Today we’d like to introduce you to Deanna Elliot.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Deanna. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
During my undergraduate senior year at the University of Massachusetts Boston, I was lucky enough to join a community of young creatives and serve as the Editor-in-chief of the student journal of the arts. It was in this experience that I discovered my passion. I was inspired and determined to give others the opportunity to share their voices and visions through professional publication.
In 2008, I graduated and founded The Marble Collection (TMC). TMC’s mission is to cultivate creativity and excellence in the arts by engaging teen artists and writers in a publication process that affirms their voices and deepens their learning. TMC publishes The Massachusetts High School Magazine of the Arts, the only statewide, juried print and online publication that features artwork, photography, poetry, and creative writing by teens in grades 8-12.
TMC also offers published teens our Mentoring for Publication Workshop, in which they’re paired one-to-one with college-level mentors, who help prepare their work for publication and presentation. At a time of tightening education budgets, we offer our publishing and mentoring programs to teens free of charge.
In 2013, I earned my master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership from Wheelock College. That same year, TMC was honored with the Arts|Learning Distinguished Community Arts Collaborative award for developing a model arts education collaborative between school and community cultural resources.
In 2014, TMC entered into a partnership with the University of Massachusetts, Boston, recognized by Insight Into Diversity Magazine as one of the most diverse higher education institutions in the country. The university hosts TMC’s offices in the Campus Center and funds printing and distribution costs of our magazine.
In return, TMC offers UMass Boston students first priority in joining its Internship Program. In 2018, TMC published 125 teen artists and writers in the print and online editions of the magazine. Our contributing teens represent more than 200 schools and youth-serving organizations across the state, with a focus on underserved public schools in Greater Boston.
Our teen artists and writers say it best. They tell us that taking part in TMC’s programs helps them discover their passions, build their confidence and life skills, and find inspiration to pursue their art beyond high school.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It takes a village. Currently, I am the only full-time employee at TMC. I draw on the expertise of a highly engaged Board of Directors, Advisory Committee, and Student Advisory Board. TMC also relies on working artists, writers, program alumni, and educators to inform and champion its programs.
Central to our service delivery model is engaging 25 college students annually as interns and mentors who receive hands-on leadership experience and work one-to-one with our published teens to guide them through the publication process in our six-week Mentoring for Publication Workshop.
Since our inception, we’ve paired over 500 teens with college student mentors. Interns are primarily practicing artists and writers that are pursuing a literary or visual arts-related college degree. Interns are volunteers who receive college credit for their four-month tenure. In 2017, our intern’s contributions were valued at $64,840. Their contribution is key to the success of TMC’s programs.
The Marble Collection (TMC) – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
TMC provides innovative, high-quality arts mentoring and publishing programs to Massachusetts teens. TMC’s flagship publication, The Massachusetts High School Magazine of the Arts, is the only statewide, juried magazine that features artwork, photography, poetry, and creative writing by teens in grades 8-12. Each spring the Mentoring for Publication Workshop pairs our published Massachusetts teen artists and writers one-to-one with college student mentors to develop their 21st-century skills through four steps: create, respond, connect, and present.
In the 6-week workshop, teens explore their creative processes, prepare their work for publication in The Massachusetts High School Magazine of the Arts and learn to articulate their artistic visions. The workshop is free and is offered either online or in person at our office at UMass Boston. Our college student mentors work around teens’ schedules and tailor the workshops to meet each artist or writer’s individual interests. The total time commitment is approximately 12 hours spread out over a six-week period, starting in March.
With the help of their mentor, teens explore the creative process and learn to articulate their artistic visions. Together, they explore intent, motivation, choice of medium, and the message the teen aims to convey to audiences. Through reflection and discussion, teens synthesize personal experiences with societal, cultural and historical context to deepen their understanding of their work and the world around them. The workshop teaches skills in arts advocacy and entrepreneurism.
Teens gain practical knowledge of publishing and presentation, including how to write a press release and an artist or writer’s statement. Teens can sell high-quality prints of their work for a commission on TMC’s e-Gallery. Through our arts advocacy campaign, Spark the Arts, teens receive the tools to advocate for the arts in their school and community. To conclude the workshop, teens exhibit and perform their work at our Pop-Up Galleries as well as our annual magazine release gala, Spring into Art, at UMass Boston’s Harbor Gallery.
TMC’s fifth annual magazine release gala, Spring into Art, will take place on Sunday, May 20, 2018, from 3 to 5 pm at UMass Boston’s Harbor Gallery. The gala features an exhibition and sale of jury-selected teen artwork and a program of teens reading their original creative writing, emceed by UMass Boston educator, writer, and performer, Krysten Hill. Spring into Art also includes a raffle, a performance by Boston University Academy’s student jazz trio, as well as the presentation of awards to two Massachusetts public high school teachers for their outstanding support of the arts.
Teens, their families and friends, educators, and members of the community at large are invited to attend. Tickets to Spring into Art are available in advance for $25 at https://themarblecollection.networkforgood.com or for $35 at the door. Students receive free admission.
Our teens say it best: “I had the opportunity to work with a mentor to edit and improve my writing before publication. Whether it was reading on air for the Commonwealth Journal or standing at the podium to share my story at the spring 2016 gala, involvement with TMC has given me some of my proudest moments.”
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success isn’t just about accomplishments and accumulation; it’s about using your talents and abilities to serve others. At TMC, we measure the effectiveness of our programs by tracking outcomes and documenting testimonials from our two groups of beneficiaries:(1) our published high school teens and (2) our college student interns and mentors.
In the words of our intern: “I chose to be an intern with TMC because I am passionate about students being able to have a platform to be creatively expressive. My lifetime goal is to provide the youth of color the opportunity to express themselves. TMC has helped me understand what it means to connect with students, and to see that they are truly capable of amazing things!” When I hear that TMC made a positive impact on a teen artist or a college student, that’s success to me.
Pricing:
- $27 to receive or gift an annual subscription to The Massachusetts High School Magazine of the Arts
- $75 to receive or gift a 3-year subscription to The Massachusetts High School Magazine of the Arts
- $125 to sponsor the production of 1 professional canvas featuring teen artwork.
Contact Info:
- Address: Office 3410 100 Morrissey Boulevard Boston, MA 02125
- Website: www.themarblecollection.org
- Email: deanna@themarblecollection.org
- Instagram: instagram.com/themarblecollection
- Facebook: facebook.com/themarblecollection
- Twitter: twitter.com/tmc_magazine
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