Arts Education
Read It, See It, Hear It, Be It:
A Year-Round Arts Education Initiative
The Bologna Performing Arts Center’s Arts Education Office provides year-round arts education programming through its Read it, See It, Hear It, Be It programming, for thousands of students, ages 4-18 annually. The Read It, See It, Hear It, Be It program encompasses the School-Time Matinee Series, providing public, private and homeschool groups with professional touring productions, along with $1-$2 books that tie into the performances. Students can take home these books and the teachers can use them in their classrooms. The BPAC partners with other community organizations, like Delta Arts Alliance and the GRAMMY Museum MS to create free workshops for students and teachers to participate in, that align into themes they saw during the Matinee performances.
The second largest component of the Read It, See It, Hear It, Be It program is the Janice Wyatt Mississippi Summer Arts Institute, which brings almost 200 children, ages 4-18, to the Bologna Performing Arts Center and Delta State University each summer to take classes with professional level instructors and perform on the BPAC’s Mainstage themselves. BPAC also hosts many community events in conjunction with Delta State University and community organizations, including Stompfest, MS Youth Chorale, Honor Choir (DSU Music Dept), MS State Youth Conference, DSU Convocation, Delta Arts Alliance Dance Recitals, the Mississippi Municipal Youth Conference and many more. The Bologna Performing Arts Center has also been a participant in the Partners in Education program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, offering professional development programs in arts integration for area educators. Additional BPAC Arts Education initiatives include after-school programming for area students, subscription arts and literacy boxes, school literacy initiatives, masterclasses and workshop opportunities.
School-Time Matinee Series
The School-Time Matinee Series, just completed its 28th season, presenting professional touring companies and performances for over 8,000 children from PreK-12th grade last year. In the upcoming 2023-2024 Season we will have 6 titles and 11 performances for area students, ages 4-18. Please check back on our School-time Matinee Page on July 1, 2023 for the season announcement listing our upcoming performances for the 2023-2024 Matinee Season.
If you are a teacher or administrator and would like more information or to purchase regular or scholarship tickets to our shows, please contact our offices at 662-846-4844 or email hsenter@deltastate.edu.
The Janice Wyatt Mississippi
Summer Arts Institute
Registration for the Janice Wyatt Mississippi Summer Arts Institute is now open! Please visit our MSAI page to find out more general information about our CORE Arts and PLUS Arts summer camps.
Campers ages 5-11 attend PLUS Camp, a week-long, performance-oriented day camp packed with tons of energy and fun activities. Campers ages 12-18 immerse themselves in a two-week, multi-faceted, residential CORE Arts program. CORE Arts is a 2 week-long, intensive summer arts program, where emerging artists can realize their dreams, unleash their imagination, and discover and explore their talents while residing in the dorms on Delta State University’s campus in Cleveland, MS.
2023 Janice Wyatt MSAI Camp Dates
CORE Arts Camp
June 10- June 23, 2023, with Final Exhibition and Performances on June 23, 2023.
Final Exhibition is 11 AM – 1PM. Final Performances will be 1:30 PM.
PLUS Camp
July 17 – July 21, 2023, from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM with final performance on Saturday, July 22, 2023 at 10 AM
All programs will feature final showcases that demonstrate the hard work and immense dedication of our young artists. Tuition for CORE Arts Camp can be paid in installments over the spring semester leading up to the program, and tuition for PLUS is due in one payment to secure the spot due to the popularity of the program. Please note that, due to the logistics of hiring teaching artists, ordering supplies, and making on-campus reservations, refunds are not given unless the department is contacted approximately three weeks prior to the start of camp.
Exposure to the arts contributes to the overall cognitive and social development of children. Providing students with a creative outlet of expression can improve academic achievement, accommodate a wide variety of learning styles, promote diverse multicultural perspectives, and aid in the development of positive self-esteem in adolescents. Arts education is an essential component in preparing youth for their future careers. Aspects such as team-work, self-discipline, and communication skills are promoted throughout the fine arts curriculum, and provide students with useful tools that will help them achieve their goals and aspirations.
For more information on our year-round arts education opportunities, contact the Bologna Performing Arts Center on campus at Delta State University at bolognapac@deltastate.edu or at 662-846-4844.