WHAT HAPPENS IN A RESIDENCY?

Upstream Arts classes integrate individuals of all ages with cognitive, developmental, emotional, behavioral, and physical disabilities into a high quality, highly structured, collaborative, multidisciplinary arts curriculum designed to strengthen self-expression and self-advocacy. 

An Upstream Arts residency brings people together within the small community of a school classroom, adult day program, community center, or any location where individuals with disabilities receive services, to reimagine how they collaborate, across abilities, to build rich connections and healthy relationships. A residency gives all participants, including educators and support staff, new tools with which to engage others, and the forum and structure in which to explore and practice every-day social interactions through a creative lens.

Once a week three Teaching Artists will come to your location to work with and alongside participants and staff exploring theatre, dance, painting, music, and poetry. Each 1-hour class is a kaleidoscope of 3-4 different creative curriculum activities that harness the expressive power of the arts to increase individual expressiveness, build confidence having conversations, and encourage risk taking and group participation, skills that can be used in the hallway, lunch line, with peers, in community, with family, and at work. 

We try on different personas by making statues, explore social cues and boundaries through structured movement activities, practice teamwork through group paintings and rhythm orchestras, and explore our reactions to everyday social situations in role playing scenarios through our words, body language, and vocal tone. As we practice, we learn about different aspects of ourselves and each other through the choices we make, deepening and refining our reactions and responses for the different social interactions we encounter every day.

At its heart, a residency with Upstream Arts is about creating shared experiences and developing rich community relationships.