Highlighted Project
America's Arts & Music Crossroads Center
America's Arts & Music Crossroads Center is a non-profit operating division of Pittsburgh Gateways Corporation which creates and manages educational and entrepreneurial programs connecting creative professionals and youth in at-risk communities and situations. The Center advances the creation of customized productions utilizing live performance of American Music and related audio/visual arts to give profile to and celebrate the accomplishments of youth, entrepreneurs and "difference makers" in the region ("DreamMakers Productions"). The Center also develops and manages creative and career guidance programs ("DreamMakers Ventures"), and business incubation and wealth acceleration programs through innovative entrepreneurial ventures.
The objective of the "DreamMakers Ventures" Program is to capture the attention and interest of youth through structured programmatic experiences in music and the arts, in an effort to utilize the arts as a language to assist youth in defining and expressing personal dreams and goals. The model underscoring this programmatic effort is based in personal discovery, advancement and realization of a participant's interests through stages of creative exploration, training and affirmation. The Creativity & Careers Coaches are professional musicians, artists and photographers, many of whom are underemployed in the region.
The "DreamMakers Ventures" program will continue to collaborate with other regional and national youth organizations to develop thought-leadership and sustainability strategies for its programs and businesses. It will continue to focus on building a bridge to connect professional artists and musicians to "at-risk" youth in efforts to create and foster performance excellence in creative, life and career skills; tangible career and entrepreneurial pathways; and a community spirit of collaboration and respect for oneself and others.
Program Descriptions Follow
- "DreamMakers Ventures" Creativity & Careers Mentoring Program
This program engages professional musicians and artists to instruct youth in the "language of the arts" to help them define and express their personal dreams and goals. It also connects motivated youth to customized creative and career pathways in the arts, sciences, trades and entrepreneurial ventures in collaboration with a variety of community partners. Workshops and camps, like the "Jazz & American Music Summer Camp", in collaboration with the Afro American Music Institute and the "Music For Kids" program of the Homeless Children's Education Fund, act as a feeder system for the one-on-one career internship opportunities awarded to highly motivated students who welcome further career exploration. Programs are currently being created that will connect DreamMakers Ventures interns to workforce development programs which are sponsored by major corporations that offer annual paid internship and employement opportunities to high-achieving students through the new Energy Innovation Center (formerly the Connelley Trade School in Pittsburgh's Hill District) and other programs. This innovative initiative to connect youth to corporate sponsored programming is called the "Creative & Careers Crossroads for Youth".
- Original Productions & Live Performance Series -- "DreamMakers Productions"
This program engages professional musician and artist entrepreneurs to collaborate in producing original productions and live performance series that articulate valuable messages as well as to serve the charitable, social and entrepreneurial communities. The popular 10-year-old "Entrepreneurial Thursdays" networking and jam session show, the social "Soul of the City" shows, the charitable "Art & Soul" event series, and the "Steel Songbird" festival are examples of such collaborative productions. This program is expanding to include the creation of audi/visual productions to assist with the marketing of corporate and charitable communications.
- "StreetSmarts" Academy Program
This program creates, produces and markets original workshops and master classes by professionals in the creative and performing arts, and in the arts and entertainment business and technology sectors. These workshops and classes are provided to youth through the DreamMakers Ventures Program, and to young adults through the University and College channels. This program assists professional and entrepreneurial artists and musicans to access new teaching opportunities, both in the region and nationally.
- Creative & Entertainment Entrepreneurs Accelerator
This is an incubator and accelerator program to help professional musicians and creative artists in the audio, visual, writing, management, production and technology sectors to plan and execute strategies that will accelerate their career success, along with revenue creation opportunities to commercialize products and services. This program works closely with the many DreamMakers Ventures creative coaches to assist their business growth.
- Saving the Crawford Grill Jazz Shrine
The Center has recruited a group of regional investors to save this historic jazz club and community "spirit house" where John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan, George Benson and many other American music legends have performed. The group is now raising funds to renovate and re-open the venue as a music-based legacy, education and performance center.
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For more information, contact Jessica Lee jessica@viveventure.com.
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