Events
SOTA Open House
Saturday
September 18
10am
Families with children ages 4-18, join us on Sept 18th for the official kick-off of the new SPAC School of the Arts with special guest and visiting artist for the upcoming winter 2022 term - presidential inaugural poet, Richard Blanco!
Starting at 10:00am, families will gather in the School courtyard (or inside the studios, in the event of rain) to hear opening remarks and recited poetry from Richard Blanco, as well as SPAC President and CEO, Elizabeth Sobol.
Immediately following the morning remarks, classes will begin inside the school and will end by no later than 11:30am. Children will sign up in advance for a free sample class in either music (ages 4-6), dance (ages 7-12), or theatre (ages 13-18). Parents will have the opportunity to observe classes, meet the SOTA teachers, and register for fall classes.
No prior experience is necessary for children to participate in these classes and have a great time!
Complimentary pastries and juice will be served.
Space for this event is limited. Please make reservations via the link below.
Artist Bio
Richard Blanco is the fifth presidential inaugural poet in U.S. history—the first Latino, immigrant, and gay person to serve in such a role. Born in Madrid to Cuban exile parents and raised in Miami, the negotiation of cultural identity and place characterize his body of work. He is the author of the poetry collections Looking for the Gulf Motel, Directions to the Beach of the Dead, and City of a Hundred Fires; the poetry chapbooks Matters of the Sea, One Today, and Boston Strong; a children’s book of his inaugural poem, “One Today,” illustrated by Dav Pilkey; and Boundaries, a collaboration with photographer Jacob Hessler. His latest book of poems, How to Love a Country (Beacon Press, 2019), both interrogates the American narrative, past and present, and celebrates the still unkept promise of its ideals. He has also authored the memoirs The Prince of Los Cocuyos: A Miami Childhood and For All of Us, One Today: An Inaugural Poet’s Journey. Blanco’s many honors include the Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize from the University of Pittsburgh Press, the PEN/Beyond Margins Award, the Paterson Poetry Prize, a Lambda Literary Award, and two Maine Literary Awards. He has been a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow and received honorary doctorates from Macalester College, Colby College, and the University of Rhode Island. He has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning and NPR’s Fresh Air. The Academy of American Poets named him its first Education Ambassador in 2015. Blanco has continued to write occasional poems for organizations and events such as the re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Havana. He lives with his partner in Bethel, ME.