Arts Enhancement
Arts Enhancement workshops offer a learning experience in fine and performing arts centered around a specific discipline.
These workshops serve to enhance the classroom learning teachers provide by connecting curriculum to one of the four targeted arts areas.
A team of professional teaching artists provide a three-, five-, or eight-session package in the following disciplines:
- Theatre Arts
- Dance and Movement
- Visual Arts
All content is customizable to current curriculum and grade level.
Lessons are available for grades K-6.
Pricing
- Three sessions: $300 per classroom; IISD schools pay $75
- Five sessions: $500 per classroom; IISD schools pay $125
- Eight sessions: $800 per classroom; IISD schools pay $200
Dates
Term One
- Registration: September 16-October 7
- Sessions: September 23-October 25
Term Two
- Registration: January 6-24
- Sessions: January 13-February 14
Term Three
- Registration: April 7-18
- Sessions: April 14-May 16
Workshop Descriptions
Theatre: The Stories We Tell
The art form of theatre captures stories of all types: historical, fiction, non-fiction, scientific, personal or collective and more. Using both basic and advanced theatre practices, students will discover and engage in the characters, the conflicts, and the collaboration of storytelling. To best tell the story at hand, this workshop may include community building activities, strengthening the tools of the actor, creating tableaux, script writing, reader’s theatre, or informal performance.
During a shorter three-session workshop students will be introduced to the story at hand and will connect its themes to curricular goals through dramatic activities. Five-session workshops will dive more deeply into character and conflict while still connecting to curricular goals and dramatic activities. Eight-session will add to the learning and engage in informal classroom performances.
Visual Arts: Discover the Power of Creativity
As a tool to deepen learning and check for understanding in the student, workshops in visual arts focus on engaging the students in the creative process. Students can produce individual work or can work together to create a collaborative piece that will excite and engage!
Residencies are based in drawing, painting, multimedia/junk art, and/or 3D sculptural work. A three-session workshop will give teachers visual arts ideas for their arts “toolbox,” while five or eight-session residencies deeply involve the students in a visual arts process.
Dance and Movement: Defining Inspiration and Community
This workshop is for the teacher who wants the opportunity to get their students moving, utilize such techniques to add to their personal teaching methods and tap into the students who need a more kinesthetic learning experience. Dance and movement in the classroom are excellent mediums to explore social and emotional learning, emotional intelligence, and self-confidence.
A three-session workshop introduces students to elements of dance and provides Braindance activities to increase focus, release energy, and prepare the brain for learning. Five-session workshops take those elements and add in storytelling; using movement and activities to communicate curriculum ideas. In eight-session workshops, students and teachers work with the Teaching Artist to create a holistic approach to classroom ideas using elements of dance and movement.
Teaching Artist Bios
Lauren Mudry
Dance
Lauren was born and raised in Lansing, Michigan. She has been dancing for over 30 years and teaching over 18. She graduated from Lansing Community College with an Associates in Applied Arts and Eastern Michigan University with her Bachelor’s Degree in Science: Dance Performance and Teaching. Lauren has been a professional dancer, dance educator and choreographer for various companies, studios, colleges, dance festivals, and theatre programs across Mid-Michigan and the Midwest, as well as in New York and Chicago.
Lauren is currently an Adjunct Instructor of Theatre and Dance at Lansing Community College. She is also on the faculty at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, Associate Artistic Director of GLBC Elements, and Dance educator and choreographer for various studios and High School theatre programs in the area. Currently, Lauren is working to obtain her certification in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training along with Social Emotional Learning for the classroom through the Connected Arts Network/ NDEO. Lauren is excited to journey into her fifth year as a Teaching Artist at Wharton.
Lauren offers joyful exploration of movement and choreography. Students enjoy exploring various dance techniques, develop their own creative expression, and collaborate in choreography, all while developing an enriching understanding of performance and the art of dance.
Joni Starr
Theatre
Joni explores the intersection between arts and creativity and teaching and learning. She engages with school districts and arts organizations nationally and internationally for professional development and classroom experiences. Joni has brought arts integration to classrooms in the United States, Ghana, Guatemala, China and England.
Joni has served as a teaching artist with the Wharton Center for over 10 years. She taught in Michigan State University’s Teacher Education and Theatre Departments focusing on arts integration in the elementary classrooms. She obtained her MFA from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a trained theatre and dance educator and has directed and choreographed for both adult and youth theatre. She also contributed her expertise to the Michigan Arts Education Instruction and Assessment (MAEIA) program, supporting the development of resources, reports, and tools designed to ensure the quality of arts education programming. Most recently Joni has created Creekside Gathering Place, a unique creative venue.
Joni offers students the opportunity to explore the art of storytelling through theater. By engaging with various theater practices, students immerse themselves in character development, conflict resolution, and collaborative creation. Lessons may include activities such as building community, refining acting skills, scriptwriting, or informal performances. Through these experiences, students will enhance their creative process and apply it across various contexts, discovering the value and significance of their own ideas and artistic contributions.
Liz Wylegala
Visual Arts
Liz earned her MFA from Pratt Institute and her BA from Wells College and has exhibited her work in prominent Michigan galleries since 1991, including Lansing Art Gallery and The Otherwise Gallery. Recognized with a Ford Foundation Grant, a Pratt Fellowship, and the Fine Arts Prize at Wells College, Liz has also contributed significantly to arts education in mid-Michigan.
She has also played a key role in community arts programs. She was a founding member and arts instructor for Greater Lansing Art Space. Liz has served as an artist-in-residence at Williamston Community Schools and is currently the resident visual arts instructor at St. Martha School, as well as an artist-in-residence for the Arts Council of Greater Lansing’s Young Creatives program. She also teaches at REACH Studio Art Center and provides workshops and classroom residencies through the Wharton Center and Ingham Intermediate School District, in partnership with the Kennedy Center.
Liz offers specialized experiences in visual arts with introductions to various artistic techniques and mediums, encouraging students to experiment and develop their unique artistic voice through hands-on projects and creative expression.
