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Meet the talented youth of a local Detroit ensemble! – We can all agree that spaces of creativity are great to allow children to learn and grow, and one local ensemble, Mosaic Youth Theatre, is doing just that.

DeLashea Strawder is the executive and artistic director for Mosaic Youth Theatre. Strawder said “Mosaic really uses the arts as a tool to earn mentoring relationships with young people.” She added that the program helps, “…to holistically support them providing them with opportunities to connect to professional artists and mentors.”

For youth interested in joining the ensemble, Strawder said that auditions are every summer and fall, and that the ensemble offers “programming year-round.”

Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit has been awarded a grant of $25,000 from the State of Michigan Arts and Culture Council (MACC). The grant was awarded through the MACC peer review process and was one of 639 applications to compete for MACC fiscal year 2023 funding.

This grant helps Mosaic further its mission of empowering young people to maximize their potential through professional performing arts training. In the past year, the youth ensemble has entertained over 36,000 audience members, and every young artist at Mosaic has enrolled in a college or university after their high school graduation. This contribution from the state will allow us to continue transforming and inspiring the Detroit community with our creation of engaging theatrical and musical art.

As an organization receiving a MACC grant award, we are required to match those funds with other public and private dollars. This special honor would not have been possible without the support of our sponsors, including the Lewis Prize for Music, Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, Jacob Family Foundation, Gucci Changemakers, and the McGregor Fund.

Mosaic also wishes to thank Governor Whitmer, the MACC, and National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for investing in our vision to cultivate excellence on and off the stage for Detroit-area youth.

Mosaic Youth Theatre of Detroit is one of Southeast Michigan’s most highly regarded cultural treasures. Our critically acclaimed student-driven performances and national and international tours have brought worldwide attention to Detroit as a center for arts and culture while shining a spotlight on the area’s talented young people and creating new and diverse audiences for the performing arts.

Founded by Rick Sperling in 1992 to address gaps in Metro Detroit arts education, Mosaic served 25 young artists in its inaugural year. Today, hundreds of youth from more than 50 Metro Detroit schools participate in Mosaic’s First, Second and Main Stage programs every year. These innovative programs provide expert training, mentoring and opportunity to the area’s young actors, singers, and stage technicians, while fostering a culture of high expectations, active participation and acceptance that serves them beyond the stage.

The MACC peer review process allows for each grant application to be competitively considered by a panel of in-state and out-of-state arts and culture professionals. This ensures the taxpayers, who support this project through legislative appropriations, and all other visitors or residents in Michigan will have access to the highest quality arts and cultural experiences.

A complete list of grant awards around the state is available by contacting MCACA at (517) 241-4011, or by visiting the MACC website at www.michigan.gov/arts.

Our very own DeLashea Strawder has been nominated as a Crain’s Detroit 40 UNDER 40. Congratulations on a successful 2022 program year, job well done!

• Engaged over 650 youth and young adults in transformative arts & leadership experiences in over 35 locations across 20 metro-Detroit communities
• Increased arts access through the launch of pilot transportation program funded by The Lewis Prize for Music and the Dresner Foundation
• Collaborated on global Transatlantic Tapestry album featuring Mosaic and Coventry Youth Exchange vocalists and musicians
• 100% matriculation to college for Class of 2022 Mosaic graduates
• 78% college persistence rate for Class of 2019 thru 2021 Mosaic graduates

Read more about DeLashea and this incredible honor here.

Mosaic is thrilled to announce that we have been awarded the Gucci North America Changemakers Impact Fund! As a non-profit striving for social change through our diverse collection of performing arts programs, Mosaic will receive a $50,000 grant to create new programs and scale existing initiatives.

We are beyond grateful to be one of only 12 programs to receive this prestigious honor from a pool of over 200 applicants across the country. It’s a true honor to be recognized as a leading organization that uses its inclusive art to fight for personal and systemic change.

Gucci’s generous grant will allow Mosaic’s young artists to flourish in an environment that can fully realize their dreams. This unique opportunity allows our youth to engage in volunteer activities with Gucci employees, participate in town hall conversations with company leadership, and have a voice with the Gucci’s North America Brand and Cultural Engagement team. As a new member in the Changemakers Community, we will have the resources to truly empower the Detroit-area youth both on stage and in life.

To read more about this honor click HERE.