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NEWS |
Fine arts program is Golden
Hammond woman works to meet needs of city's youth
BY MELANIE CSEPIGA
Times Correspondents
This story ran on nwitimes.com on Sunday, May 8, 2005 12:17 AM CDT
Creating a fine arts culture within her community is a worthy goal that Michelle Golden says will translate to broadened potentials for children and increase the quality of life for Hammond residents.
As president of Golden Studio, Golden has been heavily involved in her hometown as a member of the Downtown Hammond Council, Lakeshore Chamber of Commerce, Hammond Rotary and Mayor's Education Committee.
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That involvement, Golden says, has given her the networking capital and acknowledgement of her community commitment that has held her in good stead in her drive to boost the literary, visual and musical arts. "The fine arts are such a long shot, a hard sell," Golden says. "Success is in crossing those boundaries. They need to see that you are repeatedly involved." That's why, when Golden launched Books, Brushes & Bands, incorporated in September 2000 to meet the fine arts needs of Hammond children, she was able to draw support from many of Hammond's heavy hitters in the business community. She didn't do it alone. "My husband, Arturo Cardenas, and I made a conscious decision to start this as a couple. I knew I needed his support economically. Instead of a third child, this is my baby," she says. |
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The long-term goal is to have a full-time staff in literacy, visual and musical arts.
In the meantime, BB&B has established a citywide choir for elementary and middle school students and elementary bands at Kenwood and Morton schools.
Taught by musicians from the Merit School of Music in Chicago, who come to Hammond for the instruction, many of the students recently performed at Orchestra Hall in Chicago in a culmination of their studies. The bands and citywide choir also perform in annual concerts for the community.
Kenwood students completed a project that not only included writing and illustrating a book, but traveling multiple times to Columbia College in Chicago, where they learned how books are made.
Golden says teaching literacy as a way of life transforms the students into adults who can speak clearly and with purpose for the marketplace, as well as building skills to compete in a global economy.
"I see students in the program that change in appearance. They become more groomed," Golden says, adding the fine arts also help students find personal direction.
"The arts have to be part of kids' lives, no matter what income level or race. It's a God-given right. The creativity in people is what makes the world interesting."