COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL AFFAIRS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Tuesday, December 5, 2000 9:40 a.m. - - - BILL NO. 454 - Designating the picnic area located within the 29th Street and Chalmers Avenue Recreation Fields and Facility as the Van R. Thomas Memorial Picnic Area. RESOLUTION NO. 563 - Authorizing the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs to hold public hearings on the benefits of arts and cultural programs. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN Chair COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO, Vice Chair COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY COUNCILMAN W. THATCHER LONGSTRETH COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILWOMAN ANNA C. VERNA COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER - - - VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center Plaza, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-2220 2 I N D E X BILL 454 PAGE Ralph Winder, Board Member, North Penn Civic Association---------------------------------- Jane Golden, Director, Mural Arts Program, 5 Department of Recreation--------------------- 11 RESOLUTION 563 Thora Jacobson, Director, Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial--------------------------------- 16 Shelly Dorfman, Executive Director, Institute for the Arts in Education-------------------- 21 Janis Norman, Chair, Philadelphia Arts in Education------------------------------------ 25 Peggy Amsterdam, Executive Director, Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance--------------- 38 Danielle Rice, Senior Curator of Education, Philadelphia Museum of Art------------------- 43 David Haas, Board Chairman, William Penn Foundation----------------------------------- 47 Jane Golden, Artistic Director, Mural Arts Program-------------------------------------- 52 Tessie Varthas, Department of Art Education, Philadelphia School District----------------- 58 Emily Taylor, Teacher, Philadelphia School District------------------------------------- 65 Robert Capanna, Executive Director, Settlement Music School--------------------------------- 72 Debora Kodish, Director, Philadelphia Folklore Project-------------------------------------- 77 Mark Stern, Project Director, Social Impact of the Arts Project----------------------------- 83 Beth Feldman Brandt, Executive Director, Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation-------------- 87 Melissa Talley-Palmer, Representative, Village of Arts and Humanities----------------------- 93 Heidi Warren, Managing Director, Village of Arts and Humanities-------------------------- 97 Gayle Isa, Executive Director, Arts Initiative-- 100 Jesse Bermudez, Executive Director, Asociacion de Musicos Latino Americanos----------------- 105 Rashaan Lucas, Educator, Urban Bridges, St. Gabriel's------------------------------------ 113 - - - PUBLIC MEETING---------------------------------- 119 - - - 3 BILL NO. 454 THE CHAIRWOMAN: Good morning. The City Council Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs is now in a Public Hearing to hear testimony on Bill 454 and Resolution 563. Joining me are members of the committee: Councilman Rizzo, Councilman Longstreth, Councilman Kenney, Councilman Mariano, and also in our presence is Councilman Nutter. We want to first thank the young performers from Settlement Music School who joined us to add some ambiance to our proceedings. Their names you should know were Sarah Green, Catherine Falk Sullivan and Jacqueline Arington. And we thank the Settlement Music School for allowing that and assisting us to make that happen. I will ask David to read Bill 454. And as he is preparing to do that, I want to ask Councilman Nutter to prepare to speak on this bill, if he will. And I will also ask Ralph Winder to please come to the witness table and prepare to testify.
Bill No. 454, Designating the picnic area located within the 29th Street and 4 BILL NO. 454 Chalmers Avenue recreation fields and facility as the Van R. Thomas Memorial Picnic Area. Councilman Michael Nutter.
Thank you, Madam Chair and members of the committee. It is with great pride, but a continuing sense of loss, that brings us here today to name the memorial gardens after Van R. Thomas, a great person in the Philadelphia community who spent many, many years working not only in North Philadelphia and Allegheny West and many parts of my district, but was well known to many people throughout the city for his community and political activism. And it was a tragedy to all of us earlier this year that Van completely unexpectedly passed away. And his work at 29th and Chalmers and the ballfield out there and the picnic grove area, we felt that the least that we could do to honor his memory and his family was to name this area after him, because of all the work that he had done in transforming this particular area into what it is today and working with Ralph Winder and many others 5 BILL NO. 454 in the community. We worked in partnership to have city resources change an area that for many, many years the community had wanted something to happen. And finally we were able to make some things happen in Phase I. We have a Phase II planned. And so it is with great pride that I introduce this bill and ask the committee's full consideration hopefully with a vote out of committee today. No better person could be honored than Van Thomas with his kind of tribute. Thank you, Madam Chair. THE CHAIRWOMAN: You are absolutely welcome, Councilman Michael Nutter. Before I give my own personal comments regarding what I think is a well-befitting tribute to Van, we will ask Ralph Winder, if you will, to please state your full name for the record and provide us with your testimony.
Ralph Winder. I am the Chairperson of the Resident's Coalition and a Board Member of the North Penn Civic Association. I would like to, first of all, 6 BILL NO. 454 commend you, Councilwoman Blondell and the Settlement School for the extent musical rendition. I felt I was in the Philadelphia Orchestra for a minute listening to the musical piece by the Settlement group. And I thought it added a nice little class to this hearing. As far as my testimony today, I would like to thank the Council for allowing me to come here this morning to speak on behalf of this bill 11 and to honor a very dear friend of mine and a close colleague in the community, brother Van Thomas. Van and I and members of the Resident's Coalition in North Penn, as Councilman Michael Nutter has said, have worked for over 20-some years in this community trying to transform our neighborhood from an area that was looked down upon in terms of some of the uncleanliness, the trash that was sometimes in the streets, in terms of abandoned buildings and lots that exist in this community. And oftentimes these conditions are not the fault of the community and the people, as much as it is a combination of the fault of city services not being given and the fault of the people 7 BILL NO. 454 who in some cases not taking care of their responsibility. But Van was a tireless worker in that sense. He was a brother who would wage a war against dirt in our community, who would go out on the streets with sound cars and ask the people to arm themselves; but not with guns and knives, but with shovels and brooms and hoses, and to attack the filth and dirt that existed in our neighborhood. Van was the kind of person who would be just as comfortable going into a club or a bar and pulling out the brothers and sisters to community meetings, as much as he would sitting in high places, in rooms with high politicians and corporate owners, and trying to get them to recognize their need to support the people in our community. The brother was just a beautiful person. He loved his community. He loved his family. In fact, my testimony today is on behalf of members of his family, some who were not able to be here, but who asked me to speak to the fact that they thank this Council very much for 8 BILL NO. 454 considering this bill and for honoring a person who others in that community can look up to and who can use as an example that even they, in little minority communities that exist throughout our city, could rise to the heights of being respected and honored by a city as great as this City of Philadelphia. For not only doing what some people thought was the right thing, but for sometimes challenging politicians and challenging government and corporate business to do what was right in their communities. And we are glad to see that people respect that type of behavior. We are glad that folks have shown that regardless of what your station in life is, whether you come from a small minority community that is sometimes looked down upon, that you can be honored by hard work. And that your love for your community and for your people can gain you the recognition that we hope that this Council will vote today to do for brother Van Thomas. I thank you so very much. I think Councilman Michael Nutter for all of your enormous support that he has given. 9 BILL NO. 454 That area has been anchored by that picnic area, by the transformation of that picnic area from a weedy, dirty, trashy lot, into a beautiful picnic area which was used almost every day this past summer by people coming up there having picnics, family reunions, birthday parties and all types of social activities.
That area has been transformed into a very social and recreational area that will be complemented by other things that are also going on around it; such as, the building of a stadium that took place only in another area of that field, in which the Councilman and the National Football League and members of the Board of Education and the city came together to build a beautiful stadium in an area where the people of that community can have recreation and social activity. So without belaboring this point any further, I would like to thank all of you, members of the Council, members of my community, members of Van Thomas' family, Sister Bonita who is sitting over there also and also is a very hard worker in our community. I would like to thank everybody and hope you pass this ordinance. 10 BILL NO. 454 Thank you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very much, Ralph Winder. Are there any questions for this witness? Let me add my personal commentary. My last memory of Van Thomas was about one year ago, maybe months ago, when we stood with Senator 10 Vincent Hughes and yourself and I at that stadium 11 area, and his vision for what he wanted to do for 12 the community. 13 So I have to underscore your 14 sentiment about his tireless devotion and deep 15 commitment to making a difference for the world 16 where he lives. 17 So hats off to you for making this 18 real for he and his family. Thank you very, very much.
Thank you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: If we could now call Jane Golden, City Mural Arts Program, who will also speak on behalf of Bill 454. Please state your full name for the record. 11 BILL NO. 454
Jane Golden, and I am the Director of the Department of Recreation's Mural Arts Program. Good morning, Chairwoman Reynolds Brown and members of the City Council Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. My name is Jane Golden, and I am here today to represent the Department of Recreation and Commissioner Victor Richard. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today. I am here to offer my support for Bill 454, which would designate the picnic and recreation area located at 29th Street and Chalmers Avenue as the Van R. Thomas Memorial Picnic Area. Councilman Nutter, the sponsor of this bill, noted in his legislation that during his lifetime, Mr. Thomas, an active force for positive change in the community, was a leader in shaping the recreational area located at 29th and Chalmers Avenue. Mr. Thomas, who served as the President of the North Penn Civic Association for 20 years, worked tirelessly to create an attractive and dynamic recreational space for the local 12 BILL NO. 454 neighborhood, and worked to keep it clean, safe, and inviting for neighborhood residents, especially the children and the youth. It is a fitting tribute that this area that Mr. Thomas worked so hard to create and maintain be named in his honor. The Recreation Department proudly supports this measure. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on this matter. And on a personal note, Mr. Thomas was my supervisor at the Anti-graffiti Network. And he was truly dedicated to kids and community, so I am happy to be testifying today. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very, very much, Jane Golden. Any questions for our witness? Thank you very, very much.
Thank you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: That concludes testimony on Bill 454. The clerk will now read the title of Resolution No. 563.
Resolution No. 563, Authorizing the Committee on Parks, Recreation and 13 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Cultural Affairs to hold public hearings on the benefits of arts and cultural programs and the relationship in the development of the youth in the City of Philadelphia, and to further investigate potential opportunities to increase the availability of arts and cultural programs in the City of Philadelphia. THE CHAIRWOMAN: I want to first thank all of you for coming today. I introduced this resolution because I do feel deeply that more attention needs to be brought to the concept of the value, tremendous value, of arts, and the impact they can have and do have in the lives of young people in our city. As we as a city search for ways to help our children become better, productive, contributing adults, I don't think we should ignore these facts discovered by Shirley Brice Heath, a researcher from Stanford University. Facts that say, compared with high school students in a national sample, young people in community-based arts programs are twice as likely to win an award for academic achievement, 8 times more likely to win a community service award, and 4 14 RESOLUTION NO. 563 times more likely to participate in a math or a science fair. They are percent more likely to 5 report feeling very, very great about their 6 contribution, and 31 percent more likely to say they 7 plan to move on to higher education. 8 Young people in nonschool arts 9 programs are more than twice as likely as those in a 10 national sample to see themselves working also to 11 correct economic inequities. 12 It costs between 900 and 1100 dollars 13 annually to provide one child with arts 14 programming. And when you look at the other side of 15 that coin, it costs between 36 to 100 thousand 16 dollars to pay for a young person in trouble. 17 This study proves the value of arts 18 for young people. However, despite the fact that we 19 have some excellent programs throughout our city, 20 some of which we will hear about a little later this 21 morning, our youth still need more. 22 A report produced by the Philadelphia 23 Cultural Fund just this past week noted that 24 although more than 200 nonprofit cultural 25 organizations provide arts opportunities for young 15 RESOLUTION NO. 563 people, as a whole these organizations offer courses to less than percent of the young people living 4 in our neighborhoods. 5 We as a city need to find ways to 6 help our schools and nonprofit organizations 7 increase their reach. 8 We look forward to hearing the 9 testimony and ideas from members of the arts 10 community so that we as public policymakers on this side of the table can hear and respond to those needs. We pledge to everyone here today to do what we can to increase opportunities for young people. Now let us hear some of those ideas as we proceed forward. And, again, I want to underscore my deep appreciation for the Council Members that are here. Firsts leave a deep impression in my memory. And I am the newly appointed Chair of this committee, and this is our first Public Hearing. So I really appreciate their attendance and I thank you for being here, too. With that, let's call up our first 16 RESOLUTION NO. 563 panel, Thora Jacobson, Shelly Dorfman, Jeanette Silva, and Jan Norman. Please proceed to the witness table. Good morning. Please proceed. The next panel up, just so that you can prepare yourselves, are Peggy Amsterdam, Danielle Rice, David Haas. Good morning. Please proceed.
Good morning and thank you, Chairwoman Reynolds Brown and gentle Council and committee members. My name is Thora Jacobson. I am the Director of the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial, the oldest community-based arts organization in the City of Philadelphia and the nation's oldest and largest free tuition arts school. As I represent an evolved form of the genre, I feel I can speak confidently about the transformative power of the arts in the lives of children and in the development of a community. For more than a century, Fleisher has sought to be an open door to the visual arts, following the mandate of our founder Samuel Fleisher, who believed that everyone should be able 17 RESOLUTION NO. 563 to enjoy and learn about art, no matter what their social or economic circumstances. Today this commitment to accessibility extends far beyond our 100 year tuition of tuition-free art classes. We design all of our programs to appeal to a broad cross-section of ages, skill levels, and cultural backgrounds. In addition to accessibility, we seek to be supportive, flexible, and nonhierarchical in our approach to learning. We respect and encourage risk taking and diversity of expression as part of the learning and growing process. We know that most of our students won't become artists, architects, or designers. But in the words of one of our most illustrious alumni, the world-renowned architect, the late Louis Kahn, places like Fleisher -- and Philadelphia is blessed indeed with many wonderful community-based arts organization programs -- represent extraordinary opportunity for learning and self-expression for our children. Kahn, who between 1911 and 1914 walked from his home at 7th and Poplar to 7th and 18 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Catharine on Saturday mornings for art classes said in a testimonial to the Fleisher Art Memorial, penned exactly 27 years ago today, he said, "The city is essentially a meeting place. It is valued by the character of its availabilities. Our way of life is born of freedom which has inspired availabilities, the like of which no nation has. " Fleisher and our sister organizations in the city are among those meeting availabilities. Community-based and after-school arts programs are often the only exposure our children have to the arts, as shrinking budgets for the School District force very difficult choices on principals and cluster leaders. And even in the best of circumstances, with excellent specialists in our schools, access to the arts in Philadelphia is often limited to once a week for 40 minutes. Jessica Davis, Chair of the Arts Education at Harvard University, talks about art as turning ideas into things; musical, visual, literary, and theatrical. 19 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Kids need to know that they are capable of doing that, of concretizing and distilling their ideas. Not just to meet the newly created performance standards for the schools, but to be in touch with their cultural heritage and in charge of their own lives. It is the arts, in any form practiced regularly, with the encouragement, guidance, and criticism of a working and caring artist, that often makes a difference between a youngster who has a sense of capacity and self-worth, can solve problems and take risks, and one whose limited expectations of themselves leaves them in a blind alley and a dead-end job. In the recent research, as you noted, Chairwoman, of Shirley Brice Heath and Adelma Roach, the effects of regular involvement in arts education are impressive; to master a language, ability to plan, engagement in community, confidence, and self-discipline. They make learning real, and they make your investment all the more powerful. Many fine programs do this work in the city now. But as you pointed out, they serve too few children. 20 RESOLUTION NO. 563 And their efforts are often limited by short-term grants that plunk an artist into a program for a few weeks at a time, with too little training and almost no followup.
Arts education is best practiced and most transformative when it is a sustained and reflective practice; when students can count on the relationship, if not with a specific artist, at least with the organization and the opportunity represented by that relationship. Arts education is also most effective when the artists responsible for delivering the program learn as much as they offer to the students, and when what is learned is shared and connected with schools and their arts specialists, family, and other community-based organizations in a web of learning and growth. I am convinced that the measure that you are proposing will go a long way toward making arts education that sustained and reflective practice. Thank you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you for your presence and testimony. 21 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Shelly Dorfman, welcome.
Welcome. Thank you. Thank you for inviting us. My name is Shelly Dorfman. I am the Executive Director of the Institute for the Arts and Education, which was founded in the belief that the arts provide a much-needed component in the learning experiences of young people, and that the arts and cultural community and the educational community can work together in partnership for that purpose. It is the institute's conviction that while the arts provide enjoyment, enrichment, and, yes, entertainment, they provide important lessons to be learned; new ways of looking, listening, and thinking; and that, as such, they are basic to the educational needs of young people. This year the institute will educate and impact more than 17,000 students and 250 teachers from 45 schools and 45 comprehensive daycare and Head Start programs. A fundamental component of the institute's award-winning program is the Philadelphia cultural community. Each year the institute works with 12 to 15 cultural resources as 22 RESOLUTION NO. 563 its, quote, text for study. The Philadelphia Orchestra, the Pennsylvania Ballet, the Museum of Art, and community arts organizations; including AMLA, the Association de Musicos Latinos Americanos, storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston, Flamenco Ole, Jaasu Ballet, Philadanco, Philadelphia Young Playwrights, and Please Touch Museum, to name a few, provide the focus for all learning in the institute's program. More than 170 performances and museum visits will take place during this school year. Performance companies account for one-fifth of our budget, more than $40,000. The institute impacts the artistic community in its work with more than 40 artists. These artists lead participatory workshops in the institute's summer seminar for teachers, as well as go into schools for artist's residencies. These teaching artists will work in more than 300 classrooms during this coming year. Last year, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts selected the institute to provide professional development for 20 of their artists for 23 RESOLUTION NO. 563 school residencies. Artists, teaching artists, account for one-quarter of our budget, more than $50,000. More than 250 teachers are our partners in helping us reach young people in schools. These teachers participate in the summer seminar professional development, where they discover the magic of the arts and learn innovative ways to integrate the arts into their curriculum. Each teacher, in partnership with an institute teaching artist, develops a thematic unit based on the performance text the students will see. The close partnership that the teachers is one of the most significant aspects of the institute's program; as teachers are introduced to new educational possibilities, thus exposing thousands of children to new learning opportunities and experiences. At the heart of the program are more than 17,000 children who will see two to three works of art during the school year. These children will be prepared for 24 RESOLUTION NO. 563 these performances and museum visits by their own teachers and the institute's teaching artists. They will work on creative thematic projects built around the performance, incorporating thematic study, authentic assessment, and cooperative learning. Research for Better Schools conducted an evaluation of the impact of the institute's program on students and concluded, quote, that the students, when given enriched instruction and experiences related to the arts, showed statistically significant increases in their knowledge and understanding of the specific artistic focus. Also of interest was that students who had previously been in institute classes outperformed their classmates both in the pre and post questionnaire. They knew more going in and seemed to learn more as a result of the classes. End of the quote.
Recent national studies are reported in Champions of Change, the Impact of the Arts on Learning, which provides clear evidence that the arts have immeasurable impact on students in high 25 RESOLUTION NO. 563 poverty and urban settings; that learning through the arts has significant effects on learning in other domains; and that the arts enable educators to reach students in effective ways. The institute brings the arts and culture to young people on a budget of less than $250,000. The Philadelphia Cultural Fund accounts for 4 percent of our budget. The possibilities would be endless with increased funding for more children and teachers to have enriching opportunities and learning experiences in and through the arts. Thank you very much. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very much for your testimony. Good morning. Please state your full name for the record.
Janis Norman with the University of the Arts. And I Chair the Philadelphia Arts and Education Partnership. Had I realized I was going to be the only one with Power Point, I'm not sure I would have conducted this this morning, but the idea being to provide sight and also the sound. RESOLUTION NO. 563 And the only thing better might be experience, which is certainly what the arts can offer. On behalf of the Philadelphia Arts and Education Partnership and the University of the Arts, I offer the following statements and testimony to what we unanimously believe and uphold as fundamental to our mission and purpose. The Philadelphia Arts and Education Partnership is a network of more than 60 arts organizations and institutions of experienced art providers, each committed to training of artists and educators as a significant part or total of their respective missions. Together, we acknowledge the benefits and potential impact of collaborative efforts, of more efficient use of the limited resources available within singular institutions. By working together, we accomplish the common goals within the partnership's mission. The outcome is a stronger and more comprehensive network of support training and advocacy for the arts and education and the students that they serve. 27 RESOLUTION NO. 563 The Philadelphia Arts and Education Partnership was founded in September 1996 and operates independently under the nonprofit umbrella of the University of the Arts, which is the only university solely devoted to the visual and performing arts. Alignment of common goals has provided a neutral and appropriate home site for the PAEP organization, where we can coordinate and administer our programs. The mission of the Philadelphia Arts and Education Partnership is to promote collaboration among artists, arts teachers, and arts organizations and institutions, and to provide advocacy and professional development, supporting sequential, substantive, and culturally diverse contents in arts education. The Philadelphia Arts and Education Partnership is an active and voluntary organization. It is dedicated to supporting the arts as a part of basic life and life-long learning. We believe the competence of the arts elevates and enriches the quality of lives for all 28 RESOLUTION NO. 563 citizens in the Greater Philadelphia community, as well as our nation and global population. Since the beginning of humanity, the arts have provided and expressed the history and cultural heritage of our populations; expressing, preserving and communicating their feelings, values, experience, and knowledge. Without the arts, there would be no 10 shared means of expression to perpetuate our most treasured traditions, which are the basis for building and sustaining society. In truth, can we even imagine what it would be like without music, dance, theater, or the visual arts? The Philadelphia Arts and Education Partnership and the University wants to commend the City Council of Philadelphia and the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs for holding this hearing. And also we are grateful to you, Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, for sponsoring the resolution. In response to the City Council resolution, the Philadelphia Arts and Education 29 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Partnership provides the following recommendations and supports by related examples of research, each of the following: The arts are at the core of learning. Goals 2000, Education America Act identifies the art as a part of the core curriculum, alongside our challenging subject matter like English, mathematics, science, foreign language, and history. The improving America's School Act, approved by Congress in 1994, reinforced the importance of the arts in relation to other subjects and is vital subjects in themselves.
The National Conference of State Legislators emphasized the importance of the arts as all aspects of education in its 1992 comprehensive study Reinventing the Wheel, A Design for Student Achievement in the 21st Century. Richard Riley, Secretary, Department of Education, cites the value of the arts in Champions of Change, as you have just seen the impact of the arts in learning. Published by Arts Education Partnership, the President's Committee on the Arts 30 RESOLUTION NO. 563 and Humanities, and funded by GE Fund and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Riley states, The arts teach young people how to learn by giving them the first steps and the desire to learn. A key factor in changing American education for the better is to increase high quality of arts learning in the lives of young Americans. He continues in that, America is in transition. We are a more diverse society facing daunting demands from global society and technological innovation. I think it is being challenged as we speak. The American economy is shifting from a manufacturing-driven engine to a services-driven enterprise. If young Americans are to succeed and to contribute to what Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan describes as our economy of ideas, there is a need in education to develop a imaginative, flexible, and tough-minded thinking. The arts powerfully nurture the ability to think in this manner. 31 RESOLUTION NO. 563 The arts should be acknowledged as a part of the academic strand, not as prep teachers or as extras. The arts are intellectual and rigorous academic subjects that are discrete bodies of knowledge. In the Model Approach to Arts Education, Doug Herbert, Director of the National Endowment of the Arts Education Division writes, Whether the programs take a discrete, integrated, or infused approach, I would hope that they exemplify the National Endowment of the Arts characteristics of excellence in arts education programs, which include emphasis on intrinsic value of knowledge and skills gained through the arts, balanced instruction of history, critical theory, and ideas of the arts in curriculum-based learning in and out of the classroom, including regular contacts with artists, arts works, and arts institutions. Like language or mathematics, the arts involve the use of complex symbols to communicate. In Art Becomes the Fourth R, Educational Leadership, Director Jason Ohler, 32 RESOLUTION NO. 563 quotes, The multi-media environment of the web, as much as what we experience through our computers, requires all students to think and communicate as designers and artists. The language of art has become the next literacy, or the fourth R. It seems inevitable that citizens of the internationally networked world would move away from the text-centric communication towards pictures, diagrams, sound, movement, and other universal forms of communication. We need, in David Thornburgh's words, to prepare our kids for their future, rather than our past. Kids must be fully literate. It is necessary to have specialists who are knowledgeable and fully trained to deliver a quality education. The value of arts education is now firmly grounded in theory and research. Research can help us understand the puzzling finding that when arts are granted a serious role in the schools, academic achievement often rises. It is time to look seriously at the possibility that the arts are associated with 33 RESOLUTION NO. 563 academic achievement because of their academic innovations that are made in the school that bring the arts, and because the arts provide engaging, motivating entry points into the academic study of the many students who do not thrive in the structures and cultures of our schools today. A strong arts education addresses all styles of learning and multiple intelligences, as shown through research by Howard Gardener.
Schools that incorporate music, art, drama, and dance into the basic curriculum have found that teaching the arts has a significant effect on the overall success in schools. The arts are key to creative problem solving and invention, and essential as a life-long skill. I should also mention high-risk students are helped by the arts. When I examined myself and my method of thought, I come to a conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing knowledge. This quote, I might add, is from Albert Einstein. 21 percent more economically disadvantaged students, who are highly involved in 34 RESOLUTION NO. 563 the arts, consider community service important than do economically disadvantaged students where the arts involvement is low. The self-concept is positively enhanced through the arts. This is according to 57 different studies, which are outlined in The Effects of Arts Music Education on Students' Self-Concept. The arts prepare students also for jobs. Arts education aids achievement of core competencies. And there is an extensive outline of this in the SCANS report, which I would encourage all of you to read. Beyond a literacy that facilitates learning and communication across a wide spectrum of activities, arts skills also translate into real-world jobs. Just as thousands of channels on video, the thousands of CDs and DVDs, the millions of incipient web sites, and other new media are not in our imagination's horizon, will require musicians, choreographers, videographers, graphic designers, creative consultants, and other artistic professionals. Arts have finally come into their 35 RESOLUTION NO. 563 day. In summary, the arts are not an education option; they are a basic, according to John Goodlad, A Place Called School. '" Time and time again we have witnessed the magic of the arts as they have transformed lives of students in a positive and inexplicable way. The arts have empowered and engaged students to become leaders instead of self-condemned failures, giving at-risk youth the motivating experience of success. It is in fact true, the arts can actually save lives of individuals and collectively the life of our community. Thank you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very, very 36 RESOLUTION NO. 563 much, Mrs. Norman. Any questions for our witnesses? Councilman.
I have a question relating to an organization called Research for Better Schools, which is mentioned here.
I am curious. I have had some relationship to that.
Research for Better Schools is a research organization in Philadelphia that does research on how educational programs -- the impact that educational programs have on children, teachers, and schools.
I don't know. But a man by the name of Skip McKann, Richard McKann, works there. He is one of the researchers, and he also works with the Pennsylvania Department of 37 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Education in literacy and educational programs. I could get you more information, if you wanted.
Yes. They are right at around third 3rd Vine, somewhere around there.
Yes, they do. THE CHAIRWOMAN: I am very much familiar with The Reinvented The Wheel, that one I have. My staff will be in touch with you, Shelly Dorfman, to find out where we can get Champions of Change. That one we don't have.
I will get copies for you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very much. We want to thank all the members of 38 RESOLUTION NO. 563 the Arts Education Panel, and invite our General Arts Support and Visibility panel to please come forward. Peggy Amsterdam, Danielle Rice, and David Haas. And recognizing that we may begin to lose witnesses or testifiers, I would like to publicly thank Julie and Leah and everyone from the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance for your excellent work in helping us prepare today's hearing. Thank you very, very much, ladies. State your full name for the record, and you can proceed with your testimony.
My name is Peggy Amsterdam. And I am the Executive Director of the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance. Good morning, Council Members. Thank you for your opportunity to discuss Philadelphia's investment in its youth, and its support for arts education. As the collective voice and advocate for arts and culture in the region, the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance does not provide arts education programming, but is committed to enabling other organizations and artists to continue doing 39 RESOLUTION NO. 563 this. Many citizens testifying here today will share stories with you, stories that make clear the impact arts education has on the lives of Philadelphia's children. You will also hear a lot of facts and figures about the benefits of arts education. The arts allow children to better understand themselves, each other, and their surrounding environment; to develop critical thinking and reasoning skills; to discover their creative potential and build their self-esteem. Unique among academic disciplines, the arts provides a situation where each child can have a correct answer that differs from all others in the class. The arts create a community where every person, regardless of his or her social, ethnic, or economic background can contribute as an equal. You have heard many of the numbers and facts, so I am not going to go through them all. But one that I particularly like is 40 RESOLUTION NO. 563 the 1998 College Board Report that seniors who received music instruction scored 52 points higher on the verbal portion of their SATs and 37 points higher in math. Employers actively seek employees who have had an arts education, citing their skills in creative problem solving and critical thinking, as well as their flexibility in being a team player. Other cities nationwide have innovative programs supporting arts education. In San Francisco, lawyers worked with the school district to find teens summer employment in local arts organizations where they can also take free classes. In Denver, a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax distributes over $30 million to the arts. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the National Guild of Community Schools for the Arts have teamed together to create a landmark $4 million program, funding after-school arts education in community centers across the country. So how can you, the members of City 41 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Council, ensure that the benefits of arts education are felt here by all of Philadelphia's children? By doing the following: Number one, expanding the cultural fund, adding new dollars in every Council district to support neighborhood-based after-school arts education programs; Two, by dedicating some of the afterschool program funding already going to places like recreation centers, libraries and schools, specifically to arts and education programming; Including representatives of the arts education community on city planning committee for after-school programs and RFP development; Establishing a committee representing the Office of Arts and Culture, the School District, City Council, and the arts and education community to support new programming; And by urging the School District to include arts education in its core curriculum. I would also like to submit written testimony from many citizens who could not join us in person here today, due to a tight schedule, for this hearing. According to a study conducted by the 42 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Pennsylvania Economy League, almost million people visited a cultural organization or site in the Philadelphia region in 1995. In that same year, only 2 million people attended a Phillies game, and about 700,000 observed the Eagles in action. And yet here in Philadelphia we are about to spend $400 million on two new professional sports stadiums. What will we be spending on arts and culture or arts education?
13 So I commend Councilwoman Reynolds 14 Brown for her foresight in establishing a fund for 15 children as part of the stadium agreements. And I 16 urge Council to set aside a portion of that youth 17 fund for arts education programs. 18 In addition to the other recommendations set forth here today, the fund for children is a valuable resource for strengthening our neighborhoods arts centers and the many programs already in place to serve our city's youth through arts education. Philadelphia's making progress, and this hearing is an important step, but much more can 43 RESOLUTION NO. 563 be done. I urge you all to continue and strengthen the city's support of arts education initiatives. Thank you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very much. Daniel Rice, state your full name and your affiliation.
I am Daniel Rice, and I am Senior Curator of Education at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Chairwoman Reynolds Brown, honorable Council Members, colleagues, thank you very much for the opportunity to testify today. One of the reasons that I have been a museum educator for over years is because of the 17 magic that happens when young people encounter art 18 in the museum setting. 19 A little American-Cambodian boy, 20 after seeing the Japanese tea house at the PMA, 21 wrote, quote, It made me feel that I wanted to live 22 there because it is almost the same as my house in 23 Cambodia. I wanted to pick bamboo to make soup for 24 my parents, and I wanted to plant a garden in the 25 back field. 44 RESOLUTION NO. 563 In the interest of time, I am not going to show you the video that I brought today, but I am going to tell you a couple of other stories. Every year thousands of school children participate in lessons at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Philadelphia School District supplies two district art teachers to the museum full time. As a result, children in Philadelphia public schools come to the museum free of charge. The museum also collaborates actively with the Department of Recreation summer camp programs and the mural arts programs. And I have included in the written testimony some examples of our many partnerships. Our pre-school programs teach reading readiness, as well as arts skills to children in Head Start and other daycare centers. Professional development programs for teachers train educators to integrate arts objects into diverse curriculums, including disciplines as history, language, science, as well as art. After-school programs reach out to 45 RESOLUTION NO. 563 students from empoverished neighborhoods, and weekend programs encourage families from diverse communities to see the museum as a second home. At a time when young people are so often exposed to violence, poverty, and negativity, arts education programs can actually save lives. Here is the story of a young man from Stetson Middle School. Like so many, his poor family suffers from addiction problems and poverty. He was classified as learning disabled and placed in special education classes. And when he began participating in the museum's after-school art class in sixth grade, his performance was so outstanding that he was retested by the school psychologist and identified as mentally gifted. Now in 8th grade, Jimmy is a member of the junior honor society, president of the student government, and an avid recruiter of students for our after-school art class. His ability in art, which was discovered through these after-school arts classes, truly changed his school career, if not his entire life. 46 RESOLUTION NO. 563 There are hundreds of children out there like Jimmy, but there are not enough programs to help them. I urge you to consider the following actions: One, expand the impact of the cultural fund by adding new dollars to it, making a commitment to continue support; two, dedicate a portion of funding for after-school programs and recreation centers, libraries, and cultural organizations, and encourage the use of professionally trained art educators in after-school and summer programs run by the Department of Recreation; support professional development for teaching artists and teachers' aides so that the arts can be better taught in after-school and recreational settings. Please, please, please continue to include arts education in the core curriculum of the School District of Philadelphia. The arts help students learn all subjects by keeping them inspired, motivated, and happy. Finally, while we know that the emphasis is on school-aged children, I urge you also 47 RESOLUTION NO. 563 to remember that population of young adults from the ages of to 25, many of whom have not finished 4 school, do not have jobs, and have very little hope 5 or opportunity for the future.
6 Within this category also fall many 7 people with disabilities or special needs for whom 8 subsidized programming ended abruptly at age 18. 9 Consider establishing 10 neighborhood-based arts education initiatives during 11 school hours for these young adults who have no 12 place to go. 13 Thank you again for my chance to 14 voice my passions and for your hard work for the 15 people of Philadelphia. 16 THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very much. 17 Please state your full name and your 18 organization.
Good morning. David Haas. I come with several affiliations today, including I serve on the Board of the Cultural Fund, on the Greater Philadelphia Cultural Alliance, and I Chair the Board of the William Penn Foundation. I am going to be very brief today because I know there are a lot of good points to be 48 RESOLUTION NO. 563 made. I just wanted to underscore that the William Penn Foundation has been actively funding this city for over 50 years. One of our primary categories is children, youth, and families, aside from the arts. It has been something the Foundation has been hard to improve the lives of children and youth throughout the city for many years. We have also had a strong arts and cultural funding program and a particular interest in arts education. And I just wanted to underscore how important Councilwoman Reynolds Brown's proposition is to improve the availability of programs in arts and culture for children, either in the schools or in community settings. We continue to have a focus in this area. Given the Foundation's expertise, we can best work with organizations in the community, the arts and cultural organizations. We perhaps can have less of an impact on the School District itself, but it is so important. 49 RESOLUTION NO. 563 I would like to just pick out three of the many points that I wanted to underscore. One is relatively doable, one is very challenging but very important, and one is absolutely no problem. I would encourage increasing support for the cultural fund. There are many good ways that that will address the points that are in your resolution and improve access to programs for children and youth in arts. Two, I think that having arts and culture as a part of the core curriculum in the schools is tremendously important. It can't be an add-on, despite all the best efforts of the teachers in the schools. I believe it could be part of the central curriculum. And there are many studies that show why that's so important. I attached with my testimony a document which I think was referenced earlier, presented by or put out by the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities in 1999, called Gaining the Arts Advantage, Lessons Learned From School Districts That Value Arts Education that should be attached with the testimony I provided earlier. And it is really worth reading. 50 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Finally, I wanted to underscore the importance and urge your committee to establish a committee of some sort that would include representatives from the Office of Arts and Culture, the Office of Education, the School District, City Council, and the arts education community to support the growth, development, and implementation of arts education programs because this effort cuts beyond any one entity. And hopefully what we can do in our smaller way will be supportive of it. Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Any questions from members of Council? My only question, Mr. Haas, you cite in your testimony on the back page, fourth paragraph from the end, and I quote, This is one area that private funders can have limited impact. Has the William Penn Foundation or would the William Penn Foundation participate in the leveraging of dollars, recognizing your limited impact?
Well, I guess I should say -- 51 RESOLUTION NO. 563 THE CHAIRWOMAN: In this area, in arts and education.
Actually, I shouldn't call our impact limited. I think our impact is visionary. But a couple of things, let me respond. The Foundation, along with other foundations, provides support for the administrative costs of the cultural fund. That's something we have been doing since inception. In terms of arts education programs, I think that we would openly welcome partnering on efforts that do this. This is something we have been doing and will continue to do. And I am sure that the groups that the Foundation funds would similarly be ones that the cultural fund would also be supporting and other city efforts. In terms of the School District, we had a major grant to the School District that wasn't addressing arts specifically, it was supporting children achieving. Our stance now is, we are reviewing where we will go with education support. We would certainly be very open to 52 RESOLUTION NO. 563 working together on things that address these topics, and I am assuming we will do that. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very much. Thank you all. That concludes the General Arts Support and Visibility panel. Now up will be the School District and City of Philadelphia panel, led off by Jane Golden, Tessie Varthas, and Emily Taylor. Please come forward. Following these witnesses will be the Community Concept panel. If Robert Capanna, Deborah Kodish, Susan Seifert or Mark Stern, Beth Feldman-Brant, if you could prepare to come up next. Jane Golden, proceed.
I am the Director of the Department of Recreation's Mural Arts Program. In 1984, Philadelphia Mural Arts started out within the Philadelphia Anti-graffiti Network, a program designed to reduce graffiti and to provide children and teens a safe, stable environment in which to learn and grow. The Philadelphia Anti-graffiti 53 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Network was truly a visionary program. Suddenly the seat of power was open to kids from some of the most impoverished neighborhoods of the city, kids who had failure etched onto their foreheads were given a unique opportunity for success. At Anti-graffiti we were determined to provide young people, who had at one point in their lives been seen by themselves or by others as failures, concrete opportunities to develop skills and aspirations. Almost immediately, we went into high gear and provided young people with trips to museums, poetry readings, after-school art programs, and summer art programs; empowering these kids to learn by doing, unleash their potential, and reveal an intelligence and talent previously unrecognized by the schools they had been attending. Then in 1996, the Philadelphia Mural Arts was placed within the Department of Recreation. At this point we opened our doors to all children. Over the last four years, our youth art program initiatives have skyrocketed. Currently we have a job shadowing program for middle school 54 RESOLUTION NO. 563 students and high school students, an internship program for college students, mosaic classes offered in conjunction with the Philadelphia Museum of Art. We have -- THE CHAIRWOMAN: Jane, let me interrupt you. If you could back up just a little from the microphone.
Sorry. We have sites 10 throughout the city that offer after-school art 11 education programs, including mural history and 12 technique, to students ranging from 9 to 18 years 13 old. 14 After the school year is over, we 15 have summer camps, summer mural camps, where 16 children not only paint their own murals, they help 17 professional muralists paint, as well. 18 Just this last Friday, December 1, 19 Philadelphia Mural Arts held its first annual Youth 20 Art Exhibition. The event was a wonderful opportunity for the children to show their talented work and creations and to be part of a First Friday Gallery experience. Since 1984, over 12,000 children and 55 RESOLUTION NO. 563 teens have been exposed to art because of the Philadelphia Anti-graffiti Network and the Mural Arts Program. We hope to be able to expand on this work and to further develop our programs for young people. We look towards impacting communities in a deeper, more profound way. And it is our hope that we will see this program replicated eventually all over the world. We are truly on a mission. And in these many years of working with children, we have seen a ripple effect on their lives. Back in the early years of Anti-graffiti, I worked with one young man. And he was known as one of the city's most notorious graffiti offenders. He stayed with us for many years. And during this time I witnessed his transformation from graffiti writer, to volunteer, to part-time employee, to full-time muralist. He eventually received his GED, went on to Temple University, and is now working with computers. 56 RESOLUTION NO. 563 After all these years, we are still in touch. And he often remarks how his life is different because of the opportunity he had to work with the program. Recently, there was one year old 7 who volunteered with me on a mural in North 8 Philadelphia. He very much wanted to be in our job 9 shadowing program. 10 He had such a bad reputation in the 11 school, we were told that he couldn't participate. 12 But he insisted that he wanted to be with us. 13 So eventually, in spite of all the 14 teachers' warnings, we signed him up for the job shadowing program. This last summer was his third summer with us. And even though he had some rough spots along the way, he has proven to be a model student. " What I witnessed at Anti-graffiti, and more recently with the Mural Arts Program, is this: When we offer children and teens a safe and stable environment where they can learn and grow, 57 RESOLUTION NO. 563 when we offer them a substantive curriculum, when we offer them opportunities to develop their skills and follow their aspirations, we see tangible changes in their lives. Quality after-school and summer programs can make a tremendous difference. The graffiti writers I worked with not only were writing on walls; they were selling drugs, they were stealing, they were truly locked in a cycle of crime. What we know is that young people who have nothing to do and nowhere to go find trouble. Our programs help kids find their voice and help them discover their dreams. It is my hope that our work sends out a signal to all that the arts and humanities for children are not luxuries. It is my hope that we continue to work with communities to build stronger citizens, to create safer streets, and form productive young people. We have to stand firm in making the argument that all children have the right to art, to having positive after-school experiences, and to 58 RESOLUTION NO. 563 having strong role models in their lives. This has been our work and what we hope to continue to do. And on a personal note, I just want to commend you for convening this panel today and for your support of the arts and for art education. Thank you very much. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very, very much, Jane. Tim Spencer we know should be thrilled where he sits, knowing that Anti-graffiti started a movement here in the city when it comes to Mural Arts Program.
So hats off to you for your continued good work in that area.
Thank you very much. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Please forgive me if I butcher your name. Tessie Varthas.
Varthas, A-S. It is misspelled. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Please state your full name and affiliation.
My name is Tessie Varthas, and I am Coordinator of Art Education for the School District of Philadelphia. 59 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Good morning, Council Members. I have served in the capacity of coordinator for the last eight years. And I provide supervision and curriculum support to the 210 art teachers that we currently have in our public schools. I have also taught art for years in the Philadelphia School 8 District. 9 Over the course of today's testimony, 10 you have heard the express need for more 11 after-school arts and culture programs, more 12 visiting artists in the schools, increased 13 visitations to museum by our students, arts 14 festivals and exhibitions. 15 These are wonderful enriching 16 learning opportunities that should be available to every child in Philadelphia. I understand and appreciate the urgency of these programs, and I applaud the efforts of my colleagues in the Philadelphia community to advocate for such opportunities on behalf of children. However, speaking as an art administrator for the District, I would like to underscore the importance of restoring the viability 60 RESOLUTION NO. 563 of visual arts programs in our schools taught by certified arts teachers. Approximately 50 percent of our elementary schools do not have art teachers. And in 1994, the entire supervisory staff in art, music, and physical education were cut. The demise of these arts education programs in our school has occurred slowly over time as a result of cuts in funding and changed educational priorities. Principals today must make difficult decisions when constructing the educational agenda of their schools. When faced with the choice of a science teacher or more textbooks over an art teacher, needless to say it is the arts that are pushed to the margin of the curriculum. When schools are rated based on their performance index that reflects student achievement in math and reading, as administrators use any discretionary funds for staff and resources to support those subjects. In our zeal to improve students achievement in the three Rs -- reading, writing, and 61 RESOLUTION NO. 563 arithmetic -- we have neglected the fourth R, the arts. After-school arts programs, artists in schools, and museums are terrific. But nothing replaces the impact of a school-based art instructional program taught by a certified state teacher. A professional teacher who can implement a balanced, sequential curriculum based on standards and evaluated with an appropriate assessment tools is essential to provide the kinds of learning experience in the arts that are both pedagogically sound and relevant to the lives of children. The presence of arts specialists in the district schools proves time and time again to make the difference between successful comprehensive arts education and those programs and activities that are conducted sporadically outside the confines of the art classroom. Teachers who practice their art bring a special vibrancy to an already strong program. Their effectiveness is measured in the quality of student works submitted for exhibitions, 62 RESOLUTION NO. 563 competitions, and portfolios for college admission. Strong arts education in the elementary school years is essential. They establish a strong foundation. Beginning programs in the early years build relationships with parents and community organizations important to sustaining support for comprehensive arts education for years to come in the child's schooling. Moreover, studies indicate strong arts education in the early years establishes a life-long involvement and appreciation for arts and culture as adults and culturally astute citizens of their communities. This is especially significant given Philadelphia's enormous investment in the Avenue of the Arts and many cultural institutions which rely heavily on the patronage of its citizenry.
According to a study by the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the single most critical factor in sustaining arts education in the schools is the active involvement of influential segments of the community, including city government, who assist in shaping and 63 RESOLUTION NO. 563 implementing the policies and programs of the district. A good example that illustrates this fact is the New York City Public School District. Recognizing the urgency to revitalize arts education in the schools to ensure the future of New York City as the arts and culture mecca of the world, Mayor Giuliani in 1997 pledged the allocation of $75 million to support project ARTS -- that's A-R-T-S -- it is called Arts Restoration Throughout the Schools. This sum of money was specifically earmarked for the New York City School District to hire 32 arts supervisors and hundreds of arts teachers, as well as establish essential arts administrative staff to ensure the effective delivery of curriculum and instruction. This project, it is a three-year project, has proven so successful that subsequent funding to support this level of personnel and programming has been included in the current operating budget for New York City schools, which was contributed to that district. Another example are the Buffalo 64 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Public Schools. In Buffalo, New York, the Board of Education just recently passed a contract to restore art, music, and physical education teachers for students in Grades K to 3 districtwide. The Board resolution indicated that Buffalo Public School children have been without their programs since 1976. And according to their supervisor of arts, the total cost for those restoration was $2 million per year for the next three years. Students in Grades 4 to 6 currently receive two, 45-minute periods of art instruction. And now they anticipate a similar schedule with that influx of money for all students in K to 3 throughout Buffalo. Thanks to the leadership of the policymakers, educators, and concerned political officials, both of these cities have taken action and made strides in ensuring quality arts education for their children. The actions of Buffalo and New York City schools are exemplary and should serve as a model for Philadelphia to explore as we address the need for more sequentially based arts education 65 RESOLUTION NO. 563 programs in our schools. If we fail to address the urgency to strengthen arts education in our schools and continue on the current path, I believe fewer and fewer children will be engaged in this compelling way of learning in and through the arts, which forces a joy of discovery, creativity, and imagination. I encourage the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs to consider all the testimony provided today as you further investigate potential opportunities for increased funding for arts education in our public schools and communities. Thank you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you. Good morning.
My name is Emily Taylor, and I am an art teacher for the Philadelphia public schools. I teach mentally gifted fine arts and learning support students, and I have been 66 RESOLUTION NO. 563 teaching in Philadelphia years. Good morning, Councilwoman. Thank you for having us here. I am a teacher in the system. And I love art and love what I do, love working with children and developing exciting projects for them. Every elementary school should have a certified art teacher to enrich our students. Every middle and high school should have at least three certified art instructors in order to meet the growing demand of exposing upper grades to specific disciplines; such as, graphics, ceramics, painting, and drawing. Certified music teachers, both vocal and instrumental, are also essential to elementary and secondary programs. Art teachers cannot be replaced. The attempt to substitute trained, certified teachers of the arts is an insult to the profession and a major loss to our children. We are able to establish strong and consistent programs with the use of curriculum frameworks, which assists us in helping our students master basic visual arts knowledge and skills. 67 RESOLUTION NO. 563 When they are not exposed to such instruction, they become remedial art students when they enter secondary school. I personally experienced this situation when I arrived at Greenberg because the students had not had an art teacher for a number of years. When I asked them about their art skills, they explained to me that they knew nothing. And, unfortunately, they were right. I had to start from the beginning, developing their visual art skills, art history, and art appreciation. The students were excited, motivated, and approached their projects with interest and enthusiasm. And the reason that I am at the school now is because of my principal, Marcia Green, who knew the need of art in the program, arts in the schools. I had one of my gifted students, who many of the students labeled as strange, and he was eccentric because he used to walk around and talk to himself. 68 RESOLUTION NO. 563 What we found out was that he was interested in acting. So we bonded and we used to talk a lot about drama. One day I had my mother assist us. And she served as a chaperone and went on a trip where he -- with his class. And when he met my mother, he said, "Thank God for your daughter. She has just helped me. " Otherwise, you know, who knows what kind of interaction he would have had. But I helped him to audition. I helped him and coached him with his audition for the Creative and Performing Arts High School, and he was accepted. And I am thankful that he had the support of his parents as well to help him pursue his drama interests. Art and music specialists are essential to art programs in the schools. And it should be a core subject in the school curriculum. We have teachers, we are teachers, who are practicing artists, who share our arts involvement with our students, parents, and colleagues. 69 RESOLUTION NO. 563 We are able to nurture these students who are future performers, dancer, actors, and painters because of our own personal involvement in the arts. I have a student who challenges me every summer to focus on my own art work and to make sure that I get my work in museums. In 1999, my mother and I, my mother who also is a practicing artist, participated in a Black History Month art exhibit at Gloucester County College in New Jersey. And I informed some of my students about this exhibit, not really expecting to see any of them come to the opening since it was such a distance. But when the opening happened and occurred, who did I see in the crowd but my one student, Bennie, who was the one who always motivates me to exhibit my own work. And I was proud to see her there with her parents.
And her parents said that she made them circle that date and made sure that they were going to be at that opening to see my art work. And I was proud that they were 70 RESOLUTION NO. 563 there. But, more importantly, I was proud for them to see that I practice what I preach. In the arts, I have witnessed my students improve their self-esteem, develop the ability to creatively solve problems, and to learn an appreciation for the aesthetics, to view the world through the eyes of an artist. My students know that art is work, and that it is possible to learn and have fun at the same time. So I invite you to come to my classroom. You may find that when you come, you are going to want to sit down and do some creating yourself. But you will see drawings, paintings, weavings, masks, ceramics, and batiks created by my students while listening to everything from classical music to rock. And as soon as we complete one project, they are ready to start another one. In conclusion, I would like to share with you a statement from the National Art Education Association which expresses my feelings about arts education. " 71 RESOLUTION NO. 563 "What is taught in American schools is of primary importance. One way to increase the probability that something will not be learned is to ensure that it will not be taught. For many, the arts are seen as someone else's pleasure, thus large and important legacies of art and culture go unseen, unheard, unread, unstudied, and unlearned. Schools perpetuate this state of visual illiteracy by withholding from our young citizenry important parts of their aesthetic heritage and cultural legacy. " Thank you very much for this opportunity. And, Councilwoman Reynolds Brown, any time you need me for anything to help you to support the arts, please continue to contact me. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Trust that we will. I want to thank you all. Any questions for our witnesses? That concludes the School District and City of Philadelphia panel. 72 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Thank you, ladies. While we ask the Community Concept panel to please come forward, Robert Capanna, Deborah Kodish, Susan Seifert or Mark Stern, and Beth Feldman-Brant. We should acknowledge and welcome members of the building trades who are here in anticipation of the stadium hearings. We want to thank you for your patience up there, gentlemen, and ask for your forbearance. We have about two more panels, and we will be concluding. Good morning. Please proceed.
Thank you. My name is Robert Capanna, Executive Director of Settlement Music School. And I would like to thank Madam Chairwoman and the members of this committee for inviting the testimony. As many of you know, Settlement Music School that is a 93-year history of providing high-quality instruction and activity in the arts to children and adults throughout the Philadelphia region. 73 RESOLUTION NO. 563 About 6,000 of the 7,000 students who come to our six facilities are under the age of 18, and about 4500 are residents of the city. The Music Education Partnership that we have formed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the School District of Philadelphia reaches an additional 11,000 children in 55 public elementary schools, with 220 programs per year that introduce them to musical instruments. This year the program will also provide free instruments and free weekly after-school group instruction to about 300 students in schools. 15 Our Kaleidoscope Pre-school Program gives 60 kids from low-income, inner-city families a rich, arts-based curriculum that has been recognized as a national model program and was given one of the first Coming Up Taller awards by the President's Council on the Arts and Humanities. Additionally, we are proud of the alliances we have formed with the School District, the Department of Recreation, the Philadelphia Housing Authority, charter schools, preschools, alternative schools, and independent daycare 74 RESOLUTION NO. 563 providers. We do this with a budget of $6 million. 1 million of that total is designated for direct assistance to children with financial need or outstanding ability. The total contribution to our budget from the city is about $16,000 through the Cultural Fund. Our experience shows that families and children of every ethnicity, income level, neighborhood have a great thirst for high-quality arts instruction. People understand through their own direct experience the benefits of arts study. On a very practically day-by-day basis, programs like ours enable children to develop personal skills, cognitive abilities, and expressive capabilities in environments that are inclusive and welcoming. Research conducted over the years on children in our Kaleidoscope Program has shown that Kaleidoscope participants improve on standardized tests of cognitive functioning over time and outperform demographically matched children in a nonarts pre-school. 75 RESOLUTION NO. 563 A tracking study on Kaleidoscope graduates has shown that they have fewer discipline problems, fewer referrals for special education intervention, and fewer attendance problems in their subsequent elementary school careers. What is most compelling about this evidence and our experience is that the benefits children gain from arts study are not dependent on special ability or a vocational interest. While it is always exciting to see youngsters perform at a high level, like the wonderful flute trio you heard this morning, arts study is not simply about making stars or making artists. It is really about making whole people, who can realize their fullest potential. Certainly some of the children we train will become artists. And we owe them the opportunity to discover their talents so that they can become what they can become. Untrained talent is lost potential. And for families without resources, the availability of programs like ours makes all the difference. But all children, like all people, have artistic ability and the desire for artistic 76 RESOLUTION NO. 563 expression. The evidence, from our experience and from the experience of the thousands of students who have studied at Settlement over the last hundred years or so, is that arts study is the most human thing we can undertake. It affects the whole child in ways that can have a profound and life-long impact. The only limitation on our work and the work of other organizations like ours is our capacity to meet the need in this community.
That capacity involves our buildings, our ability to identify and retain qualified instructors, and our ability to provide the necessary program subsidies to make our programs affordable to every family. In other words, that capacity can really be measured in dollars. Whatever the City of Philadelphia can do to increase its participation in funding programs like ours will be directly translated into more capacity, and, hence, more service to children. In our world, more is never enough, but more is always more. Thank you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very 77 RESOLUTION NO. 563 much. How old is the music education program?
This is its fourth year. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Fourth year? This is an example of what's possible, if you are creative in taking limited resources and applying maximum use. You receive currently 16,000 from the city, yet the program itself costs 6 million, and you are in 55 schools?
Yes, ma'am. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Maybe we will have a sidebar on how you are able to do that.
Well, it is with a lot of other money from other people. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Very well. Please.
I am Debora Kodish from the Philadelphia Folklore Project. I have here fuller testimony and information about some of the artists that I am speaking about. 78 RESOLUTION NO. 563 The Folklore Project works with grassroots groups and traditional artists around the city. We have residencies with artists working in community sites. And we have been doing this for about years. 7 I want to urge that when we talk 8 about the possibilities of arts education, we 9 remember and invest in the full spectrum of arts 10 present in this city. 11 Philadelphia's home to world-class 12 folk artists, American born and immigrant. We are 13 home to gifted percussionists from South Africa and 14 South Philadelphia, to African-American drummers, gardeners, dancers, and story-tellers, Cambodian singers, Irish step dancers, Lithuanian weavers, Italian palm weavers, Jewish musicians, painters, and craftsmen who come from families of generations of artists before them. All of these artists teach. Most are underemployed. It is time to value what these artists can teach our kids. Philadelphia artists have long observed that they are better appreciated around the world than at home. 79 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Too many folk artists waste their talents chronically working in low-paying day jobs, while our kids, in this incredibly culturally diverse city, are hungry for the power and vitality of arts that truly speak to them. Developing arts education offerings for kids that include even the prioritized folk and culturally grounded artists will teach lessons about commitment to community, about responsibilities to generations past and to come; about holding on to alternative traditions and values in the face of enormous pressures. In a time when everything is commodafied, folk artists are powerful role models who can teach all the lessons that any arts can offer and then some. Furthermore, if we believe in cultural equity, if we want to invest equitably in the quality of life of our least resourced communities, then investing in folk arts education is a way of investing in culture and art that matters to people who can least afford to hold onto it. Folk arts are drastically 80 RESOLUTION NO. 563 underfunded. Nationally and statewide, folk arts historically received only to percent of all arts dollars spent, which are already scanty funds. The Arts and Culture Neighborhood Issues Committee, on which I served on the Mayor's transition team, reported that the city spent even less than this average of 2 to 3 percent on neighborhood-based arts. Actually, probably less than 1 percent. Rarely do neighborhood-based groups or folk artists have access to capital dollars, contracts, or opportunities. This needs to change, and arts education programs are a great place to start. Once the city's Recreation Department was staffed by the best tap dancers around. Libby Spencer, Baby Edwards, Hortense Allen Jordan, incredible dancers, taught neighborhood kids for free. We need to employ our best local folk artists again with priority given to culturally diverse artists who have demonstrated a commitment to teaching in their communities, to people who are there for the long haul. 81 RESOLUTION NO. 563 And we need to invest in the organizations that have made these kinds of arts educations possible. Folk artists think about arts education as learning what happens over a lifetime and over generations. What if we thought that the preservation of our multiple artistic heritages was every bit as important as the preservation of our historic buildings or our open spaces? We would make choices to invest in all of our arts, to keep multiple artistic languages available to our kids, and we would have policies in place that work to sustain the artistic and cultural diversity of our neighborhoods. We need arts education policies, programs, and processes that truly reflect all and serve all.
It means a tremendous amount to kids from our many different communities to see their arts respected, to have a safe place to explore what it means to be different in America. It means a great deal to our communities to give kids a place to learn about one 82 RESOLUTION NO. 563 another's cultural traditions from artists who are incredible role models and who can teach life lessons about holding on to the core values of a tradition that isn't the latest, newest, or trendiest way to be. Our arts education efforts and the artistic life of this city will be richer and more vital if we are able to invest fairly in the minority voices, the alternative traditions represented by the folk and traditional arts of our neighborhoods. Thanks. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very, very much. Please. While you are preparing to offer your testimony, let's give a warm, hardy Philadelphia welcome to the Holy Spirit School in Packer Park. Welcome, young people. ) THE CHAIRWOMAN: And I wish to acknowledge my colleague, Councilman Frank DiCicco, wherein sits in his district many arts and cultural programs, Settlement Music School and others. 83 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Okay. Mark Stern, please proceed.
Thank you. My name is Mark Stern. I am Professor of Social Welfare and History, and Co-director of the Urban Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania. For the years I have been at Penn, 8 most of my research has been on issues of urban 9 poverty and community revitalization. 10 In the past few years, Susan Seifert, 11 Project Director, and I, have focused on how arts 12 and cultural programs might be part of the way of 13 addressing issues of poverty and community 14 revitalization in American cities. 15 And it is about that research that I 16 would like to talk to you today. 17 In the interest of time, I am not 18 going to read my testimony, although I have provided 19 copies of it. But I just want to leave a couple of 20 points we have made. What we have been trying to do over the past few years is pull together research on arts organizations, the hundreds of thousands of Philadelphians who participate in the arts, census data, and more recently data on youth development 84 RESOLUTION NO. 563 outcomes provided by the City of Philadelphia, to examine how arts and culture are influencing Philadelphia neighborhoods. In contrast to a lot of the research that's been referred to this morning, which focuses on direct impact of an arts and cultural program, how having a kid in an art class influences that kid, what we have been interested in is how arts and culture influence community, change the social environment in which not only the kids who take those art classes, but all members of the community live. And let me start with two really striking findings we have come out of this. First, we have been looking at youth development outcomes. And we found that there is a statistically significant impact. Neighborhoods with higher levels of cultural participation have lower truancy rates and lower rates of delinquency, as measured by the Department of Human Services, than neighborhoods with lower rates of cultural participation. Secondly, using a measure of community revitalization that looked at declines in 85 RESOLUTION NO. 563 poverty rates and the retaining of the population, the lower rates of decline in population, we found that neighborhoods with many cultural organizations were three times more likely to revitalize -- this is during the 1980s -- than neighborhoods with few arts organizations. So we found some really striking statistical relationships between cultural presence and these kind of youth development and community outcomes in Philadelphia neighborhoods. Why, you may ask? Let me point you towards two reasons that we focused on. First of all, within communities, we think the arts contributes to what some other researchers have called "collective efficacy," the ability of people in a neighborhood to stand up for their neighborhood and to feel that they have the power to actually influence things that are going on in their neighborhood. The networks, the levels of participation, the engagement of people in the arts contributes to this sense of collective efficacy. Secondly, the arts are unique in the city because they provide a bridging function across 86 RESOLUTION NO. 563 neighborhoods. We discovered, for example, that 80 percent of the people who are involved in community arts programs in this city don't live in the neighborhood in which that program resides. They travel across the city and across the region to go into those arts programs. In addition, we found that arts and cultural programs are located in the city's diverse neighborhoods. Although a very small portion of the City of Philadelphia is economically or ethnically diverse, people of different economic backgrounds or different races, 40 percent of the arts and cultural programs in this city are located in those neighborhoods. And this ability of arts and culture to provide a bridge across historical divides of class, historical divides of ethnicity and race, is really an incredible contribution of arts and cultural programs to our city.
So it is based on those kind of findings and those kind of explanations that I strongly support the resolution and hope that the 87 RESOLUTION NO. 563 City Council will continue to wisely invest in arts and cultural programs in the city. Thanks very much. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you.
My name is Beth Feldman Brandt. I am the Executive Director of the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation and was previously the director of Culture Builds Communities for the William Penn Foundation, the Arts Education Development Project for Pew, and Prints in Progress. I think I knew you a long time ago. I am also not going to read my testimony. I know time is tight. But I think what I can make an observation about in my 15 years of being a technical assistance provider and a funder of arts and culture in this city is that literally you can drive to any corner of Philadelphia and find artists, community arts centers, pastors of churches, school teachers, parents that are already providing arts education programs that are being taught by working, professional, high-quality artists, by folk artists, by certified art teachers. 88 RESOLUTION NO. 563 And so in all of the discussion about what could be done here, we have the talent, we have committed people. If you say we have the skill, we need the will. I mean, if tomorrow the city decided that they were going to put an effort into the arts education area, there are providers that could do this. We don't need to invent anything here. And literally, it is in every corner of this city. The track record of the city in supporting the Cultural Fund, the Mural Arts Program, the Department of Recreation, all that we're grateful for. But the fact is that the limiting factor is the resources of these community arts organizations to hit more kids, to interact with schools, to find more ways to build partnerships. It is not a question of talent or knowledge; we have that. I think there are a couple of things we can do; some that involve money and some that don't involve money. Certainly, any way that the cultural fund can be expanded, that money can be designated 89 RESOLUTION NO. 563 specifically for arts education would be great. But at the same time, there are these other areas in youth development and education and neighborhood revitalization where, if you are not using the arts, it is like you are leaving half of your tools home. " And I think getting cultural organizations into the discussions earlier, as these things are developed, and not as an entitlement, but to say, how can we contribute, how can the cultural organization be part of these discussions, be 90 RESOLUTION NO. 563 another resource for communities, is really important. " I think the idea of a committee that crosses disciplines in education and youth development and City Council in community arts votes in the School District is a very good first step. We need to find some ways to network people, to get people who are all in the same neighborhood and care about kids together to have discussions about what are you doing, what am I doing, and how can we work this together. The Bartol Foundation is small. All we fund is arts and culture in Philadelphia. We emphasize arts education and we emphasize community arts. But our resources are about $250,000 a year. Which meant that last year we got 140 proposals, and we could fund 40 of them. And it is not because only 40 of them were strong; it is because that's as far as our endowment and our resources go. 91 RESOLUTION NO. 563 But what the Foundation can do is to work with you, to work with other funders, to work with other government agencies to try and leverage some interest, some discussions, some money to support arts education. And that's something that we are certainly willing to help with. And we very much appreciate the opportunity and people willing to listen to ideas and opportunities for arts education to become sort of more out in front on more issues than just the arts. Thank you very much. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you, Ms. Feldman Brandt. Two comments. One, thank you for your recommendations. They are very well taken.
And you should be encouraged to know there are like minds who agree as you do, that we need to begin to think across disciplines with regards to the delivery of arts education. And we were -- we did meet in another life, it was at Philadanco. Mr. Stern, your findings were 92 RESOLUTION NO. 563 extremely compelling, and the very comprehensive research report you presented. Have you had any other inroads with other public policymakers at other governmental levels, like the state or the federal government?
No, not directly. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Do you plan to enlighten, if you will, those like me at other levels? And not particularly the arts education professionals who live and breathe this and believe as you do, but those who are not in the arts education discipline, like the juvenile justice system and/or social service system?
Well, Councilwoman, we are very interested in doing that. One of the problems is, when you're spending all your time doing this research, it is hard to find the time to disseminate it properly. But we have on our agenda that that's one thing we really need to be doing. And I thank you very much for the comments. We hope to make them more broadly available. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Let me encourage you 93 RESOLUTION NO. 563 to do that. It is very, very compelling. I want to thank you all, the Community Concept panel. And our last panel, the Neighborhood panel, if you would please come forward. I will attempt to pronounce your last names. Gayle Isa, Jesse Bermudez, Rashaan Lucas, and Melissa Talley-Palmer will be representing Heidi Warren. Good morning, everyone. Thank you for your presence. And now we have heard from the professionals who live and breathe this, some of who also do. Let's now hear from you all who live and breathe this at the performance level, as well. Gayle Isa, is that correct?
I think we are going to start with the Village, since they have slides. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Not a problem at all. Proceed. State your full name and affiliation.
My name is Melissa Talley-Palmer. And I am currently the fledgling program manager at the Village of Arts and 94 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Humanities. The Village is a community-based arts and cultural organization in Central North Philadelphia, one of the poorest sections in the city. Since 1986, the Village has brought together artists, professionals, volunteers, and local residents to revitalize the neighborhood and rebuild our community through the arts. Our Education Through the Arts Program is one of our longest-running and most important programs. Each year the Village engages over 2500 children, ages 6 and 18, in after-school, weekend, and summer programs at our site, as well as with numerous outreach sites throughout the city. Children come to the Village to engage in a wide variety of programs and activities; such as, dance, drama, painting, urban gardening, computers, ceramics, and much more. Our workshops are complemented by field trips, tutoring support, paid internships for teens, and numerous special events to celebrate our students' achievement. 95 RESOLUTION NO. 563 In addition, we reach out to the parents and schools to broaden the networks supporting our children and to increase their chances for success. Children who come to the Village become engaged in a strong community that both challenges and supports them as they explore their world through the arts. We expose our youth to experiences and places well beyond their North Philadelphia homes, and we expose the broader public to the enormous talent blossoming in the hood. For example, our youth theater is getting standing ovations in New Hampshire, Atlanta, New Mexico, and coming back fired up and ready to teach the next group of teens. Finally, we teach our students to see their community as a place of hidden resources and to see themselves as containing boundless possibility. In my three years at the Village, I have witnessed the children in our program grow and succeed. In those who come regularly, we have 96 RESOLUTION NO. 563 documented improved academic grades, reduced confrontational behavior, improved problem-solving abilities, and dramatic increase in self-esteem. One young lady personally comes to mind. She is Lakiesha, who came in 1986 at age 13. And at that time she would not look anyone in the eye, more or less have a conversation with you. Currently Lakiesha is a graduate of Roxborough High, attending Community College, and working in the field of early childhood education. These days, when Lakiesha comes back and participates in the youth theater group at the Village, you can barely get a word in with her edgewise. She successfully graduated. Now Lakiesha sees a world of opportunities ahead of her, and she has become a role model for younger students in our program. And I know that her involvement with the Village has turned her life around. Thank you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very, very much. I visited the Village of Arts and Humanities, and it is all of what you said it is. 97 RESOLUTION NO. 563 It is a rich, rich blend of energy for the young people in that community. It is wonderful.
We just have three more slides, and then Heidi will continue.
My name is Heidi Warren. I am the Managing Director of the Village of Arts and Humanities. I just want to follow up what Melissa had said. I have been a part of the Village since it grew from a very small program, to full-scale institution. And in that time, I have witnessed the enormous demand for our programs really can't be understated. Despite the fact that we have grown to work with dozens of organizations, schools, community groups throughout our neighborhoods, we can never really meet the enormous demand for the work that we are doing. In addition, the Village's work has been recognized nationally through various awards, most recently the Coming Up Taller Award from the National Endowment For the Arts. We are also of organizations 98 RESOLUTION NO. 563 that is highlighted in a nationwide traveling expedition called Indivisible that was supported by the Pew Charitable Trusts. And so I would like to suggest that the work the Village is doing is already getting attention. It is bringing attention to North Philadelphia in the most surprising ways. For example, in one week a couple of months ago, I had a letter from the Ministry of Culture in South Africa, Capetown, asking for information about our Arts Education Programs, as well as a student called me from Germany asking to come and do an unpaid internship just to learn about our programs. So I would say that the work that's happening at the Village, as well as numerous other organizations throughout the city, is gaining enormous attention and is well recognized for the value of their work. I would like to say that, unfortunately, the City of Philadelphia hasn't been able to keep up with its own recognition of our work. And I know that resources are extremely limited. 99 RESOLUTION NO. 563 But I would also suggest that it is worth thinking some more about the relative impact for the amount of investment into work of this kind. The Village gets most of its Operating Budget from Foundation Grants and corporate support. And what public monies we get are mainly from national and state level funds. The Philadelphia Cultural Fund is the only source of city monies that we get right now, and under $10,000 has been our typical grant; where, for an organization of over a million dollar Operating Budget, it really is only a small drop in the bucket. So I want to urge the committee to continue to think about how dollars are invested from this city, consider that the Village's entire Operating Budget for its education programs is less than the cost of building three houses in our neighborhood this year. And so the relative investment, when you are talking about impacting thousands of children, is worth considering. Thank you very much for the time to 100 RESOLUTION NO. 563 talk to you today. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very much for sharing all of what's happening at the Village of Arts and Humanities. Allow me to make an announcement to the members of the Committee on Recreation, Parks, and Cultural Affairs. If you could please join us, we are coming towards closure and we need your presence to vote Bill 454 out of committee. Please proceed.
Thank you. My name is Gail Isa, and I am the Executive Director of the Asian Arts Initiative. As you may know, we are a community arts center that presents year-round performances and exhibitions. We offer workshops and classes for both teenagers and adults. And we train artists who share our mission of community-based arts. We are grounded in the belief that all people have a right to creative expression and that the arts can provide an important voice for Philadelphia's Asian American communities. And we are also in Councilman DiCicco's district. 101 RESOLUTION NO. 563 I want to spend my time today talking about the teens that we work with and the powerful ways that I have seen one of my programs, the GenerAsian Next Teen Theatre Project, have in their lives. And then I want to give a few recommendations for ways that City Council could further support the type of life-changing arts education work that I am fortunate enough to witness on a daily basis. Throughout the day, already you have had a chance to hear research and data that shows the strong correlation between participation in the arts with academic achievement, college attendance, job preparedness, and civic involvement. One additional statistic which I heard at the GPCA's annual meeting, and that stays prominent in my mind, especially as this city becomes increasingly multi-cultural, is that teens who are involved in theater programs are 40 percent less likely to tolerate racist behavior among their peers than teens who are not involved in theater. Our GenerAsian Next Teen Theater Project offers an interactive workshop series that 102 RESOLUTION NO. 563 really enables teens to transform their life stories into public performances. For a lot of the participants, GenerAsian Next X is the first time that they have had an opportunity to perform on stage; and also, I think more importantly, the first time that they feel supported and safe enough to talk to each other and with adults about their personal and emotional experiences. I wanted to be able to bring some of the teens here today, but they are in school. And we are having them perform later this week in their fall performance premiere, so we didn't want to get them out of school a second day. I do want to share a couple of quotes from two of the teens. I will try to keep it brief. The first short quote is from Phally Chroy, who is now a student at Temple University and is a graduate from Furness High School in South Philadelphia. And he says that, for him, "growing up in this country as an immigrant, my voice was muted. Some things are never discussed and issues 103 RESOLUTION NO. 563 are left unresolved. But being involved in this workshop I was able to deal with my issues of growing up locked in the lower class. This workshop of this kind should be supported. Because if they cease to exist, our voice and the voices of others will never be heard." A second quote is from Mary Nhim, who is a current GenerAsian Next participant, and she is also a senior at Girls High School. "I am a daughter and a sister, a friend and confidant, Mary Nhim. I am the first born and part of the first generation of my family's blood line in the United States. It has been hard growing up here, trying to balance American and Asian cultures. I would have nobody to talk to about this situation or find anyone who can relate. But now I have learned that there are many others who have the same thing in common with me. I have learned to open up and become part of this special group. This group has taught me to express myself more in writing and that being who I am is the most amazing feeling. Please help contribute a little donation that can help not just Asian people, but other people, to interact with and understand one another. Asian Arts 104 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Initiative and arts education keep kids on the street and helps us learn that there is more to life than what we thought there was." THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very, very much.
Can I go ahead and read some of our brief recommendations? THE CHAIRWOMAN: Quickly, because time is not on our side.
All right. Basically, I have four short recommendations, mostly reiterating a lot of what you have already heard today. But I think it is really important definitely to increase funding to the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, which for us has been a vital and stable source of general operating support, even though it has been at a low level. And that enables us to provide arts education for youth on a consistent basis year after year. The other thing which folks have talked about and which is also important is encouraging the Department of Recreation and other city service agencies, human service agencies, to collaborate with and also subcontract arts 105 RESOLUTION NO. 563 organizations, making RFPs available and also achievable for arts organizations who work with youth so that we can apply and be funded to be able to continue the work that we do. Also enabling the schools to be able to hire us to run programs with their students. And to be able to centralize opportunities for community arts organizations to access funding through the schools. And to also simplify the really complicated and long billing process that they go through. And lastly, we have a program called our Artisan Communities Training that focuses on the development of artists as qualified professionals and as arts educators. We feel it is important to support programs like this and others so that we can have qualified cultural workers doing work in youth development. Thank you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very much. Welcome, Mr. Bermudez.
Good morning. I 106 RESOLUTION NO. 563 would like to thank City Council for allowing me to testify about the importance of grassroots neighborhood-based arts education. My name is Jesse Bermudez, Co-founder and Executive Director of the Asociacion de Musicos Latino Americanos, AMLA, an 18-year-old nonprofit music organization whose mission is to promote the development, dissemination, and understanding of Latin music with an emphasis on youth. I was on the Mayor's transition team on arts and culture in the area of neighborhood-based arts and culture. I have been a Mayor's Commissioner on Arts and Culture for the previous three administrations. AMLA is located in the heart of the Philadelphia Puerto Rican/Latino community, its Fairhill neighborhood. We serve the Puerto Rican/Latino and the Greater Philadelphia/Delaware Valley region with six community development arts programs. We are planning to build a new facility in Fairhill that will house our community music school and other arts education programs. 107 RESOLUTION NO. 563 In addition to economic development through the arts, the backbone of our programming is arts education. We run an after-school program called the AMLA Latin Music School, the only one of its kind in the region, with bilingual professional music and dance teachers. We deliver music education to school children from the predominantly Latino Edison cluster in a growing contractual partnership. We present music instructions to Providence Center after-school program, also. All these arts education programs serve a total of 750 youth. We also reach 20,000 children and youth in public and parochial schools each year with an arts workshop program called Artists In Education. Finally, we bring extended artist residencies to these children and youth associated with AMLA. AMLA just moved into a much larger intern facility, and we are seeking funding to expand our programs. A study by the Pew Charitable Trust 108 RESOLUTION NO. 563 showed that Philadelphia's innercity schools have been stripped of 97 percent of their existing music programs. I will not repeat all the research that proves how arts education contributes to high grades, cultivation of better habits for youth, and how arts can reach children who learn in different ways. Councilwoman Brown summed it up expertly in her City Council Resolution passed this September. My work is in a community that has so many issues: Drugs, crime, health, education, unemployment, et cetera. We are not only intimately acquainted with the problems in our community, but we have generated solutions to these problems that are already working. Groups like mine have a plan. We have excellent and effective arts education programs. We have the personnel and we have the social capital to execute our goals. But in Philadelphia's current funding environment, overall we feel we see a disinvestment. Some foundations are now seeking 109 RESOLUTION NO. 563 national prominence in reducing their local commitments. Others are changing their orientation and are no longer funding as many community groups. We see corporate mergers and acquisitions more and more, and the new corporate owners are often not based in Philly. AMLA supports the use of arts education in all sectors of society. But neighborhoods groups are often punished by high art orientation that does not account for the many services, along with arts education, we deliver to our communities riddled with bottomless need. Groups like AMLA serve an impressive array of goals in their communities. The activities extend to individual, family, community and economic development, violence abatement and drug resistance, amongst others. What we have observed, however, is that there are distinct barriers to arts groups like AMLA being funded out of other sometimes deeper program pockets; such as, social service, health and youth, and family areas.
Now we are seeing mainstream institutions not connected to a community per se 110 RESOLUTION NO. 563 getting huge community development grants to deliver arts education. We have been doing this for ages, way before there was even a label created for it. The crisis for neighborhood arts groups extends way into the future. When collaborations between mainstream organizations like the School District of Philadelphia and arts groups are finally crafted, which groups will be in position to provide those services? It is certainly not the smaller ethnic neighborhood groups, which struggle with vital infrastructure development capacity and the like. And this is frightening. Because it will become the mainstream arts organizations that deliver ethnically based programming, not their communities of origin. These issues are the core issues of concern to people of color. And it is these issues which get hashed and rehashed in private conversations among leadership in those communities. But it is my observation that these 111 RESOLUTION NO. 563 cases have not been able to be made strongly because there simply isn't enough time to struggle to keep your doors open to grow and to lobby and to engage in advocacy at the same time. S. have. I endorse wholeheartedly Councilwoman Brown's resolution that the city must seek new ways to fund arts education and to place it firmly back into the lives of our youth. I endorse more funding for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, and I also think it is vital that funding be sought in other areas of the city budget. The critical thing, as City Council seeks more funding for arts education, is that new funding templates be created to empower neighborhood-based leadership in delivering solutions to issues touching their youth. This should be a template that takes an individual look at the group, sees what it is doing, looks at its needs, and takes into consideration that the various and different 112 RESOLUTION NO. 563 community arts groups service their constituents in different manners. For instance, we have an after-school program that we have had for many, many years. But we couldn't get city funding for it through the Mayor's after-school programs administrated by the Managing Director's Office. And that's because there is a requirement that we provide something to eat and drink for the students. What happens is that the kids we are servicing and the kids we can service as our programs expand is limited because we don't fit the template already created. I understand the templates are created to be fair across the board, but they just don't work in many cases. Many city departments fail to spend any time down in the trenches identifying the groups and the work that they do. They just simply look at the application that is submitted and apply a template unilaterally. In AMLA's case, funding for not only program delivery, but infrastructure, such as bilingual, bicultural curriculum design, artist 113 RESOLUTION NO. 563 recruitment and training, the creation of mentoring programs is needed. Build our capacity, give us the contracts, and we will do excellent work. City Council needs to develop a vision and a strategic plan for arts and education that takes neighborhoods' needs into consideration and also enables neighborhood organizations to be a part of shaping that process. And thank you for allowing me to testify today. THE CHAIRWOMAN: You are very welcome. Good morning. Let me let everyone know that we are joined by Councilman Angel Ortiz and Council President Verna. Thank you very much. Please, sir.
My name is Rashaan Lucas. And I am an artist, educator/mentor working at Urban Bridges at St. Gabriel's, a community organization solving the Olney, Feltonville, Logan, Hunting Park area. The area is familiar with blight, 114 RESOLUTION NO. 563 crime, and drug and alcohol abuse. There is a high drop out rate within the high schools. And those that do graduate are often not up to the educational level that is expected of a high-school graduate. With education in the area in such bad shape, educational and economic progress within the community has been hindered. Arts education, of course, is almost nonexistent, and this has been happening for quite some time. There is definitely an abundance of budding young artists, visual and performing, willing and able to commit themselves to the life of art. This presence of a fledgling artist community is evidenced by the appearance of murals depicting historical and cultural events and tragedies, as well as the mesmerizing sights and sounds of teenage street musicians and poets performing on city corners. It is daily life, but it struggles with economics depression and heavy drug traffic, and it does not receive as much attention as the latter two. I believe the young artists community 115 RESOLUTION NO. 563 of North Philadelphia deserves greater attention and support. Drawing my upon experience of teaching after-school workshops within this community, I have encountered many upsetting situations, situations ranging from students excelling in poetry and language arts, but being ridiculed by teachers during normal school hours for having a vivid, fluid imagination. I have had a student to excels in his percussion lessons, but was told he is a noise problem by the elders of the block where he lived. There are many other stories. But it is very evident that these young artists are not getting the support they need. There are only a few community organizations dedicated to cultural and arts education, organizations like Urban Bridges, Taller Puertorriqueno, AMLA, and a handful of other groups try their best to foster and nurture the young urban artist's growth. But it is a hard job to do with such limited assistance. It is important that we focus on arts education when dealing with child development and 116 RESOLUTION NO. 563 learning. Past studies have shown that children who participate in the arts, A, deter from truancy; B, improve behavior problems; C, increase poor grades up to satisfactory and exceptional levels; D, continue to higher education, colleges and universities; E, often become professional artists and musicians. But to achieve these goals, the young artists' community of Philadelphia needs more support. It is crucial that a positive artistic education is provided in our youth's development. The regional community organizations provide all the help they can, but it is not enough. I believe it is time a task force is assembled to raise these artistic youth to the next level of arts education. I believe we, along with the city officials of Philadelphia, can advance towards a position where the arts are seen as an integral force within the Philadelphia education system. 117 RESOLUTION NO. 563 We need to meet and collaborate to develop future plans for the artistic youth of Philadelphia. Philadelphia must serve the needs of all the artists, from the slums of North Philly to the high-rises of Center City, in order to become a unified, powerful, and unstoppable force in the world of fine arts. I, with the support of my artistic brethren and sisterhood, propose that the Mayor establish a committee with the representatives from the Office of Arts and Culture, the Office of Education, the School District, City Council, and the arts education community to support the growth, development, and implementation of arts education programs. Thank you. THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you very, very much. Any questions for our witnesses? This concludes the neighborhood panel.
And as I await my Council colleagues to join me so that we can act on Bill 454, let me acknowledge and thank the presence of Shelly Yanoff, 118 RESOLUTION NO. 563 Ann Atmans, Karen Lewis, and others who were here. It is clear by your presence, it is clear evidence of your support. And it really does represent the work we still have to do from this point forward. So let me thank you for your time. We appreciate your testimony, but recognize we still have a lot of work to do as we look to increase funding for arts education programs in our city. Keep up your important work. Thank you very much. ) THE CHAIRWOMAN: This concludes our Public Hearing. ) - - - 119 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC MEETING of the COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION & CULTURAL AFFAIRS - - - Tuesday, December 5, 2000 - - - Public Meeting conducted by the Committee on Parks, Recreation & Cultural Affairs, held in Room 400, City Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the above date, to consider action on the following: BILL 454, RESOLUTION 563 - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN BLONDELL REYNOLDS BROWN Chair COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO, Vice Chair COUNCILMAN JAMES F. KENNEY COUNCILMAN W. THATCHER LONGSTRETH COUNCILWOMAN ANNA C. VERNA - - - 120 PUBLIC MEETING THE CHAIRWOMAN: And we now move into a public meeting. Can I have a motion on Bill 454, along with a motion to suspend the Rules. ) THE CHAIRWOMAN: Thank you, Councilman Longstreth. It has been moved and properly seconded that Bill 454 will be reported out of this committee with a favorable recommendation, and a further recommendation that the Rules of Council be suspended to allow first reading at the next scheduled Council meeting. Take a vote on the bill. All those in favor will signify by saying aye? Those opposed? The ayes have it. This now concludes the meeting of the Committee on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs. Thank you, gentlemen. Thank you very much. ) - - - 122 C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Tuesday, December 5, 2000, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: COMMITTEE ON PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS _____________________________________ DEBRA A. WHITEHEAD, RPR