Dear Awesome Arts Aficionados,
As we head into Thanksgiving week, I am grateful for the many ways we invest in our creative communities.
First and foremost, I deeply appreciate the team of folks who ensure our students are healthy and relatively happy. Today we did a “shelter in place” and evacuation drill to practice emergency procedures. All adults on campus united in a trauma-informed approach that communicated care and shared responsibility. It went well!
I also thank our lucky stars for the wider community that collectively invests in Arts for All. On Tuesday, The Eames Institute showed up to share their sustainable design perspective and legacy with Product Design and Arts & Design students. Students learned about art as problem solving and got up close and personal to design artifacts and innovations. I loved that parents showed up too—to learn and to help elevate the event with a reception.
And, of course, I can’t get enough of observing students express themselves and shine. I see it when a young artist celebrates his photo selected to hang in the gallery and when a group of students come out to see each other perform on stage with genuine praise and congratulations.
Each and every day we work together to create memorable experiences for our young people. I’m so grateful for this community full of generous, talented people—young and old. Work is a pleasure here thanks to the many hands that make light work.
If you are feeling thankful to MSA this season, there are so many ways to share your gratitude—with time volunteering at an event, with spreading the word about stellar shows like Follies (let’s fill the house this weekend!), or with small contributions like the Giving Tuesday campaign.
Thank you for all you do for students and the wider community!
Warmly,
Michelle Cortez