In May of 1998, the Center of Community Arts Partnerships (CCAP) was founded to enable Columbia College Chicago to more fully realize the commitment to make itself a vital part of its community and to better prepare its students to "author the culture of our time." As the College mission states, CCAP was charged with creating an infrastructure through which the College's faculty, students, and administration could develop meaningful relationships with community residents. Free Street has been a partner since the beginning of CCAP, helping to shape the strategic plan and shape the forms these types of community based partnerships.

Through CCAP's Alexandroff Community Scholars program, a number of Free Street students have been nominated for scholarships to Columbia College.

Free Street projects with CCAP and Columbia College

2004
Fiction Writing and Arts Literacy (Act/Write)- Columbia College grad student, Tim Latesto and Free Street teaching artist, Deborah Millstein taught theater and creative writing at Peirce and Sabin elementary schools. They published an anthology of the students writing called The Few, The Proud, The Strange. They also produced a CD of students reading their stories with sound support called Don't Hate.

Columbia College Theater professor Brian Shaw and Free Street Artistic Director Ron Bieganski co-taught a class teaching students how to teach community theater. Columbia college students put would they learned into practice teaching teens at the Association House. These workshops led to the creation of a performance, Sonic Ardor, that was produced by PANG. Chris Peppey's film class will provide the technical expertise and crew work to make the creation of a full length MadJoy cinema version of "Skeptics." Filming will take place in the winter of 2004. Editing will be completed for an anticipated showing in the spring of 2005

2003
Fiction Writing and Arts Literacy (Act/Write)- Columbia College grad student, Germania Solorzano and Free Street teaching artist, Amanda Lichtenstein taught theater and creative writing at Peirce and Sabin elementary schools. They published an anthology of the students writing called Odanrot (that's tornado spelled backwards.)

Frank Barber's Interactive Multimedia class collaborated with Free Street to create the live interactive 4 computer, 3 DJ, live camera, VJ, performance poetry and dance extravaganza And You Don't Stop.

Columbia College Theater professor Brian Shaw and Free Street Artistic Director Ron Bieganski co-taught a class teaching students how to teach community theater. Columbia college students put would they learned into practice teaching teens at the Association House.

2002
Fiction Writing and Arts Literacy (Act/Write)- Columbia College grad student, Germania Solorzano and Free Street teaching artist, Amanda Lichtenstein taught theater and creative writing at Peirce and Sabin elementary schools. They published an anthology of the students writing called Split Second

2001
Theater Department and MadJoy Theatrics - MadJoy Theatrics performed ZEros at Columbia College's Getz Theater. Columbia students had workshops taught by Free Street's artistic director, Ron Bieganski and writing instructor, Bryn Magnus. Theater Department and PANG - Columbia College students and PANG teens worked with director Stephanie Shaw to create a performance based on personalizing myths in Mythosolos, produced by PANG.

Fiction Writing and Arts Literacy (Act/Write) - Columbia College grad student, Germania Solorzano and Free Street teaching artist, Amanda Lichtenstein taught theater and creative writing at Peirce and Pritzker elementary schools. They published an anthology of the students writing called Shape of a Shadow

2000
Theater Department and MadJoy Theatrics - MadJoy Theatrics performed CoTingle at Columbia College's Getz Theater. Columbia students had workshops taught by Free Street's artistic director, Ron Bieganski and writing instructor, Bryn Magnus.

Academic Computing and MadJoy Theatrics - Andrea Poli's Academic Computing class worked with teens from MadJoy to create video projections/translations for the German tour of Cog in the Freak Plan

Fiction Writing and Arts Literacy (Act/Write)- Columbia College grad student, Germania Solorzano and Free Street teaching artist, Amanda Lichtenstein taught theater and creative writing at Peirce and Burr elementary schools. They published an anthology of the students writing called Eaten by the Desk Monster

1999
Theater Department and MadJoy Theatrics - MadJoy Theatrics performed Cog in the Freak Plan at Columbia College's Getz Theater. Columbia students had workshops taught by Free Street's artistic director, Ron Bieganski and writing instructor, Bryn Magnus.

1998
Photography Department and Summer TeenStreet - Two Columbia College grad students, Alex Fradkin and Joel Wanek, partnered with two summer TeenStreet programs at Pulaski Park and Broadway Armory. They documented the creation and performance of the original shows the teens were creating.


CCAP Community Partners
Association House
Free Street Theater
Music Theatre Workshop
Snow City Arts Foundation
Street-Level Youth Media
Young Chicago Authors

Columbia College Departments
Theater Department
Television Department
Film Department
Art & Design Department
Fiction Writing Department