Integrated Arts Academy

with director and DP Corey Hendrickson

“Liberty” and “What If?” Community Films

Corey and I created these films pro bono for The Integrated Arts Academy at H.O. Wheeler, Vermont’s first and only arts magnet school. IAA is located in the Old North End of Burlington, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city but also the most diverse, including a significant population of new Americans. With arts-infused education, IAA saw discipline issues decrease and student engagement increase. Not only that, but ESL (English as a Second Language) students were able to access their education more immediately through the arts while learning to become more proficient in English.

The script for “Liberty” was inspired by the poem inscribed on the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal, “The New Colossus” by Emma Lazarus.

“What If?” sprung from our frustration over the seemingly never-ending cuts to arts and music education. The children featured in our film were IAA students at the time of our shoot. The school’s principal, Bobby Riley, delivered the voiceover.