Raue Center Announces New Home for School For The Arts

1. Raue Center plans to move its growing School For The Arts classroom spaces to the grounds at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Crystal Lake. 2. Raue Center Education Team pictured left to right: Billy Seger, Amanda Flahive, Jess Urban and Alayna DeVar.

Raue Center Announces new home for School For The Arts

Just four months after launching the School For The Arts, Raue Center continues to see record class participation and interest. To accommodate this growth, they have recently announced a number of changes including the move to their new educational space and home for RCSA.

With a growing education initiative and in response to the Covid pandemic, Raue Center is committed to providing the youth of McHenry county more access to classes, training and opportunities that allow them to work together.  The isolation of the past three years has limited the available group activities and they hope to provide more in the future to help counter the negative impact of three years under various forms of lockdown.

Thanks to the generous support of the community, Raue Center is pleased to announce that its partnership with St. Mary’s Episcopal Church has grown stronger than ever.  St. Mary’s beautiful campus provided the grounds for last summer’s inaugural “Arts on the Green” series; a terrific slate of outdoor programming that featured amazing performers, terrific live music, and a dash of Shakespeare.  The partnership brought so much joy and excitement that they immediately started looking for new ways to work together. 

According to St. Mary’s Deacon Michael Choquette, “In 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, St. Mary’s asked itself the question: what does it mean to be in community? What is St. Mary’s role in the community, in Crystal Lake and McHenry County? It was through these discussions that we decided to recommit ourselves to sharing our gifts with our neighbors. We did not dream that these early discussions would lead to this wonderful collaboration with the Raue Center.  We feel blessed to be able to provide the space for the Arts on the Green series and we are looking forward to housing the Raue Center School for the Arts.”

Raue Center is pleased to announce the expansion of their Arts on the Green programming and plans to move the growing School For The Arts classroom spaces to the grounds at St. Mary’s. Due to this incredible collaboration, the additional classrooms and the Great Hall will welcome students for both private instruction and group classes. The partnership of these two organizations, with deep community ties, further ensures the impact both can have on the county for years to come.

“We are delighted to have been invited onto this beautiful campus at St Mary’s,” said Richard Kuranda, Executive Director, Raue Center. “While our approach to Arts Education is secular (or non-religious), we are nevertheless honored to be partnering with such a wonderful community that St Mary’s has demonstrated to be in the region.  Like St. Mary’s, We are inclusive of all.  We believe that the arts celebrate the human spirit and that artistic expression and collaboration define who we are as people.”

The expansion of the School For The Arts firmly cements Raue's commitment to the community and to creating a diverse and inclusive environment for the youth of McHenry County.  

To help with these transitions and lead the School For The Arts along with its continued development, Raue Center is excited to welcome  Jess Urban. Her role will focus on education administration as she works to build on the program growth and help set it up for continued success. She will also serve as a liaison with production.

Current School For The Arts Education Manager, Amanda Flahive, has announced that she will be transitioning back from the role of Manager to focus more on being an instructor as well as on her family and being a mom to her young son. After 10 years, Raue Center is thrilled to add that she will be continuing as an instructor for a number of group classes.  With the Raue Center, Amanda’s dedication and creative contributions have helped the school build on what was once classes in the summer to now programming all year long. 

Raue Center’s commitment to the community over the last 20 years has laid the foundation for the next 20.  Programs like RCSA and partnerships with organizations like St. Mary’s ensure their ability to serve McHenry County for years to come and to provide Arts for All.