF Youth Grant Committee, giving back to the community goes hand in hand with empowering students to succeed.

If you were writing the book of a child's life wouldn't you like it to have a happy ending? Every day more children are signing up for a Kalamazoo Public Library program intended to give them a life that includes loving the reading of books.