MOSAIC SUMMER 2022 NEWSLETTER
Together We...
are mosaic.
Youth ensemble
3,155
Arts & Leadership Development Contact Hours
(Mar 2022-May 2022)
35 Youth
99%
Youth of Color
As an 8th grader in his first mainstage program, Aaron Johns (AJ) knew there would be obstacles to overcome when he was cast as a lead role in Mwindo. Mosaic’s traveling production was performed outside for free throughout different neighborhoods, which brought a unique challenge to the character of Boy Mwindo. AJ’s performance needed to engage with the nature of his surroundings while also keeping the audiences from being distracted by that same nature.
“When people think free, they don’t always think good,” AJ said. “The promotion was my chance to be, like, free actually means good. We are taking a good FREE show to the neighborhoods.” Before he could perform in front of those audiences, AJ broke his ankle forcing him to miss nearly half of the rehearsals. Despite this setback he remained engaged with the production, learning all his lines by himself and was off-book before most of the other cast members earing praise from his cast mate and graduating senior, Aaron McCloud, older Mwindo. OUpon his return, AJ had trouble with a pivotal scene in the play where his character screams at a party before being transformed into a full-grown man. As a quiet and reserved young man, it was difficult for to scream realistically with the proper touch of emotion, but the rest of the cast and crew encouraged AJ to trust himself. He had a breakthrough moment on the day of a show, and broke down during that scene, which was seen as a highlight of his beautiful and moving performance.
“I started to realize every show how the scream is a big part of the show,” AJ said. “Through this process, I have learned that doing something embarrassing or weird actually makes you look better because you are putting yourself out there. If you are reserved on stage, it actually makes you look worse.”
Aaron Johns Mosaic Youth Ensemble
backstage tech Through Mosaic’s relationship with Detroit Public Theatre, Kaila Pickett-Kincannon landed a job running the lights for a professional play festival. The show, titled “48Hours in... Detroit” featured local playwrights, directors, and actors telling their stories about the future of the city through the lens of Afrofuturistic texts. As a senior at Detroit School of Arts, Kaila saw this as a life-changing opportunity.
77.5
Hours of Workforce Development in STEM (Mar 2022-May 2022)
28
Young Artists
100% Youth of Color
The fast-paced environment of a show created by 30 artists in a two-day period taught Kaila the value of efficiency during tech. She also found working alongside professional actors to be an encouraging and rewarding experience. Through her new connections, Kaila has already been offered another job that will start the day after she graduates. “I made great partnerships that will last a lifetime,” Kaila said. “I learned that I really want to do this as a career... I was really surprised when I got my paycheck, but I didn’t know it was going to be so much. It showed me that techs are greatly appreciated.”
school residency On Mondays at The Boggs School, Mosaic’s artists teach creative skills to the students in 5th-8th grade. After starting the year with the basics of improv and songwriting, the teaching artists planned a big collaborative video project that incorporated every member of each class. Through a group vote, the students decided that their video would portray a quest to escape a haunted house. The class had so much energy on the day they fleshed out the storyline that the teaching artists didn’t even need to give their input; they just allowed the kids to run with their ideas. Initially, the 7th grade boys were apathetic to the entire project, but Nya from Mosaic told them to create a story that they would find appealing. The boys felt inspired and wrote a wild outer space Martian fight scene. Each student found a comfortable role that helped the video come to fruition. Even students who were hesitant to act and perform supported the project by creating sound and prop design. Through their collective teamwork, everyone in the group pulled together and felt the satisfaction of seeing their ideas turn into an actual work of art and expression.
312
Contact Hours in Arts and SEL Development
(Mar 2022-May 2022)
100% Title I Schools
11
Schools
179
Youth
98%
Youth of Colo
capacity building Mosaic continues to increase its capacity and strengthen internal operations. Recent activities include:
• Reduced vehicle rental fees to transport young artists by purchasing its first vehicle due to the generosity of The Lewis Prize for Music
· Began search to add a Development Director and Accounting & Grants Associate to the team
· Transitioned to cloud-based computing from an on-site network server
college success & career pathways The collaborative environment that Monique Wheeler experienced at Mosaic has stayed with her throughout her entire life. She has already started to apply those life lessons as she begins her job at Calvin Klein as a data operations associate in the women’s dress department. Monique credits Mosaic with giving her the confidence to handle herself in any professional setting and not feel afraid to speak up and voice her opinions. Heading into the post-college world, Monique feels prepared to analyze any group situation and tap into its proper strengths that allow a team to function. Mosaic even helped her establish a community at the University of Michigan, where she just earned her Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Sales and Marketing through the Ross School of Business. As a freshman, she was an assistant content curator for her dance professor’s doctoral thesis and began to seek out other groups that challenged her in the same way that Mosaic did. One of these was EnspiRED Runway, where during her senior year, she served as Vice President and helped run a soldout fashion show that donated its proceeds to the Ozone House in Ann Arbor.
Monique Wheeler Mosaic Alumni
To Monique, all of these experiences felt connected to her days at Mosaic. These moments allowed her to witness how her group’s art can inspire the art, and lives, of others.
MOSAIC partners & leadership DONORS (March, April, May - $1,000+)
. . . . . . . .
Diane Green Terry Bonnette Women United In Faith Leo, Eleanore and Ronald Cooney Fund Kiwanis Detroit 1 AAA/The Auto Club Group Ally Financial Precision Vehicle Logistics
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES Financial Sustainability Ensure organizational sustainability through operating revenue growth and the development and funding of appropriate resources, which will increase opportunity and support for youth and artists, and contribute to a thriving Detroit.
Expand Mosaic Family Expand awareness, recognition and participation from local, regional and national communities in alignment with our mission, vision and values.
Expand Organizational Capacity Create a more resilient and sustainable organization by investing in staffing, technology, facilities, and leadership infrastructure.
08.12.2022 l www.MosaicDetroit.org Pitney Bowes
save the date
New Voices: Detroit Behind the Mask The third annual New Voices Detroit Festival is right around the corner! For the first time ever, the event will be held live and in-person at the DIA on Friday, August 12 at 6 PM. This year’s festival, Behind the Mask: Youth Mental Health, features seven original plays and three compositions written and performed by young artists and directed by theater professionals. This exciting event showcases the next great generation of storytellers by allowing Detroit-area youth to author their own narratives. After submitting original ideas for songs or short plays, the young artists are paired with industry mentors who guide them in cultivating the necessary skills to see their stories come to life before their very eyes.
FRI, AUG 12, 2022 AT 6PM DETROIT INSTITUTE OF ARTS 5200 WOODWARD AVENUE l DETROIT, MI
Click to reserve your spot today!
OSAI
Let's Get Connected
@mosaicdetroit
MOSAIC YOUTH THEATRE OF DETROIT 2251 Antietam Avenue, Detroit, MI 48207 info@mosaicdetroit.org 313. 872 . 6910 l Phone 313. 872 . 692 0 l Fax
www.mosaicdetroit.org