This summer was brimming with creativity and excitement as Chautauqua Arts Education extended its programming into the Summer Assembly. Through a wonderful partnership with the Jamestown Summer LEAP program and the Jamestown Boys and Girls Club, fueled by the generous support of the Winifred C. Dibert Foundation and the Lenna Foundation, Chautauqua hosted approximately 320 enthusiastic students by summer’s end. 

Weeks Five and Six brought a special treat: the return of teaching artists from the Young Playwrights Project (YPP) to the Jamestown Public Schools LEAP (Learning Enrichment and Academic Progress) program. This summer learning/day camp experience is open to current kindergarten through 4th grade students. The camp includes breakfast and lunch, reading instruction, academic enrichment, and engaging activities like the YPP. The program was a collaborative effort with the Jamestown YMCA and YWCA. 

The YPP was tailored to fit the summer camp vibe, adapting its school-year format that ventures into 3rd and 4th-grade schools to a summer camp-friendly version and customized to a broader age range. From Monday to Thursday, teaching artists dove into classrooms — playing theater games that taught the elements of a play. Younger students created their plays as a class, and older students wrote class and individual plays. By week’s end, students visited Chautauqua Institution to make props and showcase their learning in a grand performance with participating students from each of the Jamestown schools. 

In addition to the summer YPP program, on three special Wednesdays Winifred Crawford Dibert Boys and Girls Club of Jamestown members arrived at Chautauqua grounds for a field trip based on the our Arts Education “Explore Chautauqua Field Trip” offering. Each visit offered a new artistic adventure: meeting dancers from the Chautauqua School of Dance, working with actors from the Chautauqua Theater Company, or listening to musicians from the Music School Festival Orchestra. They even got to drum with Director of Arts Education Suzanne Fassett-Wright and Resident Teaching Artist Stephanie Dawson, visit the beach, and enjoy ice cream from the Brickwalk Cafe. 

“Welcoming students from Jamestown to Chautauqua Institution is an absolute joy,” said Fassett-Wright. We love learning about them, growing stronger as a community, and watching students discover their world through their experiences on grounds.”