The Colonel Daniel Marr Boys and Girls Club is firmly convinced that exposure and involvement in artistic and cultural activities can make a significant difference in the lives of our young members. We make available over 20 classes weekly in the areas of music, dance, visual art, theatre, and digital art. We offer four seasonal sessions, and each class or activity meets for one hour per week during the session period. The sessions are filled with structured activities, as well as drop-in time. And, each seasonal session concludes with an art show, recital and short theatre performance with parents and friends in attendance.

Our visual arts classes are designed to provide training in the formal concepts of line, value, color and composition. Our partnership with the Berklee College of Music allows us to offer free, one-on-one music classes to young people who would not otherwise be able to pursue this interest. We offer classes in acting and dance run by trained professionals as well as talented volunteers. We have a multimedia arts center designed to accommodate computer-based photography, graphic design, digital music making, and other audio/visual uses. Trips to live performances are essential to expanding our members’ knowledge and appreciation of the performing arts, and community collaborations enable us to offer our members an even wider spectrum of quality programs.

The full range of arts programs that we provide allows our members to exercise their creativity while learning an appreciation for a wide spectrum of artistic expression. Our Club maintains an open-door policy for members: the kids know that the facilities and staff are here for them, whether they come once a week, once a month or every day. Our goal is to offer a breadth and depth of programming that will keep them engaged, stimulated and eager to come back for more. We encourage young artists to incorporate their culture, traditions, experiences and individual personalities into the work they create, and to celebrate each other’s unique forms of expression.

We have an Art staff that is both dedicated and talented, bringing a vision and direction to our program that is truly extraordinary. We strive to expand the definition of art beyond the traditional boundaries. For example, our Dorchester neighborhood is seeing a renaissance in the arts as many new artists move here from the Fort Point and South End areas of Boston. We bring these artists into the Club, giving our young people a chance to actually meet and engage with working artists.

Art activities we offer throughout the year:

To Volunteer or For More Information
Contact: Donna Seery, Art Director

Recommended Links

Visual Arts
The Paint Basket
WetCanvas
Travel Collages from Creative Parents.com
Photo Tips
Zoom
The Kennedy Center - Artsedge - marcopolo

Art Gallery
art:21
bbc arts
Coloring Pages Gallery

Performing Arts
Write a Rap Song
Spoken Word Poetry (pdf)
Create a Winning Dance Routine

Written Art
Write an Essay
How to Write a Poem

Arts in Dorchester
dot art