Silverstein adjusts lights for an event. photo courtesy of Thomas Silverstein
A local foundation is restoring art programs one student at a time.
The Bringing Back the Arts (BBTA) Foundation is on a mission with Denver’s first lady Mary Louise Lee to restore DPS arts programs and give Denver residents better access to cultural institutions all throughout the city. Through this organization, there is a highly-selective internship program in which two Spartans, junior Jordan Prochnow and senior Thomas Silverstein, were among thirteen selected recipients.
The internships take place at Denver’s various cultural locations, such as the Lighthouse Writers Workshop and the Denver Center for Performing Arts, where Prochnow and Silverstein will be interning respectively. Prochnow, who is looking to improve her creative writing skills, explained, “to have that experience with me, for an internship in writing, and an internship when you’re working and a workplace in general, I think it will be really good to have on college applications and resumes, so that I can find a career in writing one day.”
What Lee had in mind when she wanted to make Denver’s culture even richer came to life through the BBTA Foundation. As DPS budgets have gotten more strained, many schools have had to cut their arts programs in order to save money. Classes such as music, dance, and theater became more of a privilege rather than a requirement. Lee wanted to integrate creativity into Denver’s youth and reinstitute these programs throughout Denver Public Schools. The purpose of the BBTA Foundation is to create partnerships around Denver to give citizens more opportunities to visit the city’s many cultural institutions, like the Denver Art Museum, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Company, and the Colorado Symphony. They strive to showcase the talent of the Mile High City’s youth through collaborations with local artists in order to give these students professional opportunities. Silverstein, who has been a part of the theater program at TJ for multiple years, is looking to gain better experience in the field outside of school. “I think even if technical theater doesn’t relate to what I’ll be doing in the future, I plan on going into something that’s sort of abstract and creative,” he commented.
The interns who were selected for this opportunity had to go through an intense application process with multiple interviews and long essays. Additionally, the new interns had to attend two six and a half hour training sessions. Through these trainings, the students learned how to act professionally, how to work with other people in a professional environment, and how to remain unbiased throughout their internship. In addition to the beneficial work experience, the interns earn ten semester credits while attending bi-weekly classes with graded assignments. “I thought that the program sounded really interesting. It was sort of a once in a lifetime opportunity,” explained Prochnow. The new interns are looking forward to gaining better experience in their preferred arts field, such as creative writing or theater.
For those interested in following in these Spartan’s footsteps, there is still time to apply for the Spring 2016 Internship Program through Bringing Back the Arts. Applications are due by April 4, 2016. Visit http://www.bringbackarts.org for more information about the foundation’s various programs and opportunities.
