ARTS BUFF? THEN BE A STORYTELLER
By Lauren Brown, TERP
Are you an intrepid explorer? A serious kidder? A soul stirrer? If so, the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center wants to hear your story.
Through videos and Web posts, alumni, students, faculty, donors, patrons and artists are sharing firsthand accounts about the power of the performing arts in their lives.
Storytellers have included a retired guitar teacher, a dance graduate who performs professionally and Clarice Smith (above).
Sarah Levitt ’07, a resident artist at the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, described how she loved the artistic process. “An important part of the artistic process is the ‘not knowing’—being really comfortable being scared and surprised by what you’re doing every day.”
The center also has a video booth at selected performances all season where patrons are invited to share their thoughts.
“We believe our community is extraordinary, and we want to hear from them about who they are and what they care about,” says Susie Farr, the center’s director. “These are the people who make the center what it is.”
Soul stirrers, provocateurs, art nuts and more are featured at claricesmithcenter.umd.edu/2010/c/engage09/storytellers.
