Many of us can remember the times we got on a crowded school bus with our teacher and classmates — and headed off to spend the day at a museum or theater to watch a live show.
Sadly, the COVID-19 pandemic has pulled the plug on such art and culture school trips.
But now four Miami-Dade arts organizations have teamed up to arrange virtual field trips — until students can get back to the real thing again.
In these uncertain times, you can rely on WLRN to keep you current on local news and information. Your support is what keeps WLRN strong. Please become a member today. Donate now. Thank you.
"When kids are exposed to the arts, it gives them a different way of seeing things. It gives them the opportunity to see life through a different lens," said Christina Tassy-Beauvoir, projects administrator for Miami-Dade's Department of Cultural Affairs.
The agency has joined forces with the Adrienne Arsht Center, the Miami Theater Center and South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center to form the Miami-Dade Arts Education Collective. The group will focus on providing arts education to Miami-Dade's K-12 students.
The performance schedule features an eclectic mix of cultural experiences for kids, from a play about racism to a show that combines circus acts and science. Although they will be viewed online, the virtual field trips will include lesson plans and Q&As that offer the children a chance to interact with the artists.
The odds are good that the virtual field trips will continue well after the COVID-19 pandemic turns a corner. Tassy-Beauvoir says the program benefits students who live in more remote parts of Miami-Dade County, who perhaps don't have easy access to cultural centers.
"It has given us an opportunity to reach a broader audience," she said.
Upcoming performances on the field trip schedule include:
▪ “A Kids Play About Racism,” now through May
▪ Air Play, Jan. 4 through 15
▪ Black Violin, Jan. 19 through Feb. 26
▪ “Emil and the Detectives,” March 1 through 12
▪ Ballet Hispánico, April 12 through 23
▪ Inez Barlatier – “Ayiti – Stories and Songs from Haiti,” May 1 through 31
For more information, please send a message to education@arshtcenter.org.
—————————————————————
This story is part of “Intermission,” WLRN’s series looking at how South Florida’s arts community is coping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We’ve also been hearing from people who are NOT artists by trade, but who are tapping into their creative side during COVID isolation.
If you’ve got a story for us, please send an email to talktous@wlrnnews.org, with the word “Intermission” in the subject line.