Tuesday, October 18, 2022
October is National Arts & Humanities Month! Milwaukee Recreation continues to provide new opportunities to young people through the Partnership for the Arts & Humanities, an annual allocation of funds that supports after-school, weekend, and summer arts and humanities-related programs for Milwaukee youth and families.
Through the program, Milwaukee Recreation seeks to strengthen and establish community partnerships that motivate students to higher levels of achievement through academic, social-emotional, and skill-based learning. The Partnership for the Arts & Humanities program is designed to increase access to arts and humanities for youth in the city of Milwaukee, and build the collective capacity of community-based partners to effectively serve young people.
Americans for the Arts established National Arts & Humanities Month (NAHM) as “the largest annual celebration for the arts and humanities in the nation.” NAHM allows communities to encourage participation in the arts and support arts-related programs.
“Although we celebrate the incredible work of our partner organizations every month, this month we are reflecting on all that they do in our community,” April Heding, Milwaukee Recreation’s manager of afterschool arts & humanities, said. “National Arts & Humanities Month is a great reason to participate in the arts - see a play, pick up a paintbrush, write a poem - and keep the arts and humanities alive in your life and in your community.”
Arts and humanities organizations that partner with schools and community-based organizations are eligible to apply for funds. A dollar-for-dollar match is required of all participating groups. The funds are released after a rigorous application review process.
This year, Milwaukee Recreation has partnered with 53 local organizations through the fund, increasing youth access to activities such as music, theater, dance, environmental sustainability, literature, film, audio platforms, and much more.
The Partnership for the Arts & Humanities program launched in 2006, and has continued to grow in the years since. In 2021-22, the partner organizations delivered over 16,000 hours of programming and served over 10,000 unduplicated young people.
See below for a list of 2022-23 partner organizations. Click to learn more about each organization: