The Michigan Arts and Culture Council recently announced Telling It was awarded a grant from their Project Support Program. “On behalf of the Council, I congratulate you on your award for Telling It – Arts Based Interventions,” states Alison Watson, Director, MACC.

The award of $10,000 will support the creative arts aspect of Telling It programming for youth at Ypsilanti Community Middle School in Washtenaw County. “This award will allow us to increase the involvement of professional artists from the community,” according to Deb Gordon-Gurfinkel, Program Director.

Telling It enhances social emotional learning and supports well-being using a blend of expressive arts and social work methods. “Our program helps our youth participants explore, share, and support creative expression, and by doing so, promotes their mental health and wellbeing,” states Kelly Kundrat, Telling It Social Worker. Resident artists will lead workshops on multiple art forms throughout the academic year. A professional photographer will also highlight the youth’s yearlong artistic creations in the Telling It Anthology produced at the end of the academic year.

For more information on Telling It, please go to lsa.umich.edu/tellingit. For more information on the Michigan Arts and Culture Council, please visit https://www.michiganbusiness.org/industries/macc/.