CONTACT: Julie Gilliland, jgilliland@beckcenter.org<mailto:jgilliland@beckcenter.org> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 25, 2020 Beck Center For The Arts Launches In-Person and Online Classes in Winter/Spring 2021 Lakewood, OH-Beck Center for the Arts<https://www.beckcenter.org>, in an effort to continually adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, has created robust in-person and online arts educational offerings for winter/spring 2021. Beck Center continues to respond to the needs of the community through arts experiences, as an entertaining and healing force for all ages, and abilities. Since mid-March 2020 students have experienced Beck Center's arts education classes and lessons online, using Google Classroom and Zoom to continue pursuing their arts interests, or to engage in a new interest. On September 9, 2020, Beck Center was allowed to reopen the campus with strict mask-wearing, social distancing, and classroom sanitization guidelines. The fall semester was a success, in-person and online, but Beck Center felt it best to once again pivot to online classes and lessons in mid-November per Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish and Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's announcement, classes were all moved online. The plan is to open the campus up to in-person classes again beginning January 11, 2021, with an abundance of caution and strict COVID-19 sanitizing procedures in place. Should the need arise, instructors will once again be ready to pivot to online arts education programming. Ed Gallagher, Director of Education at Beck Center for the Arts, as well as a board certified music therapist for over 26 years says, "The new year is a great time to create your arts experience at Beck Center. Our Education Team curated an amazing line-up of 150 weekly classes that complement our offering of private lessons in music, dance, theater, and the visual arts. We look forward to welcoming students to our programs - with 105 classes in person or in 45 offerings through our Beck@Home online studios. Our creative arts therapies and outreach programs are prepared to welcome you to our campus for creative hands-on experiences or we'll come to you to via online learning platforms. Our campus continues to maintain strict masking, distancing and sanitation protocols, and we remained poised to move all classes onto the online platforms should our area continue to spike with diagnosis or should the state or region shut down for a prolonged period of time." For a full lineup of the arts education offerings please click here<https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5c9ae157ca525b79e8f35998/t/5fbd88be4b0e0d7a63635236/1606256835695/Beck+Full+Catalog+Winter+Spring+2021_Update11-24.pdf>. Winter/Spring 2021 Education registration is available now at beckcenter.org<https://apm.activecommunities.com/beckcenter>. Accommodations have been created to keep students, families, faculty, and staff safe while creating arts experiences on the campus. Face coverings will be required for all individuals ages two (2) and older. Social distancing marks are present in all learning spaces, and clearly marked throughout the three buildings. Hand sanitizer will be available at all entrances, and in each classroom and studio space. A 15 minute break will be instituted between classes to ensure that spaces may be cleaned. The complete protocols will be shared via beckcenter.org<https://www.beckcenter.org/>. These protocols are in alignment with Destination Cleveland's "CLEan Committed" Program, Actor's Equity Association, guided by the CDC, Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Department of Education, Ohio Citizens for the Arts, local medical facilities, and school systems. Beck Center is located at 17801 Detroit Avenue<https://www.google.com/maps?q=17801+Detroit+Avenue&entry=gmail&source=g> in Lakewood, just ten minutes west of downtown Cleveland, as well as anywhere you access the internet. For more information visit beckcenter.org/education-programming<https://www.beckcenter.org/education-programs> or call Beck Center Customer Service at 216.521.2540 x10. Programming at Beck Center for the Arts is made possible through the generous support of the Ohio Arts Council. Beck Center gratefully acknowledges the generous funding provided by the citizens of Cuyahoga County through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture. Beck Center for the Arts is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that offers professional theater productions on two stages, arts education programming in dance, music, theater, visual arts, early childhood, and creative arts therapies for individuals with disabilities, free gallery exhibits year-round, and outreach education programming. ###