Dear Friend,
In honor of the Year of Our Stories, we have a few more for you, culled from hundreds of stories produced not only with words, but with drumming conversations, songs, poems, paintings, and dances.
Some stories are full of movement, gesture and spacial relationship. At one school where we had a residency, the teacher exclaimed, "I remembered today why I love Upstream Arts so much. You were teaching about body language! So important!"
In another residency, one of our Teaching Artists said, “Sound conversations were amazing to watch, and I was really proud of all of the choices each student made. I was blown away by the amount of creativity I saw during this class.”
Yet another Teaching Artist described how “the group did some of the best moving statues I think I have ever seen. They were so quiet and focused - we played some really chill music and it informed their movement in a way that none of us were expecting.”
These are just a few of the stories of success that we hear each week. Time and time again, our community defies expectations, takes risks, and rewrites old narratives.
You are part of these stories. With your support, Upstream Arts serves 3,000+ people of all ages and abilities through 100+ programs with 80+ partners each year. Your contributions make it possible for us not only to offer high-quality arts programming, but also countless opportunities for the arts to bring people together, such as the multiple mainstage Art of Me performances we produced last year, the ongoing Art of Voice and Choice trainings, and the continuing Art of Relationship Convenings.
We can't wait to share more stories highlighting the impact of your generosity. Together, we are building a future where all individuals - regardless of ability - will be engaged, included, and connected in all aspects of our society. Thank you for your belief and support.