Van Wezel Foundation Highlights Upcoming Arts Education Events

April 29, 2022 – Sarasota

The Van Wezel Foundation, in collaboration with the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, has partnered with Suncoast Remake Learning Days for open-to-the-community arts education events. Presented by the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading and The Patterson Foundation, they will host a series of events on Saturday, April 30, Tuesday, May 3, and Saturday, May 7.

“The Van Wezel Foundation is excited to be working together with the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall to partner with Suncoast Remake Learning Days for a variety of events,” said Kelli Maldonado, executive director of education and lifelong learning at the Foundation. “This series of engaging arts education events for children, families and educators will greatly enhance and enrich our community.” 

The arts education events include:

April 30, 2022, 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.: Mr. Stevey & Friends

At Martin Luther King Jr Park, 2523 Cocoanut Ave, Sarasota, FL 34234

Explore arts from around the world with Kids Day World Tour! Families will learn and create together while experiencing creative mindfulness activities. Join teaching artists Mr. Stevey (from Mr. Stevey Meditates) and his artistic friends to explore the arts. This program is in collaboration with the Newtown Farmer’s Market and Newtown Nation.

May 3, 2022, 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.: SEL Through the Arts

This Virtual Professional Development, offered live via Zoom, is for all educators. Managing emotions and behavior is key to student success and a healthy classroom community. It can be challenging to teach social and emotional skills in an engaging way within the regular curriculum. One way to do that is through the arts. Engaging students in creativity in any subject enhances learning. Explore resources to help educators and parents understand emotional development and learn to lead students in art projects that build those skills—projects that can be incorporated into almost any subject.

This session is designed for educators who want to learn more about integrating Social Emotional Learning (SEL) into their curriculum. An overview of CASEL’s five core SEL competencies will be shared, with the goal of integrating SEL into arts education. Gain information, examples, and ideas for how to use and implement SEL competencies into your own art form. Additionally, WEDU will present and share the PBS LearningMedia platform, which stores SEL digital resources for students PreK-Grade 12.

This event requires pre-registration. To register visit: surveymonkey.com/r/WEDUVWPD.

May 7, 2022: Art Across the Libraries 

Stop by your local library and CREATE! Van Wezel artists will be at EVERY library branch across Sarasota, Manatee, Desoto and Charlotte Counties. 

• Sarasota & Desoto Libraries: 10:30 a.m. – 12 p.m.
• Manatee & Charlotte Libraries: 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Suncoast Remake Learning Days events are designed to be hands-on, relevant and engaging educational experiences for youth (Pre-K through high school) and their families, caregivers and educators. The events are free and organized by different learning themes, such as Arts, Maker Spaces, Outdoor Learning, Science, Technology and Youth Voice. In addition, there are Professional Development sessions for school, out-of-school, child care, and non- traditional educators.

To view a list of events the Van Wezel Foundation is hosting in collaboration with the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, click here. The full list of regional events as part of the Suncoast Remake Learning Days can be accessed by visiting remakelearningdays.org/suncoast.