News
Youth movements: Cultural, arts outlets seek young patrons
McKinley Elementary sixth-grader Trevor Barnes took one look at a ballet pointe shoe last week, wrinkled his nose and said to his friends, "That’s nasty."
Yet, minutes later he joined his friends in a ballet pose while Alberta Bair Theater education director Bess Fredlund discussed an upcoming performance of "The Snow Queen." Fredlund visited all but two Billings elementary schools to prepare sixth-graders for the show.
For many Billings sixth-graders it was their first exposure to ballet, a taste of what they’ll see Tuesday during a special school matinee performance of "The Snow Queen" at the ABT. The matinee is one of 15 school events the theater will present during the 2004-05 season, an increase over previous years.
The ABT is among numerous Billings arts organizations looking for ways to involve young people in the arts. Raising a new generation of arts patrons has become increasingly important in recent years, especially for cash-strapped organizations that have watched one arts tax initiative after another fail at the polls.
A look at the graying audiences now attending events such as ABT fund-raisers, the Billings Symphony, and plays at Billings Studio Theatre reveals much about the state of the arts in Billings.
Shari Nault, director of Billings Cultural Partners, said the onus is on those who are middle-aged or younger to keep the city’s cultural entities alive. The Cultural Partners is a group of 20 local nonprofit cultural groups.
"Our grandfathers are the ones that built these institutions, and we are the stewards that must keep them going," Nault said. "It’s not so much about the arts; it’s about the community.”
By JACI WEBB
Of The Gazette Staff
MATR Supporters (view all)
Sorry, we couldn't find any posts. Please try a different search.