Reflection on 2020

2020 was a tremendous challenge. 

Its disruptions led us to moments of beauty and growth as well as moments of exhaustion, heartbreak, and pain. As we enter the new year, we are taking account of 2020 to envision our purpose in the times ahead. I’ll begin by painting a picture of the year we experienced in the Out-of-School Arts (OSA) program.

The year began routinely with OSA in the heat of preparations for our Annual Student Showcase, which is our largest annual event. In March, when we went on lockdown, we were all grappling with the pandemic and trying to understand what it meant for our roles, relationships, and realities. When we canceled in-person classes for the rest of the year, we redesigned ways to keep our community safe while also using our resources to support our youth as much as we could. 

By mid-April, we pivoted to a new program, Living Arts at Home. This turned into a beautiful and robust hub for online at-home arts-based learning for all ages. In the fall, we moved to virtual classrooms. We made modifications to our schedule so virtual classes were accessible to families, as well as to our Teaching Artists and administrative team. We sent art materials packets home with every visual arts student and distributed all costumes that were purchased for the canceled showcase. It was great to see Living Arts Families and students (all masked), who came to pick up the kits and costumes. 

Despite being at home and on Zoom, our Teaching Artists and Youth Artists continued to find new ways to connect with each other, their art forms, and their own creativity. Shifting from our two beautiful studios to an at-home setting, our primary focus changed to connection, relationships, and creativity. Classes explored the birds in their yards and the sounds they made, created choreography and specific stretches for their home-bodies, wrote and edited screenplays virtually, collaborated on themes for art-making, and more. 

We might not be doing the exact same warmups and stretches while at home, however, the arts have helped us explore and process our current reality, maintain connection and relationships, and supported us all through a period of extended trauma. As we know, whether in times of joy or pain and difficulty, the arts play a critical role in the lives of young people.  

It has not always been easy or positive and there were inevitable barriers for families in their participation in online classes. While we are learning to do things differently, there is a sense of loss. We miss our in-person community the most; the conversations with parents, Teaching Artists, and youth, the impromptu performances, and seeing all the new art hung on the walls, to name a few. I cannot wait to see all of the familiar faces in-person as soon as it’s safe.

We have a lot of pride in how our program has navigated the pandemic. While it may not be what it was in 2019, or years prior, our program has transformed into the current model because of the dedication of our Teaching Artists, youth, parents, staff, board, and donors. Moving forward, we will continue to grow and transform to fit the needs of our youth, and we are poised to meet that transformation as a community. I am hopeful that we will be back to the studios in person sometime this year. 

As the Out-Of-School Arts Program Manager, I am left with unending love and appreciation for our team of Teaching Artists, Youth Artists, family members, and staff who have helped us navigate 2020 together. May your 2021 be filled with health and joy, and may the difficult moments ahead lead you to reflection, clarity, and purpose in your next steps.