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SPOTLIGHT
ON THE ARTS - February 2004 by Deanna Mascle Touching Lives for 55 Years
One of the key ways that LCCC serves the community is through the arts – specifically its Kids Art Academy, which won a 2002 Governor’s Community Arts Award. The award recognizes an individual or organization that has played a lead role in the encouragement of the arts in their community. The program “We also have programs for adults, including Business Plus Institute, a micro business (small business) training and loan program covering “How to Start a Business” and the “Importance of a Business Plan,” says Lela Randle Watson, community relations officer. The Kid’s Art Academy is part of LCCC’s after-school program, designed to provide educational and arts opportunities for children ages 6-17. The program allows children to come four days a week for educational programs such as homework assistance, tutoring, computer instruction, 4-H, Girl Scouts, Cooking Class, Poetry Club, Reading Club, Math Clubs, and Black History Workshops, along with Youth Leadership Training. During the spring and summer breaks, day-long programs are held for school-age children and youth. Through its Kids Art Academy program, LCCC offers youth and families a creative approach to learning and self-discovery, with the ultimate goal of increasing academic achievement and keeping the arts alive in the community for those who would otherwise not have access to such cultural offerings. The Kids Art Academy provides art programs and training in drama, drums, Suzuki violin, jazz dance, step, visual arts, choir, African drumming, dance, creative writing, and photography. Field trips are taken to local arts institutions such as Walden Theatre, J.B. Speed Art Museum, The Louisville Orchestra, Stage One, Story Station and Louisville Dance Academy. “Many of our children who have received their foundation at LCCC have continued to expand in the arts through continued professional training,” says Geraldine Woods, coordinator of Youth Education and Fine Arts. “We have a student with the Louisville Ballet who performed this year in the Nutcracker, five students on scholarship with the University of Louisville Dance Academy, 10 Suzuki students who have performed on stage with the Louisville Orchestra, and three teens who participated with the Kentucky Opera in writing an original production about Muhammad Ali which will be performed next spring in at the Kentucky Center. “I look forward to the day that our children will be performing live on our own stage in the 350-seat theatre that is now in the planning stage. One of our goals is to also provide a venue for new and upcoming artists to showcase their crafts,” adds Woods. The organization NFSH was renamed United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA). Today, UNCA stands as a beacon of national leadership in the settlement house movement. Market Street Neighborhood House was renamed Louisville Central Community Centers in 1975, expanding its services to Russell and surrounding inner-city neighborhoods. In 1991, LCCC developed and continues to support Louisville Central Development Corporation (LCDC), a sister organization that promotes and fosters home ownership and entrepreneurship development throughout Louisville and Jefferson County.
Deanna Mascle is a
staff writer for The Lane Report. |
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Copyright 1996-2004, by Kentucky Business Online. All rights reserved. Editorial content is copyright 2004,
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This year Louisville Central Community Centers is celebrating 55 years of service to the community with a number of events to celebrate the agency’s inception in 1948 as the Market Street Neighborhood House.