Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative kicks off a new year of advancing accessible arts education for local students

Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative kicks off a new year of advancing accessible arts education for local students

The annual kick-off event offers teachers the chance to explore how their students can get involved in everything from ballroom dancing to classical guitar to opera.

Ben Nordstrom, executive director of St. Louis Children’s Choirs, discusses the organization’s mission with Michael V. Smith, the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Music Education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, during the kickoff of the E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative 2024-25 on Monday, July 29, at The Sheldon (photos by Heather Riske).

Aurelia Hartenberger thought long and hard about which instruments to bring to the annual E. Desmond Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative kickoff earlier this week. Hartenberger is the owner of World Music LLC, which brings its eclectic collection of more than 3,000 historical musical instruments and artifacts to local schools through traveling exhibits, and she wanted to make an impression on the local art educators who had gathered for the event.

The Paris 2024 Olympic Games, which had just begun days earlier, were a timely theme. On Monday morning at The Sheldon, Hartenberger displayed a collection of musical instruments all made in France—mostly Paris—in the 18th and 19th centuries and spoke about them with teachers from 15 partnering school districts in the St. Louis area.

Aurelia Hartenberger, owner of World Music LLC, talks to a guest about the organization’s collection of historical musical instruments and artifacts.

“I come to your school, all paid for by Des Lee and everything, and we have a display case,” Hartenberger told the crowd. “Every month we usually switch it up with different things – the most popular theme right now is Heritage Month, and then I do a few on STEAM.”

Hartenberger was just one of many representatives from Des Lee’s 26 partner visual arts organizations on hand for the collaborative’s 2024-25 kickoff. The collaborative aims to make visual arts education more accessible, particularly for underserved populations, by fostering connections between St. Louis students and local educators, artists and performers. The annual kickoff event offers educators the chance to explore ways their students can get involved in everything from ballroom dancing to classical guitar to opera.

“It takes a village, as the saying goes,” said Michael V. Smith, the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of Music Education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. “The Des Lee Fine Arts Education Collaborative is such a unique community of fine arts educators. The collaboration is supported by both an endowment established by E. Desmond Lee and the University of Missouri–St. Louis. By pooling efforts and resources from across the community, we all have a better chance to create a synergy that can fuel the power of the arts in the lives of students.”

“The Kickoff has become a meeting place where visual arts teachers from the community can come together and stoke a fire of enthusiasm and energy for the new school year by bringing music, visual arts, dance and theater to St. Louis schools, and by taking students on field trips to many of St. Louis’ concert halls, studios and galleries.”

Smith kicked off the event by immediately turning the floor over to representatives from each of the collaborative’s participating organizations, including Opera Theatre of St. Louis, St. Louis Dancing Classrooms, and Pianos for People, to share their perspectives on the opportunities they offer to help students engage with the arts.

Andy Lewis, education coordinator at the National Blues Museum, shared how the museum is expanding its educational programming to engage students with the history of the blues in St. Louis, while Lauren Hanahan of Missouri Alliance for Arts Education explained how the nonprofit is fulfilling its mission of integrating arts into the classroom.

“We’re also looking for schools that want to be part of our arts-based education program, where we hire teaching artists to work specifically with you, either in a small cohort, in a one-on-one setting or it could be your entire school,” Hanahan said. “We’re very flexible in setting up a specialized program that works for you at no cost to your school.”

Accessibility is a key thread in the work of the partnership, which specifically aims to improve arts programming for ethnically and culturally diverse students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program. Ben Nordstrom, the executive director of St. Louis Children’s Choirs, explained to the group of educators how the organization aims to make its programming accessible and affordable to everyone through the partnership.

Angelia Butler, an art teacher at Normandy Middle School in Lucas Crossing, talks with representatives from the Scottish Partnership for Arts and Education. Butler has worked with the partnership for three years.

“We are so proud to be able to provide full financial aid or as much financial aid as possible to every family that needs it,” Nordstrom said. “We have never lost a family due to finances. If your students can’t come to our small campus for an interview, we would love to talk to you and find a way to come to your school after school and have your students audition on a day that works for you. We want to make it work.”

Angelia Butler, an art teacher at Normandy Middle School in Lucas Crossing, has been working with the partnership for three years. She’s taken students to a Des Lee art project at UMSL and on field trips to the Saint Louis Art Museum, and she’s been especially excited to learn about newer programs like the Story 2 Stage program, recently launched by the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, and The Sheldon’s Sound Studio for middle school students. As an art teacher, she appreciates the chance to think outside the box and provide her students with new experiences.

“This is an excellent program with a lot of resources,” she said. “You see how you can open your mind to think about how you can use this music component as an art teacher.”