Lubeznik Center for the Arts (LCA) in Michigan City strives to remove barriers and bring the arts to life for everyone in the community. While its programs and exhibitions attract visitors from Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and beyond, during the 2019/2020 school year LCA focused on growth close to home by expanding its service area to include the City of La Porte and children who attend La Porte Community School Corporation (LPCSC) schools. This project was made possible thanks in part to support from the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte and served more than 800 students through a combination of tours, family days, and an 8-week STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) camp for second and third graders at Kingsford Heights Elementary School. More than 83% of students visiting LCA indicate a desire to return or have the opportunity to experience additional cultural institutions.
To build upon that success, LCA is proud to have received a recent grant from the Healthcare Foundation of La Porte to continue to expand our focus in the City of La Porte. Due to the challenges of the current pandemic, our current exhibit, Well Behaved Women: 100 Years of Suffrage and other exhibits scheduled this year will have high quality video tours and accompanying curriculum resources that teachers can use to bring the art into their classrooms. LCA plans to offer the on-site STEAM Camp in Spring 2021 and will continue to provide both virtual and in-person outreach as health conditions allow.
Hannah Hammond-Hagman, LCA Education Director, is overseeing the program and is already seeing impact from the momentum created last year. She states, “Engaging students in the making and discussion of art helps them develop communication and literacy skills that impact success in all subject areas and in life. We are extremely appreciative of HFL and this grant for the opportunities it provides us to connect with students, especially during this challenging time.”
"Thanks to this generous grant," stated Janet Bloch, Executive Director, "LCA can continue to provide high quality programming to students in La Porte. We know that exposure to the arts positively impacts education and health outcomes and we are proud to serve our local students in this way. Our entire staff is excited about the long-term possibilities for connections made through this expansion. We appreciate LPCSC's great partnership and HFL for making it possible!"
LCA’s Virtual Learning Tour program has already launched with a comprehensive and engaging video tour and discussion from the most recent exhibit, Well-Behaved Women: 100 Years of Suffrage. This free 30-minute virtual educational program features six artists and artworks along with a step-by-step instructional video for students to create their own related art project using readily available classroom materials. LCA also offers an accompanying Educator Curriculum Packet that offers discussion questions for multiple grade levels, breakout activities and additional information and resources for further classroom learning of the topics and issues discussed. Any interested school or educator should contact Laurel Izard, LCA Education Coordinator, at education@lubeznikcenter.org for free access to the video link and curriculum packet. Additional Virtual Learning Tours will be made available for upcomingLCA exhibits.
