AMELIA ARTS ACADEMY: Not just a song and dance

AMELIA ARTS ACADEMY:
Not just a song and dance
By Mary Beth Litrico
Photo courtesy of Amelia Arts Academy

Eight years ago, with the support of the community, performance artist Tim McKee began changing a dream into a reality. His vision: an organization that would provide art instruction for area students of all ages, take arts into the community and bring the community to the arts. The reality: The Amelia Arts Academy.
The Academy has come a long way since 1992, outgrowing church spaces and doubling its number of board members. In January of 1999, the Arts Academy moved into renovated space at the Peck Center in Fernandina Beach. To keep up with the Academy's current growth, Director Richard Dickson is preparing to use 1,000 square feet of additional space on the building's second floor.

The Amelia Arts Academy offers art and music programs for the entire community.
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The Amelia Arts Academy keeps the Peck Center a busy place. As part of the instruction part of Mr. McKee's vision, over 100 students take private and group music lessons in music theory, voice, piano, organ, wind instruments, percussion and string instruments. More students flock to
instruction in art and dance.
As for programs that bring the community to the arts, the "Arts After School" program will be held at Peck

Center during the 2000-2001 school year. Also, many gifted artists are scheduled to perform in the Grand Hall.
How does the Academy take the arts out into the community? One way is through "Arts-in-Education," where teachers supported through the academy have been working in two Nassau County schools. Mr. Dickson hopes to bring art to all the lower grades with the help of the Nassau County School Board in the current school year.

Amelia Arts Academy
Performance Schedule
Fall 2000

Date	Event	Location
Sept. 10	Sunday Musicale - Jazz	Osprey Village
Oct. 14	Dance Alive!	Atlantic Ave. Rec. Ctr.
Oct. 29	Halloween Recital - EEEEK!	Peck Center
Nov. 5	Guitarist Stephen Robinson	Peck Center
Nov. 21	Bits n' Pieces Giant Puppets	Fern. Bch Middle School
Dec. 2	Opera Gala!	Ritz-Carlton

The Academy also brings the Artist Series to different venues, including the Atlantic Avenue Recreation Center and the Peck Center. "Sunday Musicales," performances reminiscent of past times when guests sat and listened to music in the parlors of friends, are held in private homes.
How does the Amelia Arts Academy make this happen? Well, since the summer of 1998, Richard Dickson, as director, has been providing his energy and experience to help the Academy grow. Most importantly, support from the local community is what enables the Arts Academy to achieve its mission. Many individuals and businesses in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia have given time, funding and in-kind gifts. Join the fun! Consult the schedule above for your kind
of performance. And look for entertaining fund-raisers like the Opera Gala in December and the much anticipated Progressive Dinner on January 26, 2001.