WEEKLYPRESS.COM ·
UCREVIEW.COM · JULY 27 · 2011 Rev. Susan Teegen-Case Reflects on a Decade of Healing
came to the conclusion that “we live in really complex times. While there are a lot of opportunities, there are a lot of challenges.” To overcome those challeng- es, Teegen-Case realized that “there’s a powerful need to transform through the arts as a way to solve problems.” The Arts & Spirituality Center “began as a com- munity organization that reached out to other orga- nizations,” Teegen-Case said, going on to explain that one of those organiza- tions included the Taberna- cle Presbyterian Church on 37th
and Chestnut Streets.
According to Teegen-Case, the Tabernacle Church, un- der the direction of then pastor Patricia Pearce, worked with ten other non-profit organizations. One of those included the New Jerusalem Project, which dealt with addiction recovery. At the time, New Jerusalem was in the pro- cess of painting a mural, so members of the Arts & Spirituality Center helped construct it. As the orga- nization grew, it continued to collaborate with other organizations such as the University of Pennsylvania and city homeless shelters, as well as after-school pro- grams. “We wanted to get West Philly students inter- ested in art,” Teegen-Case noted. After September 11th
, “we
wanted to reach out to dif- ferent cultural and faith- based organizations,” said Teegen-Case, adding that it was then that they met Dr. Cathy Cohen, founder of the Interfaith Poetry Project. Under Dr. Cohen’s direction, the Interfaith Poetry Project reached out to mosques, churches and synagogues. “Dr. Cathy Cohen later married her work to ours, which we renamed ArtWell,” Tee- gen-Case said, adding that “Cohen became Art Well’s
ArtWell kicked off its 10th Year Anniversary Celebration at Philadelphia Zoo. Since its inception, ArtWell has transformed the lives of more than 25,000 young people facing discrimination, poverty, violence, and the everyday challenges of growing up.
Education Director and her project was renamed We the Poets.” We the Poets works with kids impacted by violence, Teegen-Case explained. By going to public schools, non-profits like the Carson Valley School and commu- nity organizations such as Mothers in Charge and We the Poets encourage stu- dents to explore their own emotions and identities through poetry, improv- ing their communication skills, and expanding their cultural understanding, Teegen-Case went on to explain. But getting those students interested in poetry is of- ten challenging, admits Teegen-Case. In one case, We the Poets Program held in a disci- plinary poetry workshop. “These kids were one step away from juvenile hall,” said Teegen-Case, add- ing that once that group
of kids got into the poetry their dedication proved so intense that it resulted in a public recording. At that event particular event, “a journalist saw what a difference poetry made in the life of one of the young men present. That boy lifted his shirt and said, last week I got shot. Instead of getting back at that person, I wrote a poem about it.” “It’s often the students who are the most resistant at first that become the most dedicated,” Teegen- Case continued to explain. “For instance, when one boy started writing, he couldn’t stop. He became an ambassador who spoke publicly. At one event, he was speaking in front of a
group of rabbis in Harris- burg…he said that poetry had made the difference— people had never listened to me before. He received a standing ovation. The rab- bis said we worry about the future but now we have hope.” In addition to We the Poets, ArtWell has two other suc- cessful programs tailored towards youth: Heartspeak and the Art of Growing Up. Through Heartspeak, par-
ticipants create documen- taries on subjects impor- tant to them such as em- ployment, flash mobs and food, Teegen-Case said. “This program aimed at helping kids learn how to express both their wounds and their dreams through visual and performance media,” Teegen-Case ex- plained, adding that form- ing the Heartspeak pro- gram proved particularly important given the fact
that ArtWell “couldn’t find arts based programs to deal with real, raw issues.” As for the Art of Growing Up, that was based on the inspiration a student had after a trip to Ghana. That student, Teegen-Case re- layed, was impressed by the fact that Ghana gave its adolescents a time to reflect and be celebrated. Realiz- ing that there was no such program in the U.S., the stu- dent incorporated it with ArtWell, which reached out to parochial and public schools as well as to the Girl Scouts. Initially, the pro- gram only included girls but now extends to boys as well as mixed-gender pro- grams. “This program gives participants the chance to engage in the arts, reflect and play. We give them the opportunity to learn how to discover their strengths and the strengths of others.” For more information on ArtWell programs as well as events it is hosting to cel- ebrate its 10th
Anniversary, to go:
theartwell.org.
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