Arts for Learning - Young Audiences of Northeast Texas uses the arts to
enrich the lives of students and enhance their education.
| | |
|
December 1st
Volume 2025
Issue 2
| | |
Welcome to Arts for Learning, the Young Audiences of Northeast Texas quarterly newsletter. Our newsletters are typically sent out in March, June, September, and December each year to keep you up to date on all the wonderful things happening because of your support.
You may have noticed a pause in our June and September newsletters as our team walked through an important season of transition. We appreciate your understanding and are excited to return to our regular quarterly schedule moving forward.
| | Introducing our Executive Director | | |
The Board of Directors of Young Audiences of Northeast Texas is very pleased to introduce our new Executive Director, Mr. Glenn Ballard. Glenn is one of the most respected and celebrated fine arts educators in all of East Texas. He received his Master’s degree in Theatre from UT Tyler in 2005, and served as the Theatre Teacher and Director of Fine Arts programs at The Brook Hill School in Bullard for 27 years. There, he quite literally built an award-winning fine arts program from the ground up.
Glenn was honored by Young Audiences in 2018 as the Outstanding High School Fine Arts Teacher, and by TAPPS in 2024 as the Fine Arts Teacher of the Year for the State of Texas. Respected by his colleagues and administrators, loved by his students and their parents, and admired by teaching artists and administrators across the state, Glenn brings a wealth of experience and an unparalleled passion for arts education to this role. His vision and goals for our organization are inspiring.
Please join us in welcoming Glenn!
| | | |
Since the last edition of our quarterly newsletter back in March, there have been some changes. I am so thankful and proud to be part of this fantastic organization, and I am committed to extending our reach and influence into every corner of Northeast Texas.
What has been happening?
I'm so glad you asked!
Young Audiences sponsored a very successful series of summer camps at the Tyler ISD Caldwell Arts Academy. There were four one-week sessions, each with an enrollment of over 200 students and eight teaching artists who provided special instruction in dance, visual art, drama, and music. Each week-long session culminated in a gala showcase that allowed the students to perform and, their very proud parents to celebrate their success: gratitude and congratulations to the extraordinary team of teachers who made it all happen.
In August, I made a presentation to the Tyler ISD Fine Arts faculty at their annual back-to-school In-service meeting. Young Audiences and Tyler ISD have been partners in education for 25 years, but as faculties change and new teachers join the team, many are not familiar with the services we offer to support them. And then, in late September, I shared a workshop with the curriculum directors from across Region 7 at the Education Service Center in Kilgore. In these and other ways, we are getting our name and mission out there in front of the people who most need our support. Since the beginning of the school year, our partnership with Region 7 schools has spread to now include Anderson, Cherokee, Rusk, Wood, and Van Zandt counties, along with long-time partners in Smith, Gregg, and Harrison counties.
This semester, YA has provided live theatre opportunities for hundreds of students who might otherwise never have had the chance to enjoy them. On October 7, YA provided tickets to 130 students from five campuses in Tyler and Brownsboro for the Tyler Civic Theater production of The Miracle Worker. Then, on November 5, YA purchased every seat in the house at the Cowan Center's production of The Little Mermaid. Over 1700 students attended the show in the world-class Cowan Center. It was truly amazing to witness the youngsters' excitement and enthusiasm as they engaged in the interactive theatre experience. And I could not help but wonder, “How many of these young people would never have visited the Cowan Center if not for this opportunity?” And “how many of these children were inspired to dream big and to think about themselves being in a play or a musical?" Next, on November 18, YA once again partnered with Tyler Civic Theatre to provide tickets to schools from Van and Alba for their production of A Midsummer Night's Dream. And we have already arranged funding to provide $3000 worth of seats for the spring production of The Jungle Book, also at the Cowan Center. So there is never a dull moment around this office.
Among the newest projects and teaching artists to join the Young Audiences family are the Edom Art Lab, under the direction of visionary arts leaders -- Hope Johnson and Beth Brown; and Dr. Sooah Park, Musical Theatre specialist at UT Tyler; The East Texas Men in Harmony, under the direction of Dr. Peter Cunningham from Kilgore College; Mrs. Anne Odendhal, an accomplished and published author that will be visiting High School history and literature classes; and a new partnership with the nationally acclaimed Chinn Guitar Project headed by Ken Chinn in Longview. And stay tuned, because there is more to come.
| | Artists at Edom Arts Festival | | Our signature Encore After School program at Caldwell Arts Academy remains one of the most popular and beneficial in the region. Young Audiences coordinates the teaching artists who provide arts instruction every day after school to students in grades one through eight. | | Encore students keeping the beat with Casey Muze at Caldwell Arts Academy | | |
We are also redesigning our website, which we plan to launch by January. We are increasing our social media presence. I visit campuses every week and help identify the best programs for each campus.
But for me personally, the highlight of these first few months was our Fall Meet & Greet on November 6 at the Tyler ISD Career and Technology Center. I was so proud of the turnout. There were statesmen – Smith County Judge, Neil Franklin, and our U.S. Congressman, Nathaniel Moran. There were school administrators, community leaders, and our dedicated Board of Directors. There were many of our talented teaching artists and donors, and what most anyone would consider many of the East Texas "Arts Royalty", including the recipient of our Hibbs—Hallmark ICON Award, Mrs. Margaret Perkins. We enjoyed excellent entertainment by The East Texas Men In Harmony and heard words of support from Congressman Moran and Margaret Perkins. It was, in fact, a “Season of Thanks.”
| | Announcing Margaret Perkins as our HIbbs-Hallmark ICON Award Recipient | | |
The 2026 Young Audiences of Northeast Texas ICON Award Recipient!
Young Audiences of Northeast Texas (YANETX) is proud to honor Margaret Perkins as our 2026 recipient of the prestigious ICON Award, in grateful recognition of her outstanding reputation and her work for the students in the region. The Icon Award recognizes a community leader whose sustained efforts have profoundly expanded artistic opportunities and access for people of all ages across Northeast Texas. Margaret Perkins has dedicated her time and resources to this mission for decades, earning this recognition through tireless service and impactful philanthropy. YA Past President, Tisa Weiss Hibbs, had this to say about Mrs. Perkins. “Margaret is not just a donor; she is an architect of accessibility. She has created spaces where art can thrive and where people, especially children, can experience it firsthand. Her commitment to lifelong learning and empowerment through the arts is unparalleled.”
Mrs. Perkins’s influence is evident across the Tyler Junior College campus and the broader arts community. She served as Chairman of the multi-million-dollar fundraising committee that successfully transformed Wise Auditorium into the Rogers Palmer Performing Arts Center. This renovation created a world-class venue utilized not just by TJC, but also by the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, East Texas Youth Orchestra, and students across the region for band and choir festivals, UIL and One Act Play competitions, musicals, concerts, and recitals—vastly expanding community access to high-caliber performance space.
Her philanthropic focus for dance instruction has been equally transformative. She secured funding to convert an underused area in the TJC Ornelas Building into a much-needed dance studio, specifically designed to host children’s classes. Furthermore, Margaret is the first-ever contributor to the TJC Dance Endowment, a principal underwriter of the dance program, and a faithful donor to numerous studio renovations, securing the program's future for generations of students.
In addition to her work with TJC, Mrs. Perkins has served as a Past President of the Texas Committee for the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., and as a member of the Board of Directors for the Tyler Museum of Art. She and her husband, Jim Perkins, are also the pioneers of the Promise Program, which provides college scholarships for area students to attend TJC.
The ICON Award and Arts Teaching Excellence Awards will be formally presented on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at the Young Audiences Arts in Education Awards gala at Willow Brook Country Club.
| | | Special Thanks To Our Fall Event Sponsors | | |
TYLER CIVIC THEATRE – THE MIRACLE WORKER
Serving 130 students from five different campuses
Mrs. Kathy Roberts – Tomball, TX
Joey Ridgle Septic Systems – Brownsboro
THE COWAN CENTER – THE LITTLE MERMAID
Serving over 1,700 students from over 20 campuses
Roger and Cheri Gardner – Plano, TX
Dr. Scott and Robyn Lieberman – Tyler, TX
Christie Adams, Atty at Law – Tyler Texas National Bank – Bullard
Eric Endres, State Farm Ins. – Flint
FALL MEET AND GREET AT TYLER ISD CAREER & TECHNOLOGY CENTER
The Iglesias Law Firm – David and Kate Iglesias – Tyler
TYLER CIVIC THEATRE – A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Dr. Scott and Robyn Lieberman -- Tyler
| | |
JOE SPADEA, President
KETK News Director
Joe Spadea is an award-winning journalist with more than 30 years of experience in television news. He currently serves as News Director for KETK/FOX51, KETK+, and ketk.com, leading a team dedicated to delivering trusted news to East Texas.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Joe’s career has taken him across the country, with roles in Rhode Island, Boston, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Omaha, and Baton Rouge before making East Texas his home.
Joe is deeply committed to community service and has actively supported numerous nonprofit organizations throughout his career. He has served on boards such as Karnival Krewe de Louisiane in Baton Rouge and the FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association in Los Angeles and Omaha. Today, he proudly serves on the Board of Directors for Young Audiences, Arts for Learning of Northeast Texas, advocating for arts education as a vital part of student success.
“Exposure to the arts plays an integral role in providing students with a well-rounded education and opens doors to a lifetime of opportunity,” Joe says.
Joe and his wife Becky live in Bullard, where they are active members of First Baptist Church of Bullard. Family is central to his life—his daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters live in Aledo, while his son and daughter-in-law reside in Lowell, Massachusetts.
Through his leadership and community involvement, Joe strives to ensure that journalism and education work hand-in-hand to strengthen East Texas, inspire future generations, and create opportunities that make a lasting difference.
| | | Thank you to our Partners | | |
Our Company | Contact Us | FAQs | Privacy Policy |
| | | |
