"We Can Create": Detroit Arts Immersion Holds Art Workshops at CHM

"We can create!" This is the motto the Detroit Arts Immersion chants with Covenant House Residents after their workshop each day. They shout it because they believe strongly in the power of each young person here to create both art and positive change.

The Detroit Arts Immersion is composed of four students from the Juilliard School in New York City who are staying in Detroit for a week and, as part of the program, conducting workshops with the youth of CHM focusing on an area in art – either dancing, acting, painting or music. These performers want to share their gifts and make a positive impact on the creative spirits of Detroiters. The goal of their program is to showcase the power of the arts as a tool for initiating change – the kind of change Detroit needs. Breanna O’Mara, originally from Detroit, started this program last year and is bringing it back again, this time working with the residents of Covenant House.

On the first day of the program, the artists introduced their art and did short demonstrations of what they do at school every day. Breanna O’Mara and Brittanie Brown showcased their mesmerizing dancing. Allison Job played the flute, and Mark Junek performed a humorous soliloquy from Shakespeare’s The Twelfth Night. Phil Simpson, an artist from Detroit collaborating with the students on this project, also shared some of his astounding drawings and paintings.

Throughout the week, the artists have been helping CHM residents express their creative sides through games and exercises. Mark taught everyone the basics of improvisation, and everyone really enjoys the games he has taught because they provide a chance to think outside the box. Each day, Brittanie and Bre taught new parts of a choreographed dance and letting CHM’s many talented dancers teach them a move or two as well. When learning about music, Allie taught residents how to name the emotions that different types of music make them feel, which resonated with a lot of the residents who love to sing and rap. And Phil has helped students sketch and paint their happiest memories, something everyone will be able to use on a bad day to make them smile. Students have also been working on poetry and writing, teamwork, and “going with the flow.”

Each day, the residents have become more outgoing and more expressive; with each new exercise, they discover a new way to show their imagination. The joy on their faces is evident every time they gather with the artists to learn and have fun. The ability to express themselves and have their uniqueness cherished is something they are extremely grateful for and will hold dear to their hearts for a long time to come.