April 25, 2018, Showcase Highlighting Dearborn Students’ Talents Opens City-Wide Art Show

Dalia Elmokadem, a senior at the Michael Berry Career Center, was one of four Senior Artists selected to exhibit a collection of their artwork in the Padzieski Gallery during last year’s Dearborn Public Schools City Wide Art Show.  Other exhibiting seniors: Tyler Bankey, Edsel Ford; Juliana Sanroman, Fordson HS; and Nadia Aboumourad, Dearborn High. To see more photos from the 2016 Youth Arts Festival, visit the photo album on the Dearborn Community Fund Facebook page at http://tinyurl.com/zjnjykp.

The 2018 Youth Arts Festival, a showcase highlighting the creative talents of over 400 students from Dearborn Public Schools (DPS) and Henry Ford College, takes place on Wednesday, April 19 from 4 to 8:00 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center.

The Festival, a colorful and high energy event, features visual, instrumental, choral and theatrical offerings and the opening of the DPS City Wide Art Show, which runs through mid-May. Admission is free and open to the public to enjoy and show support for the students.

The Youth Arts Festival is a project of the nonprofit Dearborn Community Fund (DCF).

“This event is truly a festival—not just a concert—because of the variety and high spirited energy of the art and the performances by Dearborn students,” explains DCF Executive Director EmmaJean Woodyard. “It’s exciting for everyone involved because this is the only time during the year that all of the schools in Dearborn showcase their arts initiatives at one time, in one place, demonstrating how many of our young people are involved in the arts. It’s also offers a unique opportunity for the students to see and hear what their peers are doing.”

Festival activities begin at 4 p.m. with the opening of Dearborn Public Schools City Wide Art Show at the Center’s Padzieski Gallery. The exhibit, which remains in the Gallery through mid-May, includes selected works from K-12 students. Opening art awards occur at 4:10 p.m. in the Michael A. Guido Theater followed by Senior Talks in the Gallery at 5:30 p.m.

Between the art awards and the 7 p.m. collage concert, patrons can view the student art in the lobby and Gallery, participate in a variety of interactive art demonstrations, and enjoy music performed by a students. Representatives from the Dearborn Symphony and Friends of the Dearborn Symphony will host an information table.

A Collage Performance begins at 7 p.m. in the Michael A. Guido Theater. Choral and instrumental performances include groups from the Dearborn Public Schools and Henry Ford College.

The Youth Arts Festival is a co-operative project by the DCF, Dearborn Public Schools and Henry Ford Community College with valuable support provided by the City of Dearborn/Parks & Recreation Department, Dearborn Community Arts Council and additional sponsors.

For more information about the Youth Arts Festival, other DCF projects or how to contribute to the Fund, call 313-943-5478.