The Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce has honored the Broward Center for the Performing Arts with the 2019 Salute to Business Award in Education in honor of its outstanding contributions to the community and local industry.
“It is my honor to accept this prestigious award,” said Kelley Shanley, President and CEO of the Broward Center, who accepted the award. “Education is at the core of our mission to serve the community, and this recognition from the business community is particularly meaningful. While most people think of the Broward Center as the place to see a great concert, ballet or a Broadway show, the Broward Center is also an arts classroom for more than 130,000 students each year.”
“Home to the largest free arts-in-education program in the nation, the Broward Center is not only a cultural anchor but an educational anchor in our community,” continued Shanley. “We are proud to play a leading role in in delivering innovative arts-based programs that help our students achieve and allow our community to thrive.”
The Broward Center is a leader in arts in education and its programs continue to have a profound impact on the lives of students in South Florida:
Through Student Enrichment in the Arts (SEAS), the largest free arts-in-education program in the U.S., Broward County Public School students annually attend performances and experience theater, many for the first time, free of charge at the Broward Center.
Broward Center is part of Turnaround Arts, a national program that aims to turn around low-performing schools, narrow the achievement gap and increase student engagement through the arts. Program components include supporting arts integration with other core subjects such as reading, math and science. Turnaround Artists support schools working with students, schools and communities to highlight their success. Most recently, Broward County’s Turnaround Arts students took the stage with Black Violin at the opening of the Kennedy Center’s REACH Pavilion.
Recently honored with the Autism Friendly Organization Award and recognized as a partner by UM-NSU CARD (Center for Autism and Related Disabilities), Broward Center’s Sensory-Friendly Initiative is about partnering with community entities including Broward County Public Schools to make live theater more accessible to those diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder or related disabilities. Regularly scheduled sensory-friendly performances are presented to create a welcoming and supportive environment for children and adults on the autism spectrum and individuals with other sensitivity issues.
Learning through the arts comes alive in the Rose Miniaci Arts Education Center where programs encourage artistic expression and appreciation through the performing arts and include classes, workshops, master classes, performances and lectures for children, teens and adults of all ages.
During summer and spring breaktheater camp sessions, the Broward Center partners with The Performance Project School of the Arts to bring hands-on experiences in musical theater, acting, dance, voice and technical production to campers, culminating in a live performance on a professional stage in the Broward Center’s Amaturo Theater.
High school students have the opportunity for behind-the-scenes experiences and exclusive educational opportunities, including introductions to performances in every artistic discipline through the Broward Center’s Teen Ambassadors program. The Ambassadors share with the community their experiences at the Broward Center and affiliated venues by posting their experiences to the teen ambassador website and their personal social media outlets. Detailing their experiences through written reviews, these students offer a teenage perspective as they gain exposure to a variety of performance styles.
To learn more about the variety of education offerings at the Broward Center, visit BrowardCenter.org.For more information on the Broward Center, like us at Facebook.com/BrowardCenter, follow us on Twitter and Instagram @BrowardCenter, subscribe to our channel at Youtube.com/user/BrowardCenter and join the conversation with #BrowardCenter.
About The Broward Center for the Performing Arts
One of America’s premier performing arts venues, the Broward Center for the Performing Arts presents more than 700 performances each year to more than 700,000 patrons, showcasing a wide range of exciting cultural programming and events. Guest experiences at the Broward Center include the all-inclusive JetBlue Flight Deck on the Club Level, special events in the Huizenga Pavilion, waterfront dining at Marti’s New River Bistro and innovative classes and workshops for all ages at the Rose Miniaci Arts Education Center. With one of the largest arts-in-education programs in the United States, the Broward Center serves more than 130,000 students annually. The Broward Performing Arts Foundation, Inc. receives and maintains funds to sustain, develop and secure the future of the Broward Center. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located in the Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment District at 201 SW Fifth Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. For more information, visit BrowardCenter.org.
The Riverwalk Arts & Entertainment Consortium is a cultural partnership between the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, History Fort Lauderdale and the Historic Stranahan House Museum. It is supported by the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council and the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. Programs are sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is the cultural anchor of a vibrant arts district in downtown South Florida that is more than just an entertainment venue. The Broward Center may be best known for the thousands of events it offers to the community – more than 700 performances for more than 600,000 patrons each year – its mission goes much further. While many of us think of the Broward Center as the place to see a great concert, a ballet or a Broadway show, the Broward Center is also a classroom for more than 130,000 students each year.
Since the Center opened in 1991, the Amaturo Theater has been a dedicated outside resource classroom of Broward County Public Schools. Our cultural leaders had a vision when the Center was built that students of all ages would benefit from participation in the arts, with performances that connected directly to classroom curriculum -- and the Broward Center team has more than delivered on that promise. The School Board of Broward County has been their partner from the start, and at the core of this unique partnership is the Student Enrichment in the Arts – or SEAS – program which has served well over 3 million Broward County students.
Students enjoy live performances as teachers use study guides to bring these lessons to life. And the partnership has taken the concept of learning through the arts to new heights. Last year, 2500 Title 1 High School students got their shot to see HAMILTON, participating in a program called EduHam and while learning history lessons and creating original work. The Center was instrumental in making Broward County a model of excellence for the national Turnaround Arts program, using the arts to literally turn around failing elementary schools. To meet the growth in demand, Parker Playhouse became an education destination for SEAS and today hosts the annual Countdown to Kindergarten event. Decades of early learning programs help students and their families with proven literacy initiatives. And recently, a unique Teaching Artist Training Program was launched to help teachers use the arts to teach. Its impact is already evident in our community.
Their catering team offers culinary arts students hands-on learning opportunities and special needs interns from Dan Marino Center support the IT team.
With the opening of the Rose Miniaci Arts Education Center in 2014, the Broward Center took education to a new level, offering performing arts classes for students of all ages and of all abilities. The Center has raised thousands of dollars for new programs and for scholarships to allow students from all backgrounds to attend. They partner with non-profits like PACE Center, HANDY and the Exceptional Theater Company to use arts-engaged learning for social and emotional development – helping students develop self-esteem and learn important soft-skills like communication and collaboration.
The Center’s educational programs are transforming the lives of children in South Florida, giving new tools to teachers and administrators, engaging parents and families in the arts and creating a new generation of both artists and arts lovers. Home to the largest free arts-in-education program in the nation, the Broward Center is not only a cultural anchor but an educational anchor in our community – one that continues to be a leader in delivering arts-based programs that help our students achieve and allow our community to thrive.
