Dafmark Dance Community Outreach Programs

Tomorrow is a big day!!!! It is the opening of Kids as Curators: No Community Without “U” or “I” at the Erie Art Museum, which is a relaunch of the Kids As Curators program that was originally developed by the incredible Kelly Armor. This program that ran for years was centered on giving students true creative control, empowered young people to collect, curate, and design exhibits around ideas that matter to them, and to demonstrate that museums are living, breathing spaces for fresh perspectives.

Tomorrow exhibition was created by our students from the Dafmark Creative Arts Center who had the privilege to work with Erie Arts and Culture rostered teaching artist Nicholas Cardell Gore. He worked weekly with the youth from September through December of 2025 to guided them through exploring how museums collect, interpret, and present artwork. Through mentorship and guidance Nicholas supported them through curating their own exhibition made of works created in his class as well as those created in classes taught by the other Dafmark teaching artists during 2025. Youth were also able to visit the Erie Art Museum in the beginning of the residency to learn from the Erie Art Museum team: Executive Director Laura Domencic, Arts & Curatorial Manager Jamie Keim-Pomorski, Education Manager Alex Anthes, and Collections Manager & Lead Preparator James Pearson.

This has been an really special project for our youth to be a part of. As an added bonus, for the community, our youth have been working on Black History Month projects and realized that the exhibition was about community and that community is built on history and wanted to share what they have learned about their history during their exhibition of No Community Without “U” or “I”.

So please come out tomorrow between 4 - 6PM to support our youth and meet the next generation of creatives and help the Erie Art Museum usher in the relaunch of Kids As Curators, centering youth as voices that should be heard in our museum and city!

Due to the extreme temperatures and windchill forecast for Tuesday, the Dafmark Creative Arts Center will be CLOSED. Know that when the Erie’s Public Schools closes due to weather we do as well.

Stay safe and warm. We plan to see you all on Wednesday.