CONTACT: Charles R. Loebbaka at (847) 491-4887 or c-loebbaka@northwestern.edu
or Katie Krauch at (847) 491-3612 or k-krauch@northwestern.edu

October 31, 2003

Fine Arts Festival at YMCA is for Families With Young Children

EVANSTON, Ill. --- The McGaw YMCA Child Care Center and Northwestern University have teamed up to host a Fall Fine Arts Festival for Evanston families with young children.

The festival will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 15 at the McGaw YMCA Child Care Center, 1420 Maple Ave., Evanston. The free event will include interactive, age-appropriate activities for families with children from infants through grade 5.

The event will introduce children to an array of fine arts media including a classical music performance by Northwestern’s NU Strings children’s group, a dramatic storytelling session by University associate professor of theatre Rives Collins, interactive music and movement sessions, a Spanish language immersion puppet show, and hands-on visual art activities.

The morning will feature storytelling by Collins, an award-winning specialist in theatre and drama for youth. In addition to teaching such Northwestern courses as storytelling, theatre for children, and creative drama, he is a regularly featured professional storyteller and keynote speaker at festivals, schools, libraries, and museums, proclaiming that “storytelling is at the heart of everything I do.”

Fair participants also can enjoy a brief concert performed by NU Stings child musicians, who are associated with Northwestern University’s Music Academy strings division. The Music Academy provides youth musical instructions in voice, piano, and strings and also offers KinderMusik classes for young children.

Parents and their children can together explore one of three age-appropriate music and movement mini-sessions designed for infants, toddlers and 2-year-olds, and preschoolers. The McGaw YMCA Child Care Center’s music instructor will teach the music sessions.

In addition to these scheduled events, fair goers can browse through the Child Care Center children’s art gallery. Children from infants through grade 5 can create their own visual art pieces at 10 different stations. Families also can contribute to a community art sculpture made from recyclables.

Northwestern University’s sponsorship of this event stems from its partnership with the McGaw YMCA Child Care Center to provide child care services to University-affiliated families. As a part of this collaboration, the University provides funding for a fine arts enrichment program, which includes music and art instruction for all children enrolled at the center.