Arts for

Any Given Child

TRENTON

Through arts education we will nurture the development of all Trenton students to become creative, critical thinkers and problem solvers, who are motivated and confident individuals.

Community Partners

Introducing...

Arts for Any Given Child Trenton

Community Arts Team (CAT)

Imagine a community of leaders consisting of educators, funders, teaching artists and higher institutions joining together to establish a long-term strategic arts education plan working side-by-side with Trenton Public School staff, administrators and city officials.

(Article) It takes a community and the Arts to make "Any Given Child" (This article was originally published in the June 2018 Trenton Downtowner and republished by Wendy Greenberg of CommunityNews.Org on May, 30, 2018.) Click here to read more...

The AGC Backbone organization is an independent non-profit 501c3 that serves as the fiscal agent and supervising coordinator of Arts for Any Given Child Trenton and/or coordinates the interactions of multiple organizations to achieve this. As fiscal agent, they seek out, receive and manage significant funding to be used to advance AGCT goals, specifically through the creative classrooms fund, the professional learning fund and the program administration fund. As the Project Coordinator, they keep the CAT on track towards the vision and goals, implement and oversee assessment, facilitate positive and clear communication between stakeholders (to include administration and teacher union representation, Superintendent, Board President or designee, content area supervisors, and ex-officio members of the community, in addition to the CAT membership.

Trenton was well represented at this year's JFK Annual National 2020 Any Given Child Exchange in Washington D.C. Attendees included: Jacqui Ivey and Mabel Watson (COMPAS Exec Dir and former AGCT Project Coordinator); Keysha Jackson (TPS Grant Developer) and Wendy Liscow (Arts Ed NJ).

Meet the CAT Executive Committee

COMPAS Founder/Executive Director

Jacqui Ivey

Trenton native and proud product of Trenton Public Schools, Jacqui wears dual hats as an inaugural CAT member; one representing the small business sector as proprietor of The Conservatory Mansion, Arts and Cultural Center; and the other representing the Conservatory Of Music and Performing Arts Society (COMPAS) of the non-profit sector.

For more than a decade, Jacqui has invested tens of thousands of her own dollars as well as countless hours towards crafting spaces for teaching and performing artists to administer a variety of arts, cultural, educational and recreational programs, classes, events, trainings. Jacqui currently co-chairs the Partnerships Working Group as well as the Family and Community Engagement/ Communications committee, and currently heads COMPAS in serving as the Backbone/Liaison organization (i.e. lead administrator and fiscal agent) for Arts for Any Given Child Trenton.

Arts Ed NJ Executive Director

Wendy Liscow

Wendy, a founding participant of the program, brings a wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience to the CAT. Having served in a plethora of prior administrative leadership roles in professional theatre, she presently sits on both State and national creative boards, while simultaneously leading Arts Ed NJ as its new Executive Director. A testament to her life-long passion and dedication to the arts, although her responsibilities are great, Wendy still finds time to co-chair the Arts Integration/Programming Working Group for Arts for Any Given Child Trenton, and thus, she remains a tremendous human resource particularly for technical assistance and professional development to Trenton Public School Faculty and the CAT via her many connections.

Teaching Artist/PD Trainer

Maureen Heffernan

Maureen, a long-time teaching artist and arts integration professional development trainer has been involved with the Arts for AGC Trenton Program since its inception. With a background in theatre ranging from acting to set-design, to producer, to director, to playwright, Maureen has taught in Trenton Public Schools as both an independent consultant and as part of several community partnership organizations for more than 30 years. Along with Wendy, Maureen currently co-chairs the Arts Integration/ Programming Working Group Committee.