Compass Arts Creativity Project offerings are created for the Beacon and surrounding communities for the purpose of building those communities.

Our vision is a big one. As a creativity project, we believe that communities are stronger when problem-solving skills are encouraged at every age level and that the best way to build problem-solving skills is through creativity.

Through creative arts exploration, students are given opportunities to think, and to think for themselves: to feel empowered by coming up with a story plot twist or an ending to a play, to discover the joy of being able to improvise over a musical accompaniment, or to create their own characters with pencil or clay. We believe that our best work involves encouraging contribution, whether it is a colorful swipe of a brush, a melody or an idea. The essence of what we hope to do at Compass Arts is this: that those large or small contributions allow students to evolve into resilient individuals with vision, who have the power to transform our world for the better.

Because we believe that creativity is a tool to affect positive change, we are strong proponents of making the arts equitable and accessible. We are dedicated to offering free and discounted programming in our community, and we have a sliding-scale assistance fund that allows students to name their price for our on-site classes.

We also believe that an arts education should encourage empathy and inclusivity, and celebrate diversity. We welcome neurodiverse students, students with disabilities, and students across the gender and LGBTQIA+ spectrum. Our organization has participated in anti-racism and restorative justice training, and many of our classes incorporate restorative justice concepts like circle practice and shared agreements. Diversifying our staff, teaching artists, and student body is an ongoing process and priority for us.

The classes we offer at Compass Arts are designed to teach the arts and creativity in a broad and developmentally targeted manner. They tend to integrate various art forms in wonderfully untidy ways for the purpose of surprising the student’s creativity into wakefulness. For children and adults of all ages, we offer experiences that incorporate equal measures of structure and self-guidance. We try to think outside the box with our programming, to offer ways of learning that students won’t find elsewhere.

We are devotees of learning and expansion, creativity, hope and community.