YMCA Arts Trends
Arts and humanities are among the fastest-growing programs at Ys. In 2001, the number of Ys offering performing arts programs rose 14 percent, literary arts programs went up 18 percent, and visual arts went up 22 percent. The organizations that deliver programs know about the cognitive and developmental-asset benefits that youth receive from arts participation; the youth are satisfied with the pleasure of arts participation and self-expression and the satisfaction of mastery of a new skill.
- Collaborations with local arts organizations continue to make the arts available at YMCAs. YMCAs collaborate to create time, space and new benefits for members, including special cultural discounts and access.
- Many Ys are adding a service-learning component to arts programs, helping participants create public art such as murals.
- More and more artists are donating artwork and/or lending financial or programmatic support to YMCAs.
Ys are adding an international component to their arts programs, in both performances and activities.- In many ways, book clubs follow in a historical path for the YMCA. Early Ys offered reading rooms, and in a time when there was no public television, most Ys offered lectures and presentations on business, travel, music, and other self-improvement or educational areas.
- More and more Ys are adding arts facilities, including multimedia centers and display areas as well as traditional working space.
- Many Ys are designating days and/or weeks to recognize and celebrate arts and artists at their Y and in the communities. YMCA of the USA Arts and Humanities has designated June 1-7 as the annual national Y Arts Week.
- Libraries are redefining themselves in response to the Internet. Many are becoming community learning centers, teaching the skills needed for the information age and providing access for all. Library collaborations are becoming more common as their services, and Ys' can be complementary.
Societal Trends Tie-ins
- Arts participation, particularly working with a group on an artistic creation, satisfies many people's ongoing needs for meaning and belonging.
- Study of and participation in the arts from different cultures is a way to draw upon and celebrate the growing diversity in the United States.