{"id":134,"date":"2020-01-06T21:55:33","date_gmt":"2020-01-07T03:55:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/?p=134"},"modified":"2020-03-31T10:27:58","modified_gmt":"2020-03-31T15:27:58","slug":"hello_from_alyssa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/datadc\/2020\/01\/06\/hello_from_alyssa\/","title":{"rendered":"Hello from Alyssa!"},"content":{"rendered":"

My name is Alyssa Herzog Melby, and it is my absolute privilege to be serving as the program assistant for the \u201cDemocracy and the Arts\u201d interim. My day job is Assistant Director for Academic Civic Engagement (ACE) at St. Olaf (a program within the International and Off-Campus Studies office), and my \u201call the time\u201d job is mom to three amazing kiddos\u2014Adela (8), Henrik (6), and Louisa (3)–and spouse to my engineer\/homebrewer husband, Jake. My favorite color is yellow, I live on coffee, and I consider myself a \u201crealistic optimist.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Three

This picture sums up my kiddos pretty nicely. (I’ve told a few students…but they’re probably going to get real tired of seeing pictures of my kiddos by the end of the month!).<\/p><\/div>\n

One of the things I\u2019ve been reflecting on a lot lately is how democracy is not a spectator sport; if we want it to operate effectively, we all need to show up to make it happen. My initial interest in this course\u2019s topic definitely stems from my attending Perpich Center for Arts Education, or \u201cArts High.\u201d This MN state-funded arts agency and statewide arts high school fundamentally changed the way I viewed not only arts but how I viewed community and what the arts mean to communities. Attending Perpich\u2014and having to continually fight for it and share its story with state legislators\u2014helped propel me into this sphere of civic engagement. I still feel slightly uncomfortable in the political sphere (there are so many processes that vary on different levels of government; what if I do or say something wrong?), and I recognize that I still have so much to learn about being an effective advocate for the arts. Truthfully I haven\u2019t always fully \u201cshown up\u201d to participate in our democracy, and I look forward to challenging myself to do more now and in the future to protect it.<\/p>\n

My entire career\u2014up until I came to St. Olaf two years ago\u2014was spent in arts education and arts administration. Most recently, I served as Executive Director for the Northfield Arts Guild. Prior to that, I was at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater as their Director of Education and Community Engagement, and before that, I was a theater and dance teaching artist for various Pittsburgh arts organization working with people preschool to older adults in rural, suburban, and urban settings. \u00a0I currently still serve on the City of Northfield\u2019s Arts & Culture Commission where I helped to write the current Cultural Plan, as a freelance audio describer for local theaters specializing in dance and movement performances, and as a reader for MN State Arts Board grant review panels. I\u2019m excited to share my experiences with the students and learn more about how other communities support, develop, integrate, and empower arts and artists, and how the arts influence and intersect with our democratic values and processes.<\/p>\n

\"Older

Me (right) explaining the chair props during a tactile tour prior to an audio described performance of “Golden Dragon Acrobats” at the Ordway Center for the Performing Art’s Flint Hills Festival in May 2019. Photo by Chris Juhn Photography.<\/p><\/div>\n

Needless to say, when offered the opportunity to dive deeply again into the arts world, I jumped at the chance! How could I not? I know the experience will feed my heart and expand my mind in so many ways. I *kind of* get to be in a teacher-like role again, which I have always enjoyed. Selfishly, I am also ridiculously psyched to reconnect with so many arts colleagues in the DC area. But I\u2019ll admit\u2014I\u2019m nervous (and feeling guilty) about being away from the family for a month. I\u2019ve never led this many students before on this intensive of an experience (and holy moly\u2014keep following our blog and you\u2019ll see how intense it\u2019s going to be!!!). I\u2019m worried about keeping on top of all my ACE duties while away, too. Yet there are many people back home who are helping out, who are showing up so I can show up here.<\/p>\n