Arts at US

At University Settlement, the arts program not only provides a platform for artists, but also finds concrete ways to reestablish and articulate the importance of the arts within the education system and the community at large.

The Performance Project @ University Settlement is committed to creatively incorporating artists into programming at University Settlement after-school programs, The Door, the Houston Street Center and the Beacon. Artists can work with specific programs or age groups and propose participant workshops, professional development trainings, community events or interactive art making experiences.

Since 2007, artists such as The Nerve Tank, Mud/Bone, Sway Machinery, Theater of a Two Headed Calf, bluemouth inc, So Percussion, Faye Driscoll, Alexis Clements, Aaron Landsman, Abigail Browde and Lynn Neuman/Artichoke Dance have used their unique approach to community building to provide program staff and participants with lasting connections to the arts.

Continuing to weave the arts into University Settlement, the Performance Project has expanded its free salon series to cultivate a creative community between artists. Most notably, the SHARE! Salon, which was a highlight at our 125^th Anniversary Block Party, has brought the talent of settlement staff and young people from the audience to the stage.

In 2006, Phoenix Theatre Ensemble teaching artists piloted the intergenerational Evolve Theatre Project with University Settlement seniors and young people from The Door. Their 20 week process culminated in an Off-Broadway performance and became the subject of the award-winning full-length documentary Stages, directed by Meerkat Media Arts Collective.