Community Foundation of the Ozarks

On September 13, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the Springfield Regional Arts Council and Springfield Public Schools hosted the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts as they launched the implementation phase of the Any Given Child program. The event also included the premiere of “Any Given Child-Springfield,” a short film by local filmmakers Bryan Manning and Clay Mason, which highlights the active local arts scene and explains the Kennedy Center program.

Springfield is just the second (and one of seven overall) cities to be selected as part of the Any Given Child initiative, which focuses on creating, establishing and sustaining parts programming in communities and schools, with a focus on youth. Other cities in the program include Sacramento, Calif., Portland, Ore., Sarasota, Fla., Tulsa, Okla., Las Vegas and most recently, Austin, Texas. Read our original event-recap post here.

Below is the full version of “Any Given Child-Springfield,” which shines a wonderful light on local arts organizations. Please take the time to watch it and share it with friends.

Any Given Child (2011) from Bryan Manning on Vimeo.

At the Moxie Cinema, Springfield’s arts scene was the star of the show when the Community Foundation of the Ozarks, the Springfield Regional Arts Council and Springfield Public Schools hosted the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Tuesday afternoon and premiered a short film highlighting the scene.

The guest of honor was Darrell Ayers, vice-president in charge of education for the Washington D.C.-based Kennedy Center. Springfield is just the second (and one of seven overall) cities to be selected as part of the Any Given Child initiative, which focuses on creating, establishing and sustaining parts programming in communities and schools, with a focus on youth. Other cities in the program include Sacramento, Calif., Portland, Ore., Sarasota, Fla., Tulsa, Okla., Las Vegas and most recently, Austin, Texas.

It’s auspicious company for Springfield, but deserved, Ayers said, because of the sheer number of active arts organizations in the community. Add to that Springfield’s strong school system and diverse demographics (not so much in ethnicity, but in socio-economic terms) and the opportunity to reach and help a wide variety of children was apparent. Now starts the implementation process; with the Kennedy Center’s backing, arts organizations and the public schools should be able to offer even more arts programs that will be available for years to come.

Hosted at Moxie Cinema, Springfield’s non-profit independent theatre with a fund at the CFO, the event premiered the short film “Any Given Child-Springfield”, made by local filmmakers and SPS alumni Bryan Manning and Clay Mason. The final version of the film will be finished soon; we’ll post the delightful film once it’s through the final editing process.

In celebration of National Arts in Education Week, the Community Foundation of the Ozarks will host an open house from 4-6 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 13, at the Moxie Cinema in downtown Springfield. All local educators and arts supporters are encouraged to attend this free event and learn about what’s happening in the arts scene, both in Springfield and nationally.

At 5 p.m. the premiere of a short film by local filmmakers Bryan Manning and Clay Mason – “Any Given Child-Springfield” – will be presented. The event is part of the Kennedy Center “Any Given Child” initiative, which focuses on assisting communities in strengthening and expanding arts education for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Springfield is just the second community selected nationally to participate in the program.

The premiere will be followed by a news conference with Darrell Ayers, vice president for education at the Kennedy Center. Members of various Springfield arts agencies including Springfield Ballet, The Community Foundation of the Ozarks Arts Programming Sustainability Initiative Panel, Juanita K. Hammons Hall for the Performing Arts, Moxie Cinema, MSU College of Arts and Letters, Southwest Missouri Museum Associates, Springfield Little Theatre, Springfield Public Schools, Springfield Regional Arts Council, SRO Lyric Theatre and Springfield Symphony Orchestra will also be in attendance.

“The Kennedy Center is excited about the future of arts education in Springfield, and looks forward to providing appropriate resources as part of the next steps in the new five-year plan,” Ayers said. “Springfield has such rich arts resources in the schools and community, it has very dedicated people, and now a wonderful new plan to ensure the arts for Any Given Child in Springfield.”

The event includes free movie popcorn and other refreshments.

Moxie Cinema is located at 431 S. Jefferson Ave., in the Wilhoit Plaza, with its entrance on Pershing Street. Parking is available on Pershing, or in the lot at Jefferson and Elm streets.

About Any Given Child (from kennedy-center.org)

The Any Given Child initiative, created by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, seeks to bring access, balance, and equity to each child’s arts education, using an affordable model that combines the resources of the school district, local arts groups, and the Kennedy Center. The program is designed for students in grades K-8.

Kennedy Center staff members work with community leaders and school administrators in a Community Team to develop a long-range plan for arts education that is tailor-made for their school district. The Team reviews existing arts resources in the school district and the education programs offered by local arts organizations and companies. Once there is a snapshot of the arts education resources, the Team develops a plan specific to the needs of that community.