Harper Court
Arts Council
The Harper Court Arts Council is a non-profit, tax exempt organization created in 1990 by a group of Hyde Park-Kenwood residents interested in supporting the arts.
Goals and Objectives
Future goals for the Arts Council include: increasing involvement in the schools by directly providing artistic experiences for the kids in their schools or as field trips; increasing community involvement intergenerationally; and continuing to work toward greater financial independence.
Programming
The Harper Court Arts Council sponsors the Creative Writing Contest, which enjoyed its sixth year in 2000, showcasing the writing talents of local grade school and hi h school students from the 7th through the 12 Ih grades. Students submit original 9 entries in the areas of poetry and fiction. Winning entries are published in a Hyde Park newspaper and on the Harper Court website.
Winners of the Creative Writing Contest for Students:
Tellabration
This is Hyde Park's own storytelling guild headed up by Judith Heineman. Ms Heineman has organized a group of professional storytellers who produce an annual event known as Tellebration. The event features tales from world cultures. It keeps the ancient art of storytelling alive and reaffirms the rich diversity of Hyde Park and Kenwood.
This annual event brings more than 125 artists and artisans to Hyde Park to participate in a celebration of art and the unique cultural flavor of our community. Art lovers from across the city are drawn to the Fair which tends to feature Hyde Park artists as well as those from across the Midwest and the nation.
Such Stuff That Dreams Are Made On
A very innovate project begun by a young, Hyde Park entrepreneur, this program features training in theater for high school students and young adults. College students provide guidance and instruction to those who are in high school, leading them through the entire process of putting on Shakespearean plays through workshops led by theater professionals. The idea behind the program is to give young people a realistic sense of what it is like to work the world of professional theater.