Gateway to the Arts is excited to be partnering with the Homewood-Brushton YMCA as part of their Lighthouse Project at Westinghouse High School. The Lighthouse, now in its second year under the direction of James Armstead Brown, offers after-school programming from 3-8 pm for any interested student in the Homewood area.

This year Gateway to the Arts has two teaching artists working in the first eight-week session. Dr. Tameka Cage is offering the creative writing class What Makes a Poet Black. Students are exploring the writing of African-American poets, creating their own writing and will prepare to perform their poetry for an audience. In Introduction to Gong Fu martial artist Chris Young helps students learn the physical and mental discipline of this ancient art.

A video course with filmmaker Billy Jackson, a creative writing course with Dr. Kimberly Ellis (also known as Dr. Goddess) and an urban planning and architecture class, Design My Neighborhood, with instructor Kelly Lyons from Carnegie Mellon University’s Architecture program are in the works for January. Kelly will bring students to the university’s Urban Lab, whose fifth-year architecture students are studying Homewood-Brushton. Lighthouse students will have a chance to see the lab, look at maps and models of their neighborhood and hear presentations about the projects students have created. With this inspiration Lighthouse students will then have a chance to conceive and design their own neighborhood project.