Goodwill Summer Program visits the Commission

By Suzanne Lynch, Director of Marketing and development –
On Monday, we had the pleasure of hosting a wonderful group of teenagers from Goodwill’s Summer TRAC Job Readiness Program. Twelve students along with their instructor, Sam Smith arrived at our office to learn about the arts in Tennessee.

After introductions, Krishna Adams, Director of Visual Arts/Craft/Media and Design, gave the students a tour of the current exhibit of Joanna Ross Higgs in the gallery and also showed them some of the art in the office. The students were particularly interested in the Herb Williams crayon sculpture.

The students then headed back into the conference room and James Wells, Director of Arts Access, gave them a challenging creative activity designed to build skills in collaboration, leadership and communication—skills, he told them, we use everyday in the office. The task was to make shapes out of paper and use them to build the tallest free-standing structure.

The afternoon concluded with some refreshments and an informal chat with Hal Partlow, Associate Director for Grants. He explained how the Commission helps nonprofit organizations and schools across Tennessee provide arts programming to their communities.The Summer TRAC Job Readiness Program is a four-week job readiness program for 14- to 18-year-olds whose families are economically disadvantaged. The program is offered twice during the summer. Areas of focus include customer service, health care, career and personal finances, but field trips and local business tours also are planned.