Mission: Arts on the Horizon was founded as a professional, non-profit theatre company with a specific focus of providing performances and education programs for an audience of young people ages 0 to 6 years old and their families.
Arts on the Horizon values intelligent, innovative, and original work for very young audiences that is accessible, affordable, inspiring and joyful. We believe the arts play an important role in children’s lives. The results can be seen in their development of critical thinking skills, self-confidence, and independence.
Each nonverbal production Arts on the Horizon commissions incorporates elements that connect to various child developmental milestones. Knowing that a young child's brain develops as they explore the world around them through sight, touch, and sound, Arts on the Horizon intentionally creates a sensory-rich environment with each production, utilizing vibrant imagery, music, sound effects, movement, and tactile moments where children are able to interact with the different objects used in the performance. Often, we incorporate repetitive physical movement in our storytelling, as new experiences repeated a number of times help children make connections, which shape the way they think, feel, behave, and learn now and in the future.
Additionally, Arts on the Horizon’s productions demonstrate and model the importance of cooperation and creativity, empathy among the characters, conflict resolution through teamwork, and the excitement of exploring new places and engaging in new activities.
Each arts education program includes creative drama exercises which focus on refining and developing fine and gross motor skills, expanding vocabulary and problem solving skills, and serving as a catalyst for creative play outside of class. All classes and camps focus on creative expression; tactile, kinesthetic, and auditory learning skills; developmentally appropriate movement; storytelling; and crafts.
Whether your children attend a performance or take one of our classes, we are here to foster them in a safe, creative environment that promotes the positive. We're not in the business to produce better actors but to help nurture better human beings.
I have been a huge fan of this organization for many, many years. They do really quality work with performances and education, and are a great experience for kiddos and families. Arts on the Horizon is a great way for kids to be introduced to live performances and nurture their interest in exploring, creating, and growing as people.
This program should be duplicated nation-wide - what an amazing experience for my 3 year old. We saw "Snow Day" in early December and she has talked about it every day since. She rein-acts it and adds to the story. We have even had in-depth conversations about elements of the "plot" etc - I never would have imagined that non-verbal theatre would be so enticing and captivating not only to my 3 yr old, but to me and the other adults there as well. Bravo!
I have created work for a very special theatre company called Arts on the Horizon before. But early this year, I had a completely new experience with them. I was in the audience for the first public show of the piece I had just collaborated on. The performers were already out, gently engaging with some of the objects and children in the space. And then it came time to shift into the official start of the show...and I don't even remember what the exact signals and actions were, but somehow, this audience of babies (in parents' arms, or on their tummies on the floor with necks craned up) just KNEW. A sea of brand new humans gave their full attention to the same spot. And the air was ELECTRIC. ...I cried. Ha, I have done this work before! But I had never quite experienced *this.* A room full of babies completely awake with wonder, together. It was palpable and beautiful. It felt like some kind of miracle of humanness. And I knew that I wanted to give whatever I could to a company that could make that happen. A company that could give that to both the babies and their grownup caregivers, who were watching their stunningly focused children with own kind of wonder and glow.
