Arts Enhancement
Part of Kennedy Center Partners in Education
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
- Media 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.
Media Arts: Storytelling through Digital Media, Puppetry and Mask Making
An in-class workshop using digital media or puppetry to enhance storytelling offers students an immersive, hands-on experience integrating technology and the arts. With digital media, students can learn to create dynamic narratives by incorporating elements like animation, sound design, and video editing, enabling them to bring their stories to life in visually engaging ways. The interactive nature of digital tools fosters creativity and collaboration, allowing students to work together on multimedia projects that reflect their unique perspectives.
Alternatively, a puppetry- and mask-focused workshop uses the tactile and performative aspects of puppets to explore storytelling. Students create works to express character emotions, dialogue, and movement, offering a tangible, creative way to embody narrative elements. This method encourages participants to develop their voice, body language, and improvisation skills while building confidence in public speaking and performance. Whether through digital media or puppetry, these workshops provide students with new, imaginative avenues to explore storytelling beyond traditional written or spoken formats, making the learning experience engaging and memorable.
Three session workshops will introduce students to the art form and have them create basic puppets or explore digital media programs. Five session options allow students to build more complex puppets/masks or are introduced to the ideas of storyboarding and creating a digital media project. In eight sessions, students may create an entire piece of either digital media or puppetry/mask performance.
Teaching Artist Bios
Petra Daher
Media Arts
Petra is an artist and filmmaker with over 25 years of experience in documentary production, digital storytelling, and photography. A Michigan State and Western Michigan University alumna, Petra owns Petra Daher Productions. Her award-winning films have been featured on Netflix and public television, and her photography has been exhibited nationally.
Petra has taught a variety of creative disciplines, including filmmaking, photography, podcasting, and puppetry, at institutions like Greater Lansing Artspace, Lansing Community College, and through the Kennedy Center Partners in Education Program.
Notable works include the documentary In Peace We Trust and her role as Director of Photography for Acting Like Nothing is Wrong. In 2023, she received a Clark Fellowship to support her ongoing projects, including Watermelon Blues, a series exploring culture and identity. Passionate about mentoring young artists, Petra integrates puppet and mask-making with digital storytelling to explore themes such as environmental stewardship, culture, and creativity. Her puppetry has ranged from a puppet troop at Greater Lansing Artspace, to facilitating the Traverse City Earth Day Puppet and Mask Parade.
Petra offers students a creative exploration of storytelling through various mediums, including film, photography, and puppetry. Students in her classes engage in hands-on activities designed to inspire artistic expression and develop technical skills, while exploring themes related to culture, creativity, and narrative.
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.
