Available Programs - Creative Connections

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Creative Connections is dedicated to educating young people by encouraging their awareness, understanding, and appreciation of other cultures, as well as their own. Our programs are designed to teach cultural literacy and to foster the desire to learn about other cultures, customs and traditions.

ArtLink is our unique international art exchange program designed for 3rd through 12th grade classes which addresses national standards for art, social studies, and foreign languages.

Students in participating classes:

Explore the meaning of “culture” and values
Conceive and create art pieces that reflect the aspects of their culture that are meaningful to them
Exchange their art work with a partner class in another country
Gain new insight and perspective into both their own and their partner’s cultures by examining (and enjoying!) the art from their partners
Respond and/or discuss the art with their partners, offering observations, testing hypotheses and asking questions

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This interdisciplinary program, designed for 3rd - 12th grade art, science, social studies and Spanish language classrooms, features the formation of unique classroom partnerships between students from the United States and their counterparts living next to the Mayan Biosphere Reserve in Guatemala.

Rainforest ArtLink participants:

Conceive and create art pieces that illustrate aspects of their culture and environment
Exchange the art with their overseas partner class
Dialogue with their partners, in a live videoconference directly from the heart of the Mayan rainforest.
Understand the idea of connectivity among humans and the impact of this concept on the culture and the environment

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With Videoconferencing

Creative Connections ArtLink program (see above) with the exciting addition of a live videoconference. We fully facilitate this one-hour session where students use the themes presented in their art pieces as the starting point to explore many aspects of culture. These might include family life, gender roles, social issues, popular music and fashion, sports, modern technology vs. maintaining traditions, etc. We have found that videoconferencing (available in some of our partner countries) helps bring any ArtLink exchange to life in a profound and dynamic way.

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By examining works created by young artists from around the globe, we turn your students into cultural detectives! Our presenter travels to area schools, facilitating these unique workshops, which enables students to gain a fuller understanding and appreciation of different cultures – and have a great time doing so. Our workshop themes include: Traditions from Around the World, Sports and Games, Social Concerns, Family Life, Interacting with Nature, and several more.

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Creative Connections brings talented young performers from around the world to meet with and perform for children and students in our area, sharing their culture through music, song and/or dance. Young audiences also get a feel for the personal lives of the performers, since each show leads off with a video that takes the audience “back home” to see the performers’ schools, homes, and rehearsals.

An important component of each tour is interaction between the performers and their American peers. Our groups give “hands-on” workshops, visit classrooms, share meals, and stay in the homes of local families. Recent tours have featured youth groups from Uganda, Russia, Cambodia, China, India, Colombia, and Nicaragua. Our Spring 2012 tour features young folk musicians, singers, and step dancers from Ireland.

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Mathews Park, 303 West Avenue, Norwalk, CT 06850 | 203-803-4376 | WorldLink@CreativeConnections.org