Who Makes Things Happen at Houston Center for Katie Visual and Performing Arts Center? Meet Kristin! | Kids Out and About Houston <

Who Makes Things Happen at Houston Center for Katie Visual and Performing Arts Center? Meet Kristin!

12 People Who Make Things Happen for Kids in Houston

lll

 

Who makes things happen at Katy Visual and Performing Arts Center?

Meet Kristin Miller!

Katy Visual and Performing Arts Center

Kristin Miller is Outreach Director and a founding member of Katy Visual and Performing Arts Center, a non-profit bringing art opportunities to all children. KVPAC serves 30,000 people annually - 70% at no or reduced charge. Kristin is very active in two of KVPAC's premier programs: Books Alive!, an academic and arts program for children ages 3-8, and With All Your Art, providing therapeutic arts programs. Kristin serves Books Alive! as part of the writing team, producing all productions, and serving as actor, director, and booking agent.

jjjWhat does your job entail? and how did you become involved in working with your organization?

I am one of the founders of Katy Visual and Performing Arts Center.  I first started working in the field of non-profit theatre because I was a single mom and needed to feed my children. I worked as Executive Director for many years until KVPAC was too big and required too much of my time and I didn't have time to work at my first priority of mother of 6. 

I stepped down from the ED position 4 years ago and now work as the Outreach Director and oversee KVPAC programs such as Books Alive and Bedside Art at Texas Children's Hospital. It fit in much better with my life and also my priorities.  If I were to give you a description of what I do I would say, "I think of ways that art can make the world a better place and I do it." 

hhhWhat are some of your favorite events at your organization?
Books Alive is one of my favorite programs. We take popular children's literature and we re-write it into a 45 minute original musical. I act as producer and production manager as I hire an all professional cast and we tour to more than 25,000 students in various schools, hospitals, shelters and other non-profit organizations throughout greater Houston. This is very rewarding as many of the children we serve have never had an opportunity to view live theatre. 
 
We are sure to add a moral to each production to give our patrons a little something to think about. Coming up, Books Alive will be producing Too Many Frogs by Sandra Asher and Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller. If someone would like to book an event at their location they should contact me at kmiller@kvpac.org  Too Many Frog runs Oct-Nov 2014 and Do Unto Otters runs April-May 2015.  Public performances will be held at both the Equestrian Center and West Oaks, dates and time to be determined. 
rrrWhat other programs do you have?

Our With All Your Art program teaches art bedside on the cancer floor as well as the transplant floor of Texas Children's Hospital at both the Down-town and West Campus.  This excellent program helps fill in the educational gap that children with a long term illness may experience.  It also gives them a creative outlet to express their feelings about some of the things that are happening to them and all around them. 

Some of the artwork the children produce is submitted to "making a Mark" touring art gallery. The gallery is done in partnership with Periwinkle Foundation and TX Children's.  KVPAC hosts the gallery twice a year. 

ggggAs patrons arrive at the gallery they are given a postcard.  Once they have viewed all of the artwork they choose a special piece that touches them and write a small note on the postcard to the child artist.  These postcard are then mailed to the children so they know how their artwork is doing on the road. It really is quite the moving event as each child has written an artist statement about how cancer has affected their lives.  Those who attend are touched forever.

Tell us a little about your life outside of your work?

As I mentioned earlier, I am a mother of 6. I am involved with Scouting and my children's schools. Outside of raising children and work, I have no time and therefore no hobbies. I am, however, married to the most wonderful man in the world. 



Click here to get back to the main article: 12 People Who Make Things Happen for Kids in Houston