Michigan Opera Theatre at Home: Building Digital Interpretive Experiences to Bridge Public Humanities Programs and the Arts

FAIN: GA-276493-20

Michigan Opera Theatre (Detroit, MI 48226-2115)
Austin Stewart (Project Director: May 2020 to September 2024)

The retention of four staff members to expand humanities programs in music history across Michigan.

Michigan Opera Theater (MOT) will expand its public humanities programs to retain educational staff, contract humanities scholars as guest presenters, and engage audiences, students, and our community through new interpretive digital resources. NEH funds will ensure MOT’s ability to complete these activities and maintain visibility during forced closure. MOT at Home for adults and MOT Learns at Home for K-12 students will extend community engagement through online learning systems even as social distancing disrupts regular educational and community engagement programs. These programs will continue enabling multicultural connections between different communities, leveraging the emotional weight, context, and history of the art we help audiences interpret and appreciate. MOT will develop innovative digital strategies to continue our service to Michigan in tandem with other cultural and educational institutions with the goal of reaching more than 35,000 adult and student participants.