Interlochen Center for the Arts is working on taking its financial aid assistance to the next level by making sure they can financially support all students who need it by 2028. Learn how you can support this project and additional Northern Michigan nonprofits featured in our 2021 GIVE issue.
Anyone who calls Northern Michigan home for any length of time knows Interlochen Center for the Arts—the summer Arts Camp students from around the world, the internationally renowned Arts Academy, the open-air concerts in summertime.
But what you may not know is that Interlochen is on a mission to change the world by launching young artists into it, whether they go on to pursue their art professionally or not.
This fall, Interlochen marks the completion of an ambitious 30-year campus master plan that resulted in world-class, state-of-the-art facilities for all seven of its artistic disciplines—creative writing, dance, film and new media, interdisciplinary arts, music, theater and visual arts.
But now? “Our focus is on the people side,” says John Bogley, Interlochen’s vice president of philanthropy. A top priority in those areas is ensuring that any talented young artist who desires to pursue their art with passion and purpose can come to Interlochen, regardless of socioeconomic status.
“We plan to take our financial aid offerings to a new level. We want students to be able to say ‘yes!’ to Interlochen when offered a chance to come,” Bogley says. The institution’s
goal is to meet the financial need of each student by 2028, through gifts specifically earmarked for scholarships.
The leadership at Interlochen believes in equipping young people with an enduring skill—the creative capacity to make a positive impact on their world. Even if they do not become professional dancers, actors, writers or musicians, their outlook on the world will be shaped by what they have learned at Interlochen: the artistic mindset, self-awareness, resilience, interdisciplinary perspective and collaboration, global and cultural perspective and citizen artistry.
“Students who study the arts learn to think on their feet, understand context and become creative, resilient people who go on to impact their communities in ways that far exceed whatever they may do on stage or in a studio,” Bogley says. “The key is that students who have passion and potential need an opportunity, so if we can build a partnership with a family to make it possible for a student to explore their artistic potential, that’s what we’re going to do. We’re thrilled that that’s what our donors want to support.”
To help launch the next generation of Interlochen artists, visit the Interlochen Center for the Arts donations page.
Photo by MyNorth Media
This Article Was First Featured in Northern Michigan GIVE 2021
Read more Northern Michigan nonprofit stories and learn how to donate and volunteer in the free edition of MyNorth GIVE 2021. You can also preview and purchase our digital issues Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine or subscribe and get Traverse delivered to your door each month.
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