Artist, scholar and global citizen is what the staff at the Boston Arts Academy hopes to mold each and every one of their students into.
To get there it will take a village and a lot of funding. On Oct 17, the Boston Arts Academy Foundation, the school’s fundraising arm, will host its signature annual event and largest fundraising effort.
Denella Clark, the President and CEO of the BAAF said the Boston Arts Academy Foundation and the school would be nothing without contributions from the community and the programs that they fund.
“Philanthropy makes up a big part of ensuring that we’re able to have summer reading, that we’re able to have extra interventions and math. If you come in a little behind in academics, we’re really able to make sure that they’re able to catch up,” she said.
That commitment to academics is just one of the things that sets the school apart. The school has an impressive 97% graduation rate.
“We make sure that our kids are not just getting the arts, but are having a really robust and rigorous academic program. Because we are a part of the Boston Public Schools, our kids still have to pass the MCAS, so it’s pretty remarkable when you think about that we’re academic blind, that you get in only based on audition, but our kids are still able to graduate, in some cases, above other schools, not just across the Commonwealth, but across the country,” Clark shared.
She said when people come to events like the BAAF Honors, they can’t believe the talented students showcased are still learning.
Inspired by the Kennedy Center Honors, the BAAF Honors, the fundraiser that makes all of this possible, recognizes leaders in Dance, Fashion Design & Technology, Music, Television & Film, and Visual Arts, as well as Honors in Civic Responsibility and Lifetime Achievement.
This year’s award recipients include Dance Honoree Debbie Allen, Fashion Honoree June Ambrose, Visual Art Honorees Dr. Amy Boger and Dr. Joshua Boger, TV + Film Honoree Christy Cashman, Music Honoree Don Law, Chairman of Live Nation New England, and Civic Responsibility Honoree Katherine Chapman Stemberg.
Fashion Honoree June Ambrose has come a long way from her day at a New York performing arts high school. The award-winning creative director, costume designer, and entrepreneur known for designing costumes for Hype Williams’ “Belly” to styling videos for hip hop heavyweights like Missy Elliott, Jay Z and more. She recognizes the impact of going to a high school for creatives.
“I went to a performing arts school, so I know how important these programs are. Creatives live within a community, and it’s like an alternate universe where you just feel like you see each other and you speak a different language. I think the brain of a creative is somewhat like a flower, and when put in creative environments, they’re allowed to blossom and thrive and live their full potential. So I think harnessing creative talent in one space is always encouraged because magical things happen when you’re around like-minded people,” Ambrose said.
The fashion icon said there’s something magical that happens when creatives get together, especially creatives of color.
“Anytime that we can come together as a community of color, we know that we’re stronger in numbers and we’re stronger together. Black creatives are very expressive and in a very unique kind of way. They talk about the Black girl magic, but I just think there’s just that magic. In general, I think that we are extremely unapologetic about her creative freedom and our expression and the way we speak, the way we articulate visually. It’s very different, it’s tribal, it’s like Bible, it’s like religion,” Ambrose shared.
Not only is the Boston Arts Academy the only public high school in the city of Boston for the visual and performing arts, but it is also the only high school in the commonwealth that teaches fashion design and technology.
For more information on their fundraising efforts or to find out how to get involved with the Boston Arts Academy Foundation visit bostonartsacademy.org/foundation
