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Outreach

Arts in Action

Art in ActionArts in Action brings together artists, students, faculty, and staff to engage with the arts for building community and to explore creative and transformative possibilities at the individual and community level. Through collaborative, cross-cultural immersion, our projects build access to the arts for underserved communities, creating awareness, networks, and advocacy. The central goal is to broaden the meaning of the arts and create a space for it in diverse contexts as teachers, students, and activists. This initiative, administered by the College's Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility, is directed by Associate Professor of Dance Pallabi Chakravorty.


Chester Children's Chorus

Chester Children's ChorusAs a member of the College's Music Department faculty, John Alston H'15 created a community of strivers and seekers in the Chester Children's Chorus, which he founded with seven boys in 1994. Now, with more than 130 boys and girls of all ages that enjoy a summer learning program that includes science taught by College faculty members, African dance and drumming, and a reading program, the chorus makes far more than a joyous sound. 


Children's Gamelan Project

A student playing an instrumentIn a project sponsored by Swarthmore's Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility and the President's Office, young children are introduced to the rich performing arts traditions of Bali, Indonesia. Led by Daniel Underhill Professor of Music Tom Whitman '82, student and faculty volunteers from the College teach children to play Gamelan Angklung, a small percussion ensemble, using instruments made by I Wayan Berata, a master instrument maker in Denpasar, Bali. Community partners include the Chester Charter School for the Arts in Chester, Pa. 


Swarthmore Project in Theater

ClownsThe Swarthmore Project in Theater supports the artistic work of alumni, faculty, and staff of the Department of Theater through summer in-kind grants of rehearsal space in the Frear Ensemble Theater and, whenever possible, on-campus housing during these residencies. Since 1995, The Swarthmore Project in Theater has helped launch and nurture numerous independent theater and dance companies founded by our alumni, as well as support the work of established former students and their collaborators. Up to a half-dozen companies have been in residence in a given summer. In return for the in-kind support they receive from the Swarthmore Project in Theater, companies in residence promote the work of the Department of Theater in their publicity materials, provide opportunities for current students to be involved with their rehearsal processes, and return to campus to provide pro bono performances and workshops during the academic year.