ARTS & CULTURE
By Jennifer Wilson | Photos courtesy of Walton Arts Center
AMP Up the Arts: Investing in the Next Generation
Long after students forget a vocabulary list or a math lesson, they remember the day they became a character in a story, solved a problem together through play or realized they had something important to say.
These moments don’t happen by accident. They happen because organizations, individuals and communities choose to invest in arts education.
Every year, AMP Up the Arts brings together supporters who believe creativity belongs in every classroom. Their generosity helps Walton Arts Center provide transformative arts experiences that inspire learning, build confidence and expand opportunities for thousands of students throughout Northwest Arkansas.
Few people have demonstrated the lasting power of that investment more than this year’s Dr. Patricia C. Relph Arts Advocacy Award recipient, Kassie Misiewicz.
For more than two decades, Misiewicz has dedicated her career to helping children learn through drama — not simply learning about theater but using theater as a powerful tool to understand literature, history, science and one another.
“Whether I am leading a kindergarten class on an imagination trip to the moon or guiding a group of sixth graders to visualize and physicalize a moment in history,” Misiewicz said, “my main goals are to increase literacy, strengthen the classroom community, build empathy and problem-solving skills and make learning fun through drama.”
As a teaching artist, curriculum developer and nationally recognized arts integration consultant, Misiewicz has collaborated with administrators, classroom teachers and librarians to move learning beyond desks and worksheets. Her work invites students to actively engage with ideas, ask questions and discover new ways to express what they know.
Misiewicz has become a trusted mentor for educators across the region, coaching teachers to integrate drama into everyday instruction. Her calm presence, joyful teaching style and student-centered approach have helped educators gain confidence in using the arts to make curriculum more memorable and meaningful. Students develop concentration, cooperation and communication skills while teachers discover new ways to bring stories, vocabulary and complex concepts to life.
“Kassie is an arts education influencer of the highest order,” said Dr. Patricia C. Relph, whose lifelong advocacy for arts education inspired the award that bears her name. “She brings the power of the arts to schools and communities. Using the arts teaches others how to learn and share what we know. When we know how to learn, we grow to be more successful and productive in our schools and lives.”
Former colleagues describe Misiewicz as someone who is constantly asking, “What if?”
— imagining new programs, forging partnerships and creating opportunities that make the arts more accessible for families throughout Northwest Arkansas. They point out her willingness to connect organizations, champion new ideas and invest in projects that strengthen the entire arts ecosystem, even when she’s working behind the scenes.
That spirit reflects the very heart of AMP Up the Arts, an event at Walmart AMP that supports arts education at Walton Arts Center.
Featuring Grammy-winning R&B artist Leon Thomas, the event is more than a fundraiser. It’s an investment in future generations of creative thinkers, compassionate leaders and engaged citizens.
Walton Arts Center’s education programming allows more than 29,000 students and educators in Northwest Arkansas to experience free, live theater performances annually.
You can support the arts education mission and reserve your seat now for AMP Up the Arts when you donate to Walton Arts Center. Every donation helps ensure students can experience the joy of live performance, discover their own creativity and learn in ways that inspire them to see the world differently.
Donations of $70 and $90 get you a seat for the intimate performance. To celebrate 34 years of Walton Arts Center, an additional donation of $34 gets you reserved parking in the Blue and White lots.