Hundreds of exhibitions and performances staged on the ASU main campus by Herberger College of Fine Arts students and faculty engage and entertain the community, adding richness and diversity to cultural life in the Phoenix metropolitan area. These events represent only part of the college's commitment to enhance community involvement in the arts. Two on-going, multi-faceted programs bring fine arts experiences to the community and provide frameworks for the exchange of fine arts resources and expertise. Dozens of other grassroots projects and programs, lead by students, staff and faculty, are undertaken annually, addressing specific community needs by providing hands-on arts experiences that encourage creativity and self-discovery. Often run in partnership with local, regional and national organizations such as schools, arts organizations, businesses and city governments, these community-oriented projects and programs enrich the community and add a valuable dimension to the academic experience of students.

Nurturing creative discovery

Children from an economically disadvantaged Phoenix neighborhood, identified by school counselors as peer leaders at risk of joining gangs, found a productive and transforming outlet for their energy through Village Drumming, an interdisciplinary after-school arts program designed to promote self-esteem and consensus-building. The program, led by School of Music professor Barbara Crowe, resulted from a partnership between Murphy Elementary School District and Oasis-Arts in the Desert. Oasis is the Herberger College division dedicated to cultivating partnerships, facilitating the exchange of resources and expertise, and encouraging creative discovery by connecting the students, faculty and staff of the college with diverse community organizations. A similar partnership between Oasis and ASU East led to the development of workshops for children that provide instruction and hands-on experience in visual arts, dance, music and theatre. Oasis also partnered with Mayo Clinic Scottsdale to produce a touring musical with an innovative, interactive format that enabled audience members to discuss with healthcare providers the timely and complex issues addressed in the show's songs and dialogue.

Engaging the community

Youths in an after-school program at Phoenix's Herrera Elementary School explored through dance issues affecting their lives, including abuse, gang warfare, murder and loss. The creative movement experience was lead by Dance Arizona Repertory Theatre (DART), the student dance troupe from the Department of Dance. It culminated at the end of the school year in a free community dance showcase presented by the Herrera students. The DART community dance program is aimed at fostering positive attitudes, furthering aspirations, encouraging problem-solving skills and developing interpersonal dynamics under the structure of dance classes. Art, Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art and Institute of Ceramics (Shigaraki, Japan) and the Victoria and Albert Museum (London). Within the School of Art, Weiser is known for his dedication to his students, many of whom have gone on to find their own success, receiving international awards and teaching contracts at major universities. Weiser is the third Regents' Professor in the college. The others are David Hickman and Caio Pagano, both professors of music.

Touching young lives

The healing effects of the arts were felt by more than 275 children through a unique collaboration between Herberger College theatre students, faculty and staff, and Free Arts of Arizona, an organization dedicated to providing access to the arts to local children who are abused, neglected or homeless. Led by Artswork: The Kax Herberger Center for Children in the Arts, activities included attending one of the college's youth theatre productions and participating in one-day mask-making and theatre workshops, a three-day intensive workshop in theatre and a summer theatre camp. For its work, which was funded through a National Endowment for the Arts grant and a gift from Katherine K. Herberger, Artswork received the "Partner Through the Arts - 2001" award from Free Arts of Arizona.