What is the inspiration for the integration of the arts in the RE program at All Souls NYC?
The Unitarian Universalist (UU) Association states that children’s programs build resilience, offering support through life’s tough times and encouraging each child to connect with their own quest for purpose and meaning. I think the arts provide a perfect mediums to accomplish these lofty goals. My background includes graduate work in counseling as well a teacher training program which incorporated many art forms, and most recently I served as the Principal of a public arts school. Rising levels of depression and anxiety in youth are significant challenges--research is demonstrating ways in which music, visual arts, theatre and other creative arts can contribute to addressing these challenges. I personally am very attracted to tactile engagement and have integrated many artistic exercises which can serve as a vehicle for personal expression in a way that might feel more accessible that just vocal expression. I believe that engagement with the creative arts can bring joy, restore self-confidence, improve mental and physical wellbeing, strengthen a spiritual connection, and contribute to improving the quality of life for everyone. Additionally, we are in NYC and the arts play such a central role in the life of most New Yorkers.
Growing up with art
I grew up exposed to a ton of people making art and culture. My mom is a graduate of a music conservatory as a classically trained musician, my great uncle taught visual arts at McGill University and my grandmother was a celebrated folk artist. I grew up in New York City and I was constantly going to museums and shows—I found the energy electrifying. My dad is a big opera buff, so my childhood was spent going to the Metropolitan Opera and classical music. He would travel the world in pursuit of his passion, and I would tag along. My family is originally from Ukraine. The Ukrainian diaspora representatives' multi-vector creativity is evidenced by the synergy of cultural and artistic activities and spiritual ideas, which are recorded in publications, archives and epistolary.
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When I was a teenager, my parents would take me to London for long weekends and we would see shows on the West End before they came to Broadway. A few that I remember seeing there first included Cats and Breaking the Code. There were so many, and I am so thankful for those experiences.
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My family always had me engaging with all sorts of mediums—lots of music, ethnic dance, crafts, and oil painting. In high school I took a fashion design class and loved it. I used to scour thrift stores and sew my own clothes when I couldn’t find what I wanted. I have this really strong desire to express what is inside me. In college I was that person who you would find playing an instrument in a park or walking around with a sketch pad in my hand.
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I will always be one of these types of people who is always doing, thinking, and creating.
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As a child I studied piano for many years. In School, I was a member of a Fife and Drum Marching Band, and played clarinet in a Jazz Band. Basically, anything you could pick up and fiddle with I would—ukulele, dulcimer, synthesizers, whatever I could find. One of my favorites was the Bandura, a stringed instrument that is the national instrument of Ukraine. |
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In my first job working at a school, I ended up being the Co-Drama director where I helped with the technical elements of the production. I later found an educational philosophy that centered on the arts and did a teacher training that included music, puppetry, painting, storytelling, and much more.
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