THE CONSERVATORY TRANSFORMING LIVES AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES
“To build a culture of health we must place wellbeing at the center of every aspect of life.”
— Risa Lavisso-Mourey, MD, MBA; President and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
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THE CONSERVATORY — TRANSFORMING LIVES AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES
INTRODUCTION Bethel Woods Center for the Arts inspires, educates, and empowers individuals through the arts and humanities. We are committed to leveraging our success as a cultural center—concert venue, museum, historical site—using our creative capital for the health and economic vitality of the region. The classes, workshops and other learning opportunities we offer happen through our conservatory programming both on and off the Bethel Woods campus. Every year more than 20,000 individuals, children, and families participate in arts and humanities programs. We offer a variety of programs that are designed to give audiences of all ages, particularly children and teens, opportunities to explore the arts through self-expression while learning valuable skills.
A GLANCE AT CURRENT PROGRAMMING P.L.A.Y. [Peace. Love. Arts. and You.] offers arts workshops for youth in grades 5-12 (ages 9-15) in collaboration with resident teaching artists and performers in theatre and music. Anchored in social engagement and personal empowerment, the program exposes young people to multiple arts genres and encourages them to bring their own voice to the creation of songs, music, and theater. PLAY: MUSIC PERFORMANCE WORKSHOPS WITH ARTISTS
E3: Engage. Experience. Explore. exposes young audiences to arts and artists through high-quality performance groups at The Conservatory and in schools. Program participants learn about creative self-expression and performance. Our arts education community partners develop new ways to engage students in support of Common Core goals. As inspiration, professional teaching artists draw from our history and the resources of The Museum at Bethel Woods.
E3: ENGAGE. EXPERIENCE. EXPLORE PROGRAM STORY PIRATES PERFORMANCE
Project: Identity provides equal opportunity for regional teens to engage in the arts while cultivating skills for college, career, and civic life in a professional, social and creative environment. Each installment of Project: Identity focuses on a specific art form that cultivates imagination, innovation, and professionalism to foster future success. Project: Identity encourages teens to create, learn, and grow. It also helps develop a healthy embrace of a well-rounded lifestyle that includes a hearty participation in the arts, and an inspired
PROJECT: IDENTITY PHOTOGRAPHY 2
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push for empowered action.
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THE CONSERVATORY — IMPROVING LIVES AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES
Bethel Woods Scholar in Residence Program We continue to invite visiting scholars to our campus to enhance the educational experiences of students in grades K-12, their teachers, parents, and the public. Scholars can be professionals and/or graduate students in civic
engagement, youth development, museum studies, or music and arts
disciplines from prestigious institutions. While in residence, scholars will create multifaceted programs that combine the arts and humanities with the values of active citizenship and civic engagement. Scholars will assist Bethel Woods senior leadership and education staff with the assessment of programming and can also use The Museum at Bethel Woods as a resource for independent projects important to their fields of study. Programs, Exhibits, and Performances Our programs offer participants creative, evidence-based opportunities for social engagement, mentoring, community arts, civic participation, and empowerment. All programs draw on proven teaching methods designed to increase self-esteem and positive social behaviors, improve communication and career-building skills, support academic achievement, and build individual creative capacity. Residency in Arts and Youth Development Artists and scholars collaborate with Bethel Woods and community professionals to create arts-based programs on and off the Bethel Woods campus. Current partnerships include the School of Performing Arts at The New School, Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies, Boys and Girls Clubs, Regional School Districts, Community Teaching Arts, and Vital Theatre to name a few.
BETHEL WOODS CENTER FOR THE ARTS
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PROJECT: IDENTITY PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTO EXHIBITION THE EVENT GALLERY AT BETHEL WOODS
“The arts provide solutions to many of our most pressing social problems...the arts are—and need to be understood as—a valuable part of strategies to address a variety of social issues, and build vibrant, healthy communities.”
— 2006 National Arts Policy Roundtable BETHEL WOODS ON MAIN In an effort to reach more teen and young adults we are offering Project: Identity programming closer to town centers. Programs are offered within walking distance of residential areas to provide greater access. Programming includes drop in-opportunities for participants to socialize in semi-structured “coffee house” events featuring music, creative writing, and visual arts making. We will introduce community art projects that offer participants time to discuss, reflect, and think critically about community issues, and to develop, plan, and work toward a culminating project. Being directly in the community allows participants access to creative experiences without transportation and cost barriers and greater access to community resources.
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THE CONSERVATORY — TRANSFORMING LIVES AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES
REACHING BROADER AUDIENCES The arts and humanities surround us everyday at home, at work, in school. They connect cultures, create conversations, spark ideas, help us envision and build things, and even help us understand ourselves. Our programs offer children, young adults and their families the opportunities to explore the arts in ways that will fulfill and enrich their lives. We accomplish this through a lens that focuses on the ideals and lessons of the 1960s—self-expression, social consciousness, cultural engagement, empowerment, and inspiration. While many “creative youth development” programs exist in large cities, few to none exist in this region or rural areas across the U.S. With the help of strong partnerships, The Conservatory programs integrate new ideas and use proven teaching practices in the arts, youth development, family services, and civic engagement. We continue our focus on audience expansion in a number of key ways including research, regional outreach, and by developing strong partnerships. We expect that these efforts will ultimately lead to positive community benefits.
PLAY: MUSIC A CLASS WITH VISITING ARTISTS FROM MANNES SCHOOL BETHEL WOODS CENTER FOR THE ARTS
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P.L.A.Y. THEATER’S MUSIC CITY: THE BATTLE OF THE GENRES WAS WRITTEN ENTIRELY BY THE CAST AND CARRIED WITH IT A MESSAGE ABOUT TOLERANCE AND ANTI-BULLYING
YOUTH, FAMILY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Bethel Woods is uniquely positioned to engage the next generation of leaders to explore and learn how participation in the arts can help individuals lead healthier, more fulfilling, and productive lives. Our focus is on developing programming to address well documented unmet regional needs by providing empowering programs to individuals of all ages, especially those who would otherwise have little or no access. These efforts are ever evolving, and community support is crucial to their success.
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SATURDAYS AT THE WOODS CREATIVE EXPLORATION FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
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THE CONSERVATORY — TRANSFORMING LIVES AND COMMUNITIES THROUGH THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES
BETHEL WOODS IS A VALUABLE REGIONAL RESOURCE FOR LEARNING AND LIFE According to Americans for the Arts, “The arts are fundamental to our humanity. They ennoble and inspire us—fostering creativity, goodness, and beauty. The arts help us express our values, build bridges between cultures, and bring us together regardless of ethnicity, religion, or age. When times are tough, art is salve for the ache.” When the arts are part of the fabric of a region, local economies are strong, individual health and well being is improved, tourism increases, and children show better academic performance.
“Our unique location at the site of the 1969 Woodstock festival, with its ongoing connection to generations of young people, carries with it a responsibility to offer programs at our concert venues, museum and conservatory that are rooted in not only the musical legacy of the 1960s, but also the life-affirming ideals of a historically transformative decade.” — Darlene Fedun, CEO, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts “Informal arts practice provides important sites for adult
“Arts participation overwhelmingly correlates with
personal expression and creativity. In the process,
positive individual and civic behaviors. Put simply,
it helps to build individual and community assets,
Americans who read books, visit museums, attend
by fostering social inclinations and skills critical to
theater, and engage in other arts are more active
civic renewal. These include greater tolerance of
in community life than those who do not…art is not
difference, trust and consensus building, collaborative
escapism but an invitation to activism.”
work habits, use of innovation and creativity to solve
— Dana Gioia, Former C hairman, National Endowment for the Arts
problems, the capacity to imagine change and the willingness to work for it.”
— Dr. Alaka Wali, Director of the Center for Cultural Understanding and Change at Chicago’s Field Museum BETHEL WOODS CENTER FOR THE ARTS
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“We built Bethel Woods to create a better place for people of this county and region to live, work, and play. Our kids are our future. Let’s give them every opportunity to flourish here, to become successful, and contribute to society.”
— Alan Gerry, Founder and Chairman
MISSION
CORE VALUES
Bethel Woods Center for the Arts is a
• We draw inspiration from our unique place in history.
not-for-profit cultural center that inspires, empowers, and educates individuals through the arts and humanities.
VISION
• We encourage individual creativity and expression. • We recognize and value the arts and humanities and their
contribution to physical and psychological well-being and its
positive impact upon individuals and communities.
A unique educational, performance, and
• We honor the participation of staff, volunteers, and donors and count
retreat environment focused on building
creative capital to inspire individuals to
• We create a safe and enjoyable environment for all who work and visit.
contribute positively to the world around them.
as essential their contributions to Bethel Woods’ mission.
• We leverage our success for the economic and social benefit
of Sullivan County.
• We maintain our grounds and facilities to the highest standards. • We respect all individuals and value diversity of ideas, abilities,
BETHELWOODSCENTER.ORG
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and expression. Photos by Kevin Ferguson and Michael Bloom. Text, co-written by Kim Alderman and Linda C. Hartley.
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