“Artists have the power to see obstacles and create solutions and that is pretty beautiful,” an arts partner said to me when I met with him to talk about his partnership with Chicago Public Schools. There was a pause in the room. He continued. “Thank you for asking me to speak at the Partner Starter, it has given me the opportunity to pause and reflect on the qualities of partnership.” I smiled.   The arts partner told me that he used to be concerned with the outcome or “performance” of the students’ art pieces, but now he realizes the importance of the process for the students and that some students might not see how the arts influences them until later on in their life. You don’t always get to see the impact you have, but it is still important. Whether they consider themselves an artist or not, they are still […]

The train hums me awake in the morning as it zooms under my window each day. It used to be something that jolted me awake, but now it is a part of my morning routine. In the always moving city, I have become used to the sounds, crowds, and lights. Each day as I head to work with my backpack, work shoes in hand, tennis shoes on, I am constantly surprised that in one of the largest cities, how many people I repeatably see each day, on the train and on the street.   The pace in the office of Ingenuity, like the city, is fast. Printers are printing. Meetings are in session. People are talking. I have worked at Ingenuity, the leading arts non-profit that works with getting quality arts education into every Chicago Public School for every student, for about four weeks now, as the Partnerships and Professional […]