Launching the Visionary Artists Program to bring the arts to public school students was a mission of Lola White, a high school senior and college student in the dual enrollment program at the School for Advance Studies at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus.
“I started the program because I felt we didn’t have any arts and access to those opportunities, so I wanted to try and bring some of that to my school,” said White, referring to when she was a 14-year-old student at iPrep Academy in Miami. “Then I thought it would be more beneficial and impactful to other underserved schools without resources.”
White’s parents, who are both artists, provided her with a rich arts education growing up, she said, supporting her attending ballet, piano and drawing classes.
“I wouldn’t say art is my main passion, but it was a very positive experience over the years has helped me build confidence and gain skills that aren’t emphasized in the classroom and I want to pass that on,” said White, who plans to study psychology.
During her freshman and sophomore year at iPrep she introduced the Visionary Artists Program, inviting National Poet Laureate and author Richard Blanco and then L. Lamar Wilson, also a poet, to speak to and lead the students in poetry writing workshops.
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Building on the momentum of those residencies, White began emailing principals and administrators at schools. Her mother, Lolita, a retired Miami-Dade County Public Schools special education teacher at Citrus Grove Elementary, reached out to her contacts and asked if they would be open to having a Visionary Artists session at their schools.
The program has now expanded to 11 schools including Booker T. Washington Senior High School, Brownsville Middle School, Coral Reef Senior High School, Edison Park K-8 Center, Fienberg Fisher K-8 Center, Lenora B. Smith Elementary School, The Excelsior School K-8 Center, Toussaint L’Overture Elementary, Lindsey Hopkins Technical College and most recently, Miami Beach Adult & Continuing Education Center Project SOAR program for adults with disabilities.
When Cristina Ugalde, Ed.D., who is principal of the Miami Beach Adult & Continuing Education Center, experienced White’s program she asked if the program could be offered to their Project SOAR at Miami Beach program for adults with disabilities, which is led by Project Coordinator Carmen Pardiñas.
“Principal Ugalde knows Lola’s mother from when she was a special education teacher at Citrus Grove Elementary . . . so the two came together and put together a program for our Project SOAR students,” said Pardiñas.
White, Ugalde and Pardiñas, began discussing locations for Project SOAR students to take part in the Visionary Artists Sessions Program, they found the Miami Beach Regional Library’s Auditorium was perfect. “The space allows our SOAR adult participants, who range in age from 21 to 26, to be more relaxed and creative. The library staff welcomed us with open arms,” said Pardiñas.
Tapping local actress and WMBM radio host Carey Brianna Hart to lead the Project SOAR students at the library was an easy choice for White. The two met when Hart was interviewing White for her weekly Saturday morning radio show “South Florida Arts, Education & You!” on WMBM 1490 AM.
“I interviewed Lola two years ago for my program on WMBM about her Visionary Artists Session program,” said Hart, who once they were finished with the on-air show, immediately asked her if she might need her help teaching one of the sessions.
White took her up on the offer and the two worked together on several of the sessions with Brianna Hart teaching at various schools.
“I did indeed host three sessions with fourth grade students and three with sixth graders. We did drama activities both inside and outdoors,” said Hart.
Then last year in May, Hart said they worked in Miami Beach to help adults in the SOAR Program where they did improv activities and physical warm up.
“It helped students engage and focus. When I came to the classroom a couple of the students would perk up when they heard my voice,” said Hart. “I’d been told one student was non-verbal but would immediately greet me and say hello when I entered the classroom.”
White said when choosing artists for the Project SOAR sessions, Hart’s background working with students with disabilities was a plus.
“I thought of her because she’s very patient with adults and students with disabilities,” said White.
At the Miami Beach Regional Library sessions, Hart split the program into four sections working through exercises she said would act as a catalyst to help them become more social and assimilate into the workforce, one of Project SOAR’s primary goals.
“I had them do warm up activities, participate in storytelling and a playmaking activity, even choreographing a music video, something we did using segments of songs they chose,” she said. “There were plenty of team building exercises and everything they learned and worked on.” The work will be showcased at a public presentation at the Miami Beach Library on Wednesday, Nov. 19.
“We have done over 80 theater-centered Visionary Artists Sessions with more than 1200 students that emphasize playwriting, monologue writing/performance, character building, movement/dance, persona poetry and music,” said White.
Leading those students is an impressive roster of local actors, singers, dancers, writers, and creatives that White has recruited. In addition to Hart, they are VAS Artists: Toddra Brunson, Brette-Raia Curah, Xavier Dubrocq, Jen Karetnick, John Macho, Geoffrey Philip, Daejah Pierre Jules, Vaughn St. James, Heather Thrummer and L. Lamar Wilson.
White said she was able to offer an honorarium for the artists.
“I raised $5,000 through crowdfunding and other events to pay the artists,” said White.
And Project SOAR’s Pardiñas is excited for the future and hoping to “expand this type of programming outside of schools and into the community.”
WHAT: Visionary Artists Session with Project SOAR Miami Beach
WHERE: Miami Beach Regional Library, 227 22 St., Miami Beach.
WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 19, 10-11 a.m.
COST: Free
INFORMATION: 305-535-4219 and on Visionary Arts Program on Facebook
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