Hollywood Arts 1

Hollywood Arts 1

The Hollywood Arts Collaboration:

Providing art education and its benefits to the children and youth in the North Memphis-Hollywood area.

Presented for:

Dr. Hersey

Presented By:

Elizabeth Boyd

Fareen Panjwani

Rachel Hennings

Rebecca Davis

May 6, 2013

The Hollywood Arts Collaboration

Introduction

Living in underserved neighborhoods can cause feelings of inferiority in children that may eventually cause them to withdraw from the learning environment and indulge in anti-social behavior. This can create the most serious social issues and high percentages of students dropping out of school, teen pregnancies, and infant mortality. The youth of these neighborhoods constantly complain of being bored. There is a great need for the development of activities that involves them, eliminating idle time. However, it must also help in the development of the cognitive and affective qualities of these youth. Creating programs that address the cognitive and affective qualities of children living in these conditions is an effective way of helping in the successful development of families and the community.

The Hollywood community in North Memphis, zip code 38108, is considered an underserved neighborhood with multiple issues contributing to this state. The dropout rate, number of teen pregnancies, and infant mortality rate are deep rooted in the fiber of the neighborhood. There have been many programs and practices introduced to the neighborhood over the years, but long-term improvements and changes have not been established. A university-community based collaboration that includes a multifaceted group of stakeholders, representative of the arts, government, and citizens working to accomplish a shared vision of revitalization offer the possibility of reducing problems in this community.

The arts play an important role in human development, enhancing the growth of cognitive, emotional, and psychomotor pathways, however due to funding cuts in arts programs of schools in underserved neighborhoods, children often fall short in the development of these qualities (Sousa, 2006). For the community to survive and thrive, it becomes the responsibility of the neighborhood citizens, businesses, and other sources to support the neighborhood and become important players in creative child growth and development.

Studies have shown that there are basic things that are necessary to the development of a successful child. Among these are art programs that help in the development of positive socialization. Research also shows that a positive family environment including fun family activities, open parent-child communication and the encouragement to participate in positive extracurricular and community activities helps children to develop in positive ways. Active participation in the arts by youth with support from parents and other adults in the 38108 zip code will allow youth in this neighborhood to experience art and flourish from its benefits.

Setting

The collaboration members come from throughout the Memphis and Shelby County community consisting of stakeholders with a commitment to redeveloping and stabilizing youth development in the 38108 area with:

• A total population of 22,237; a median household income of $20, 805 out of which 2,025 (14.4%) have less than a 9th grade education, and 3,903 (27.8%) have 9th through 12th grade education, but do not have a diploma.
• The city’s highest death rate of infants before the age of one.
• One of the city’s poorest neighborhoods with one in every four teen girls giving birth each year. (

Need

This area needs an atmosphere that will help the community youth become more educated, socialized, and productive citizens. By offering arts programs at the local community center, this will improve human development, enhance the growth of cognitive and affective qualities, as well as improve emotional stability and psychomotor pathways.

A replacement of the arts, which has been taken out of the public schools due to funding, in the community center with both afterschool and summer programs will give youth in this area alternative positive options for activities.

Key Players

• Rhodes College, Center for Outreach in the Development of the Arts

Liz Daggett

Rhodes College has been a leader in building coalitions and offering programs that improve living and learning conditions in the this neighborhood of Memphis

• University of Memphis Department of Art

Richard Lou, Chairman

The University of Memphis is a comprehensive urban university committed engaged scholarship and scholarly accomplishments of students and faculty providing service learning to enhance the community.

• Memphis College of Art

Cara Seivers, Director of College Communications

Memphis College of Art provides intensive art studies and experience to students and to the public. Located in the midtown area of Memphis, the school has already developed curriculum to work with all age groups in a variety of techniques.

• City of Memphis Parks and Neighborhoods

Janet P. Hooks, Director

The Hollywood Community Center in the 38108 zip code is a safe environment that offers a wide variety of programs and services that meet the identified needs of the community. It is also a safe place for all ages to meet and socialize

• Plough Foundation

Barbara Jacobs, Director

Plough Corporation is a major industry in the community committed to neighborhood development in the Hollywood area. The Plough Foundation is a private nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is to promote the practice of charitable giving and volunteering or to represent and serve a wide range of philanthropic and charitable institutions that provide funding and other types of assistance to community service.

• Buckman Laboratories, BuckmanCares

Kathy Buckman Gibson, Chairman

Buckman corporation has developed a concentrated giving and volunteer effort in the community to increase the impact on the community to make them more livable by supplying resources and the contribution of associates' time and talents in the areas of education with an emphasis on youth, health and human services, and environmental stewardship.

Hollywood Arts 1

Hollywood Arts Collaboration: Preliminary Logic Model

Hollywood Arts 1

Review of Literature

As school budgets begin to tighten and programs are eliminated, often non-academic programs, such as creative arts, are on the chopping block (Nelson, 2010). The benefits of art programs have been documented in a variety of literature, but unfortunately these programs tend to be a low priority in the education system (Leiderman, Furco, Zapf, & Goss, 2003; Nelson, 2010; Sousa, 2006). One way to provide this type of learning outside of the educational system is through community partnerships with universities. A growing number of universities have been contributing to local community projects and organizations through collaborations. Especially as funding for community resources continues to shrink, universities provide essential components that allow local programs to thrive (Leiderman, et al., 2003). This type of reciprocal relationship benefits not only the recipients of services and programs, but the university, as well.

These partnerships allow university staff and faculty to gain actual experience and real world application of learning theory, providing a more profound understanding of subject matter (Leiderman, et al., 2003). In fact, partnering with a community organization is often the definition of service learning for students (Sandy & Holland, 2006). While the community benefits from volunteers and services, universities may also be able to collect helpful evaluation data (Leiderman, et al., 2003). Often having ties to the political arena, higher education institutions can be important partners when trying to change or amend local policies that foster organization missions (Mayfield, Hellwig, & Banks, 1999). Additionally, stressed organizations can utilize current research and grant writing expertise provided by university partners (Leiderman, et al., 2003). Although these collaborations can be highly successful, a few potential barriers could prevent productive relationships between institutions of higher education and community organizations.

According to the literature, obstacles to lucrative partnerships mainly focus on attitudes of university representatives. For example, Mayfield, Hellwig, and Banks (1999) suggest that higher education staff leave hierarchal attitudes at the door. These types of attitudes can ostracize community members and organization leaders who are perhaps not as academically experienced and can mar relationships from the start (Mayfield, Hellwig, & Banks, 1999). By not acknowledging existing expertise in the community agency, academics may present as overbearing and unapproachable. Higher education liaisons must also remember to focus on strengths of a community or program instead of heavily focusing on deficits (Leiderman, et al., 2003). Additionally, if university partners treat community participants as research subjects and become overly invasive it will have an overall negative effect on the collaboration (Mayfield, Hellwig, & Banks, 1999).

University-community collaborations are viable options for local projects. From volunteers to policy change, community programs can benefit from these relationships. On the other hand, higher education institutions can provide students and staff with real world experience and evaluation opportunities. When it comes to providing youth with substantial art education, this type of partnership can make up for growing cuts to art programs in schools. “Together, through a genuine, collaborative partnership, community organizations and institutions of higher education can build communities that are good and healthy places to live” (Leiderman, et al., p.3). To further examine art collaborations, specific examples of community art programming can be explored.

Several community based arts programs and university-community art partnerships have shown significant results. For example, in Canada a multi method evaluation of the National Arts and Youth Demonstration Project (NAYDP) was conducted over a three year period to determine if community based arts organizations can be successful in obtaining student participation and increasing artistic and social skills. The results from this study showed that high quality art programs do have a significant effect on children’s behavior and emotional well being. Children involved in these programs gained confidence, pro social skills, conflict resolution skills, as well as improved art skills (Wright, Lindsay, Alaggia, & Sheel, 2006).

An interdisciplinary group of college students at Virginia Commonwealth University conducted a study of the effects of an after school arts program on the critical thinking skills of ten urban elementary school students. They used qualitative observations and quantitative critical thinking pre and post tests. Their results showed a significant increase in the participating children’s average critical thinking scores (Lampert, 2011). Additionally, a university study conducted on fifth grade students in Taiwan showed that after school art programs encourage children to be creative thinkers (Hsieh, 2012).

Many educators have also discovered that art curriculums provide a meaningful way for special needs children to contribute their ideas and communicate in a positive manner. In 2004 the special education program at Hofstra University in New York partnered with a Long Island, New York school district to provide afterschool tutoring for eight grade special education students. Students given support in areas of need, and art was incorporated into this partnership. Not only did students gain new ways of communication, but graduate student participants also reported multiple personal benefits, as well (Schwartz & Pace, 2008). In addition to the benefits of art programs for special needs children, research shows that incorporating art into prevention programs for at risk juvenile delinquents has improved their adaptive social, vocational, and emotional skills reducing their interest in committing crimes (Stinson, 2008). Art programs meet the intellectual needs through cognitive and affective qualities, physical needs through teaching children strength, coordination, and endurance, and emotional needs by empowering them to think for themselves (Nelson, 2009).

Joint Partnership with Affiliated Programming Model

Due to recent cuts to school art programs, Hollywood Arts wishes to form collaboration in order to provide children and youth with art education and training. The program will take place in the Memphis Community Center in the 38108 zip code and rely on local organizations and businesses for support. Hollywood Arts will involve Memphis College of Art, University of Memphis, Rhodes College, Memphis Parks and Neighborhoods, Plough Foundation, and Buckman Laboratories to provide creative programming to benefit the children and community in the “Hollywood” North Memphis area.

According to Winer and Ray (1994), collaboration is the most intense way of working together while still retaining the separate identities of the organizations involved. Winer and Ray (1994) further elaborate that the factors that make or break collaboration include ideology, leadership, power, history, competition, and resources. This collaboration of universities and community organization fits under the joint partnership with affiliated programming model. In this model, two or more organizations come together to provide services to similar stakeholders. In addition, this allows the organizations to combine their resources to support the same cliental while achieving an overall mission. The joint partnership with affiliated programming model best suits this collaboration as Hollywood Arts will provide creative programming to benefit the community (Hager & Curry, 2009).

University of Memphis is a public organization which is known for its commitment and involvement within the community. They are committed to scholarly accomplishments of students and faculty and work towards the enhancement of the community, state, and the nation. The contribution which University of Memphis will provide in this collaboration will be its art materials, instructors, time, and knowledge.

Memphis College of Art is a nonprofit private organization who is interested in nurturing students love for art and community outreach. Their mission is to provide a professional art and design education in an intimate setting. Memphis College of Art’s contribution in this collaboration will be their facilities, professional staff, programming and knowledge on variety of subjects.

Rhodes College began partnering with community members and stakeholders in the Midtown North community as they established their community outreach partnership. They have been a leader in building coalitions and offering programs that improve living and learning conditions in this vital section of Memphis area while allowing Rhodes students to employ the skills they learn in class. Rhodes College will be a great asset to this collaboration as they will offer students internships, volunteers, motivators, and most importantly serve as a community liaison for this project.

Memphis Parks and Neighborhoods supports an active culture reflective of the diversity of Memphis community. Their goal is to create thriving communities through people, services, programs, parks and our facilities. Memphis Parks will provide a safe environment which offers a wide variety of programs and services which meet the identified needs of the community. It is a safe and reliable place for all ages to meet, mingle, and socialize to build bridges amongst each other. Memphis Parks is a Center of community activities in 38108 neighborhoods which will provide their space, committed directors to perform community service, and materials in this collaboration. They will also provide the service population for the collaboration.

The Plough Foundation is an independent private nonprofit business who provides grants to nonprofit organizations in Memphis and Shelby County. They provide funding to individuals or groups who focuses on the needs in the community in the field of education, health, early childhood, public safety, and cultural arts. They promote the practice of charitable giving and volunteering. They represent and serve a wide range of philanthropic and charitable institutions that provide funding and other types of assistance to community service. The Plough Foundation will be a great asset in this collaboration as they will be the major source of providing funds and reside in the area they serve.

Buckman Laboratories is a private company that gives back through its charitable organization, BuckmanCares. Their volunteer efforts can increase the impact on communities to make them more livable and sociable. Buckman will be providing resources, time and talents in the areas of education with an emphasis on youth, health and human services, and environmental stewardship. They believe in the concept of teamwork and take 100% responsibility of their work while remaining committed to their core values and work ethics.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Recently, schools across the nation have endured many funding cuts. A bulk of these cuts has affected art related curriculums in public schools (Nelson, 2010). Some proven benefits of art education include increased communication skills, improved cognitive functioning, and creative and critical thinking skills (Hsieh, 2012; Schwartz & Pace, 2008). In the Hollywood area of Memphis, TN, crime is high, the dropout rate is extreme, and teen pregnancy is on the rise. The children and youth in this area could benefit from the presence of art education in their community.

Hollywood Arts is university-community collaboration. The University of Memphis, Rhodes College, and Memphis College of Art will enjoy the reciprocal nature of this partnership as they work to serve young people in the area of creative art. By providing programming and expertise to youth in the Hollywood area of Memphis, TN (provided by the community center), local universities will gain hands on experience with a chance for evaluation and research. University connections to policy makers will also assist this community with needed changes. Finally, both universities and community entities can fulfill their missions of community development by participating in this collaboration.