PLACE’s own Arts Director, Dr. Yorel Lashley, was profiled on the January 1st episode of Wisconsin Life on Wisconsin Public Television. In the feature, Dr. Lashley spoke of his journey to learn African Drumming and how he was able to blend his passion for working with young people with his love of music. Dr. Lashley runs the arts programs at PLACE, including Summer Arts Studio. The arts programs make the School of Education and its experts accessible to a more diverse group of learners who may not otherwise have the ability to pass through the famous red doors on Bascom Hill.
Dr. Lashley says of the programs at PLACE, “The arts initiatives and programs that we are creating and growing provide opportunities to both build networks and support broader communities of learners. The Arts Collab works to empower youth as art-makers by engaging them as agents of creativity, intellect, and self-efficacy to realize the vision that Wisconsin youth see and value themselves as learners through art-making. Through PLACE, we have built a community of faculty and arts educators who support youth as well as lead cutting-edge research on arts integration, social emotional learning practices, and arts program assessment. Additionally, through programs like Summer Arts Studio we create opportunities for adult learners to feed themselves through arts experiences that enable UW faculty to share expertise and cultivate new relationships around making art, learning skills, and building community.”