Photo by Bill Horin/ArtC
Story by Rob Laymon/ArtC
Commissioned by Holly City Development Corporation
Something important happens when you take regular people and add art to the mix.
You start with undifferentiated individuals, add a little artistic training, and suddenly you have dancers, musicians, actors. You have cascades of loveliness and fountains of beauty. Also, you have happy human beings.
They’ve been doing this at the Levoy Arts & Education Center for a long time, since the organization emerged as the educational branch of the Levoy Theatre in 2016. The center’s office opened in 2021 on Pine Street, to host theater, music, dance, and art courses, workshops, and performances for all ages and economic backgrounds.
Since then, the center has tripled its offerings to include more than 218 days of on-campus educational programming and 83 days of off-campus outreach per year. It has increased access to underserved populations, and established partnerships with more than half a dozen organizations. It has become a regional hub for youth arts learning.
In other words, the center is the heart of human flourishing for many people, young and old, in South Jersey. The magic has happened for many.
“It used to be that summers were busiest but now it’s year-round,” said Donna Terry, in charge of educational outreach for the center. “We even do acting classes for adults. From birth to age 100 we offer classes.
“Part of my focus is outreach, so we go into local schools and help fulfill needs they may have in the arts. I do those five days a week. We ask what kind of enrichment they want, and what would meet their standards, and we are very sound in our planning, because we can meet a lot of those.”
So it goes with the arts in Millville, thanks to the Arts Center—ready to make magic wherever you are in South Jersey, and in life.
Levoy Arts & Education Center
16 E. Pine Street
856-327-6400
levoy.net
