H E L L O . . . .

to our fellow artists/alumni and welcome to CCY 2008!

It’s hard to believe that this is the 32st year that the Center for Creative Youth continues to provide exciting, demanding, pre-professional arts training and personal development to some of this country’s most talented and deserving young people.

Q Where have they all gone?
A Some of us are conducting orchestras in the Canary Islands, running arts departments at colleges and universities, headlining Broadway shows, in Graduate school at Columbia University and USC Film School and NYU, leading the touring arm of the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, traveling the world with a jazz group, serving the public as a policeman, teaching at colleges, conservatories and magnet arts schools, practicing law, writing plays, serving on boards of non-profits, raising a new generation of CCY’ers, starring in the second season of a new hit TV show, running a nursery school program, working as an architect, directing shows on and off-Broadway and more…we can’t wait to find out!

Q What do we want?
A Your up-to-date contact information. And contact information you have on any CCY alums who we may be missing.

Q Why?
A To kick our fledgling Alumni Association out of its sleepy nest and help it fly!!!!!

Q Why?
A To provide alumni with a huge network of people (we are over 5,000!!!), as resources for work, for fun… for a newsletter with referrals for college and professional opportunities…to support the students currently studying here, and for help recruiting new students …to expand our base of arts advocate friends…to find like-minded roommates with a common history, for the development of college or advanced study scholarships… for mentoring and teaching, for special Alumni Events, for the chance to discover old friends and teachers with whom you would love to have a conversation, and maybe even…for money.

Q What has CCY been up to since you’ve left us?
A We celebrated out 25th Anniversary in 2001, welcoming hundreds of alumni from all over the globe who returned to Wesleyan for the annual CCY Share Day, and honoring Joan Hickey’s retirement after 20 years of running CCY. We’ve developed the Summer Artists in Residence program with Wesleyan’ s Center for the Arts, bringing artists of national and international stature to campus for two or three day residencies and performances such as: Turtle Island String Quartet, the Paul Taylor 2 (modern dance), Barry Harris (jazz/father of Be-Bop), Quilombo (Brasilian dance/drummers), Stephen Rowe (Broadway run in “The Goat”- Edward Albee’s Tony-winning play), Liz Lerman Dance Exchange (A 2002 MacArthur Fellow and dance pioneer combining professionals and community together in performance). This residency had special resonance, as current lead dancer, Elizabeth Johnson, is a CCY alum… Kurt Lampkin, (African Kora player, poet, and spoken word artist), Noche Flamenca (direct from Spain in first stop of their American tour), and Donna McKechnie (original Cassie from Broadway’s “A Chorus Line” in her one-woman show), …and we’re in our 5th year of a relationship with Cape Verde, Africa for student and teacher exchange. In fact, in summer of 2007, we began the first CCY at CapeVerde/Culture Arte, a two week residency program in Africa based on the CCY model.

Q What should you do?
A Catch us up with what you’re doing and where you are, complete the on-line form. Let us know if you would like to help out as a Class Representative, or as a Committee Member…and please tell any other alumni you know how to connect with us.

Q What happens then?
A You find colleagues and friends. You get involved. You promote the audiences and artists of the next generation. You contribute articles and commentary to our newsletter, our listserve, our professional development meetings, our website. You reconnect with the joy you felt making art. You sponsor a student from your town. You fall in love. You tell us what you want from your association…and maybe, you even send money!

Q What now?
A Easy. Just send us your updated contact information --- and let’s get this association coordinated from the offices of CCY central, with 21st century technology, with a directed vision, and finally, you guessed it…with money.

Center For Creative Youth Alumni Registration Form

If you have any questions, call CCY at 860.757.6391.