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Heartwood
in the Hills was recently awarded a $4,625 community
outreach grant from the Mollohan Family Charitable
Foundation. Founded in 1982, Heartwood is a non-profit school
for the arts located in Calhoun County. Heartwood offers
classes in the arts, dance, music, mask making, and acting.
Classes are comprised of students from Wirt, Wood, Gilmer,
Roane, and Calhoun counties. Upon the completion of each
course, students are given the opportunity to perform at
special events and theater productions. These performances
showcase the students’ abilities and gain confidence and
self-esteem. A yearly highlight is the December Celebration
in which students perform to demonstrate the skills they
have learned throughout the summer and fall months.
The community outreach grant was provided to support various
Heartwood Hills programs and initiatives including:
scholarships for low-income families to attend classes,
publishing an informational bulletin to be mailed to donors
and supporters, and supplies for the dance and art programs.
In addition, the grant will also help fund the West Virginia
Artist Ilene Evans residency grant. Heartwood in the Hills
will present West Virginia Artist Ilene Evans of “Voices
From the Earth” in a weeklong residency where she will share
culture and diversity with Heartwood student and the general
public. She will act as a guest teacher, advise on
multi-cultural curriculum development, and perform at
Heartwood’s December Celebration.
One of Heartwood in
the Hills’ goals is to give its students and community the
opportunity to explore art, dance, music, literature, and
world culture by bringing Appalachian artists, as well as
artists from around the United States and Canada to Calhoun
County. By presenting these unique cultural and learning
opportunities, the participants gain new skills,
self-confidence, and an opportunity to pursue the arts.
For more information about Heartwood in the Hills, please
contact Susan Grahame, program director, at 304.354.7874.
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