Conference Presents Arts Award for Youth Programs at Winter Meeting

By Crystal Swann

During the closing luncheon Friday, January 28, Las Cruces Mayor Ruben Smith, Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer, and District of Columbia (D.C.) Mayor Anthony Williams received first, second, and third place awards, respectively, for outstanding arts programs in their communities that reach youth at risk. Providence Mayor Vincent Cianci received the Special Recognition Award for his exemplary contributions to the establishment of The United States Conference of Mayors Arts Award for Program Reaching Youth at Risk.

This awards program honors innovative city arts programs in dance, theater, music, visual arts, and other artistic media designed to reach at-risk youth.  Las Cruces Mayor Ruben Smith’s winning program, Club Fusion Teen Center, is a hub within the teen community in Las Cruces is a safe place for youth to practice social skills while offering a variety of artistic media for teens to express themselves.

Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer’s winning program, The Matrix Theater Company, a community-based theater company, fosters a community of creativity and social justice through the development of original theater presentations, where children and youth are the creators of new work.  Mayor Archer was accompanied by the Executive Director of Matrix Theater, Dr. Shawn Nethercott and Mr. Michael Brown-Harrison, a student with the program.

D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams’ winning program, Andrew Cacho’s African Drummers and Dancers, introduces students to the cultural and artistic significance of African and Caribbean drumming and dancing as an essential element of their education and heritage. In addition, the artistic endeavor is designed to culturally enhance the Southeast community, and the city as a whole.

The Best Practice volume, entitled, The United States Conference of Mayors Arts Award for Programs Reaching Youth at Risk — 1999 Nominees, was also released during the Winter Meeting. The publication is a compilation of all the nominated programs.