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HEARTWOOD'S BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kathy Ames HEARTWOOD'S FACULTY Jude Binder, co-founder and artistic director of Heartwood, is a renowned artist, performer, playwright, director, and teacher. Jude was the 1996 recipient of the “Celebrate Women Awards” in Art from the West Virginia Women’s Commission, and she won the “Hats Off Honor” from the National Council of Jewish Women, West Virginia section, in 1993. In 2007, Jude received the Secretary's Star Award from the Department of Education and the Arts for her lifetime commitment to arts and education. MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Heartwood is above all a school. We are situated in such a pristine rural setting that we are able to incorporate nature into our overall curriculum. Nature is our “textbook.” We work with students to nurture the part of them that responds deeply to nature, which we refer to as the “artist” within them. We use nature and the arts as springboards to create a setting wherein students may break through creative barriers and step forward in their personhood. We also strive to empower children with a sense of their place in the world at large. When we worked on “Broken Bough,” a young actor remarked, “My Mom told me she never heard about the kids working in the factories - but my Mamaw said she did.” The child then described a scene in her grandmother’s kitchen - three generations sitting at the table after supper, the eldest telling stories that her mother had told her about work she had done at a factory, stories the girl and her mother had never heard before. Heartwood students who portrayed child workers in “Broken Bough” developed a strong curiosity about labor history and a deeper understanding of their parents’ and grandparents’ lives, as well as a sense of their own potential as players in social history. Heartwood’s goal is to use the arts to bring children to this place. When history is presented from a child’s perspective, children are able to assume the thoughts and feelings of children from another time. When that happens, they can think - “If those children are history, then I am history too.” Our students are encouraged to develop an interest in the world and its people, and to understand that the past informs the present, and the present informs the future. We encourage our students to regard the successes of others as examples of what is possible for them. With this positive attitude, students are able to adopt practices of self-discipline and perseverance, and to believe that their ideas are valuable and can be brought to life. In its outreach activities and performances, Heartwood carries the message of joy in creation and the unity of all people to the public, and invites the public to participate and join the celebration of the artist in every person. HEARTWOOD'S STAFF Susan Grahame - Program Director |