For the last 22 years, Free Arts has partnered with Dance Theater West (DTW) to create DTW’s Storybook Ballet production featuring Free Arts children and teens. Our beloved partnership continued into September 2023, when twelve Free Arts children performed alongside DTW dancers at the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.

Back in 2016, Free Arts ran two Professional Artist Series with teens at a residential treatment center in Phoenix, one of our longtime partner agencies.

This year’s Storybook Ballet performance and Free Arts Day, we were able to include children and teaching artists from four Professional Artist Series all taking place at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. 

After nearly three years, Free Arts reconnected with Children First Leadership Academy (CFLA) in Phoenix and completed a successful Professional Artist Series with the students.

Our 2022 Spring Professional Artist Series season includes a special series where children work with and learn from a professional muralist to transform a wall at their site into a mural.

Mario Barela has been a dedicated Professional Teaching Artist for Free Arts since 2008. He has contributed both his time and talent to reach the children of Free Arts partner agencies, even in a time of social distancing and mask mandates.  

As Free Arts eased back into in-person programming, this year’s Storybook Ballet was reimagined with the health and safety of participating children top of mind.

With the arrival of COVID, words like “unprecedented” and “pivoting” and “lock down” became common language to all of us.  Free Arts was no exception.

For the past month, just as the Free Arts staff begins to clock out for the night on Wednesday evenings, the building is rejuvenated with hope, creativity, and excitement.