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Prof. Jojin Van Winkle Prof. Jojin Van WinkleCarthage has been awarded a Wisconsin Arts Board Creative Communities grant and a Kenosha Community Foundation grant to support “This Is My Place,” a collaborative project with the Kenosha Boys and Girls Club.

“This Is My Place” engages youth ages 6-15 in theatre, music, dance, and visual art. Using their authentic voices and artistry, the students will work with professional arts instructors to design and present a musical production featuring stories about their lives, their town, and their unique experiences in this place. The project aims to improve access to arts education for diverse, underserved youth while cultivating civic and community engagement.

The musical aspect of this program will be accompanied by visual art, photography, and stop-motion animation created by Boys and Girls Club students. Professor Jojin Van Winkle will coordinate the digital curriculum for the project. Art created for the project will be framed and donated for auction at a Boys and Girls Club fundraiser to support ongoing arts education at the Boys and Girls Club.

The musical theatre curriculum is being developed by Program Coordinator Kati Schwaber ’15, a Carthage music theatre graduate who recently earned her master’s degree in voice and speech. Kati will team-teach with recent Carthage master’s graduates Kaila Bingen ’15, M.M. ’20 and Raven Dockery M.M. ’20. Alumnus Austin Winter ’18, as well as current Carthage student Natalie Lall ’22, will also teach in the program. The musical will include acting, dance, and original works. The students will also incorporate beatboxing and ensemble numbers.

Kati Schwaber ?15, Kalia Bingin ?15, M.M. ?20, Raven Dockery M.M. ?20, and Austin Winter ?18 (fro... Kati Schwaber ’15, Kalia Bingin ’15, M.M. ’20, Raven Dockery M.M. ’20, and Austin Winter ’18 (from left to right)

The program will take place in a socially distant setting at the Boys and Girls Club of Kenosha with a multigenerational team of instructors that will include Carthage faculty, alumni, and current students. The final product will be a video musical, but we envision performing a live version of “This Is My Place” when it is safe to do so.

SPONSORING DEPARTMENT, OFFICE, OR ORGANIZATION:

Carthage Fine Arts

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Fine Arts — finearts@carthage.edu, 262-551-5859