Young Audiences of North East Texas

ABOUT US

Mission Statement: Young Audiences of Northeast Texas is committed to using the arts to enrich the lives of children and enhance their education.

Who are we and what do we do?

Since 1997, Young Audiences of Northeast Texas, the newest chapter of one of the oldest and most respected arts-in-education organizations in the nation, has been dedicated to bringing quality arts-in-education experiences into northeast Texas schools through visual, performing, historical, and literary arts programming. These programs are provided by local, state and nationally recognized artists. Many programs have accompanying Study Guides designed to maximize the connection with the school's curriculum.

Young Audiences of Northeast Texas was recognized by TISD as a Most Valuable Partner in 2003.

National Young Audiences was the first arts-in-education organization awarded the National Medal of Arts. On October 14, 1994, President Clinton awarded Young Audiences, Inc. the nation's highest honor for the arts community, the National Medal of Arts. Young Audiences Advisory Board Member Yo-Yo Ma accepted the award at a ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House.

Young Audiences of Northeast Texas’ mission includes: working with administrators and teachers to address classroom needs; helping teachers learn how to integrate the arts into other core subjects for increased learning experiences; and providing suggestions for pre- and post-performance activities for teachers to incorporate a Young Audiences’ experience into the classroom curriculum.

A recent National Governors’ Association reports “Today’s challenging workplace demands academic credentials as well as less tangible assets – including flexibility, highly developed interpersonal skills and problem-solving ability… Arts education is a cost-effective way to help build the workforce of tomorrow.”

We believe that every child in every school should be receiving a well-rounded education which includes the arts. Studies show that students involved in the arts have better grades, score higher on standardized tests, have better classroom behavior, and are less likely to drop out of school.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2008 - 2009

President

Kim Johnson

President-Elect

Fran Cooper

Treasurer

Randy Turner

Secretary
Jennifer Byrne

Advisor

Suzy Boatner

Kay Arms
Henria Armstrong
Rebecca Ballard
Amy Baskin
Carolyn Bronston
Onella Brown
D. M. Edwards
George Faber
Claudine Giffin
Mike Henderson
Joy Hunt
Marianne Long
Julie Nichols
Richard Ring
Christy Roach
Dr. Cheryl Rogers
Edwin V. Santos
Dr. Otis Webster
Mildred Witte
Nancy Wrenn

Advisory Board

Jim Allen

Pam Erwin

DeAnna Hargrove

Kathy Housby

Bobbie Lovelady

Danny Mogle

Dr. Randy Reid
Susan Thomae-Morphew
Michelle Tyler-Heines

Staff

Executive Director -
Dana Sudduth

Education Director -
Cindy McDaniel

Our Contributors
Funding for Young Audiences programs comes from school budgets, public and private foundation grants, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Texas Commission on the Arts, and individual donors.
If you share our commitment to providing quality arts education programming to Northeast Texas children, consider becoming a Young Audiences Partner.

We also gratefully acknowledge the outstanding contributions from the following collaborating institutions:

Young Audiences, Inc.
National Board of Directors

Chairman
   Brooks Thomas

President
   John W. Creamer

Chairman Emeritus
   J. McLain Stewart

National Staff

National Executive Director
   Richard Bell

Director of National Services
   Jane C. Bak

Director of Education, Research, & Professional Development
   Dr. Janis Norman

(for complete board and staff, see youngaudiences.org)