News and Events Press Room Press Releases Young Audiences Announces New Education Director

For Immediate Release:

YOUNG AUDIENCES, WOODRUFF ARTS CENTER
ANNOUNCES NEW EDUCATION DIRECTOR

September 8, 2005 (Atlanta) - Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center (YAWAC) is pleased to announce the addition of an Education Director to its staff. Kalan Brown joins Young Audiences after seven years in the classroom and over 16 years in film and journalism. Brown holds an Education Specialist Degree with Georgia Professional Standards’ Commission certifications in Teacher Leadership, Mentoring and Instructional Supervision as well as a Master’s Degree in Education. And, she is currently at the dissertation level of completing a Doctorate in Curriculum Studies.

As part of the YAWAC team, Brown will work with roster artists to design and deliver programs that effectively connect the arts with the curriculum. She will also collaborate with YAWAC staff to develop and deliver professional development opportunities for classroom teachers and artists, plan and evaluate special programs and create teacher guides and support materials for every YAWAC program.

With less than a week on the job, Brown feels she is up to the task. “Arts in education infuse the entire curriculum with transformative, vital energy and provide unique skill sets that our schools, students and community stakeholders find irreplaceable,” Brown said. “I am dedicated to working hard to help YA and the other divisions of Woodruff Arts Center take their place as a national leader not just in arts education, but in all facets of education.”

The staff of Young Audiences is equally pleased to have Kalan on board. “This hire comes at the end of a long national search,” said YAWAC Executive Director Tony Kimbrell. “We are thrilled to be bringing aboard an individual with Kalan Brown’s qualifications.”

With a full time Education Director now in place, Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center has plans to evaluate and improve existing programs and to develop new programs in order to better meet the needs of Georgia teachers and students.

Young Audiences
Since its inception in 1983, Young Audiences (YA) has sought to improve the life and education of every child through the arts. As one of 32 local affiliates of the national Young Audiences organization and the newest division of the Woodruff Arts Center, YA is Georgia’s leading provider of in-school educational arts programming, reaching approximately one million children during the 2004-2005 school year alone. YA supports excellence in education by providing curriculum-based, in-school educational arts experiences presented by a roster of more than 75 professional teaching artists in the disciplines of music, dance, visual art and theatre. YA programs, available as assembly performances, workshops and residencies, are developmentally appropriate for children in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and provide authentic connections to the Georgia curriculum.

Woodruff Arts Center
The Woodruff Arts Center opened its doors in 1968 and has grown into the largest performing and visual arts center in the nation. The Woodruff is unique in that it combines visual/performing arts along with an arts college on one campus. A not-for-profit organization, the Woodruff Arts Center is made up of the Alliance Theatre, the Atlanta College of Art, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the High Museum of Art, Young Audiences and the 14th Street Playhouse.

Contact: Amy Turner
Young Audiences
(404) 733-5308
amy.turner@woodruffcenter.org