Harvey Pranian Celebrates 30 Years of YEA Day

Harvey Pranian celebrates 30 years as the director and founder of Young Evanston Artists, YEA Day on May 20, 10a-4p, at Raymond Park in Downtown Evanston. As a neighbor of Harvey and volunteer for YEA Day, I'm incredibly inspired by his energy and spirit and dedication to this arts celebration for kids.

We met in Harvey's home, and spoke about the history of the event and how this event influences arts programming in Evanston schools, culminating with a show of students from elementary and middle schools in Evanston.

This year's event features two performance stages, food trucks, make-and-take art activities, and more! Open to the public and free, this is one of Evanston's longest running arts festivals.

From the website: It is the mission of the Young Evanston Artists Foundation (YEA!) to provide the children of Evanston with a unique forum and experience for the exhibition and performance of their art. The Yea! goal is to nurture, enable and inspire the children we serve so that as they prepare themselves for the challenges of the future, they will do so with self-confidence, a creative spirit, and a caring heart. And in the hope of their doing so, we believe their influence will contribute to the well-being of their communities and their world.

Each year 40 +public, private and parochial schools, pre-school through high school, participate in YEA! Day. Held outdoors at the corner of Chicago Avenue and Dempster Street, nearly 6000 children are involved and over 4000 people attend. Approximately 1000 children participate in the visual arts and have the experience of seeing their art displayed in an art fair atmosphere. The performing arts involve as many as 400 children, singing, playing instruments, dancing and performing.

Kids collecting donations at YEA!

YEA! is blessed with a large group of enthusiastic and committed volunteers who understand and believe in the mission, and is dependent on the generous donations of community businesses, families and individuals.

We believe strongly that the YEA! experience has a formative influence on many children to nurture, enable and inspire them with confidence, wisdom and well-being as they face the challenges of adult life.

We are happy to provide the opportunity for the expression of their creative spirit, and are truly grateful for their willingness to participate with genuine enthusiasm and trust.

Learn more at www.yeaevanston.org

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The Lisa D Show is a podcast celebrates creatives. Listen to 20 minute, unedited conversations with host Lisa D. and the creatives who make our world a more connected, interesting and beautiful place to live. Podcasts will be posted at thelisadshow.blogspot.com and on Sound Cloud at @lisa-degliantoni

This podcast is recorded at 1100 Florence, an art event space in West Evanston, IL, owned and operated by Lisa Degliantoni and Dave Ford. It is a former Polish Grocery store, probably not the BEST place to record a podcast (boomy to say the least) but we're new and it will get better. Reach out to thelisadshow[at]gmail.com