Living Arts Center Records

The Living Arts Center Collection consists of six boxes that are filled with photographs, grants, correspondences, reports, film, and newspaper articles. The collection was received in December 1998 and was donated by Carol Develbiss. The Living Arts Center was in operation from November 6, 1967 to the end of the school year in 1977. The purpose of the Living Arts Center was to encourage creativity to all students regardless of background. It is arranged chronologically from 1964 to 1972. The accession number is 98-47.

Series I Administrative This includes the program history, general correspondence, and autographed envelopes of famous politicians, reports, and information on grants. The most important documents relating to the grants are the Ohio Guidelines for Title III, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA).

Series II Newspaper articles This includes newspaper articles related to the Learning Arts Program. The earliest newspaper article on the Learning center is dated December 8, 1966 and the last newspaper article was published on February 10, 1972. The newspaper articles include pertinent information on the Learning Center such as the objectives of the program and how it was funded.

Series III Publicity These are pamphlets and flyers related to the Living Arts Program. These advertisements show the various ways the staff at the Living Arts Center tried to get some publicity for their program. It was also a way for them to get the citizens of Dayton involved in the success of the program.

Series IV Magazine Articles There are various articles in national educational magazines that discuss the Living Arts Program. The magazine articles also give pertinent information on the Living Arts Center. It also gave the Living Arts Program some national prominence.

Series V Reunion Week This is a program that re-united people and artists who had visited or worked at Living Arts Center. The purpose of this program was to re-energize the staff and students and the Living Arts Program who were starting to feel demoralized from the budget cuts.

Series VI Fifth Grade Program The Living Arts Center developed the Fifth Grade Program because their research showed that after the fourth year of school the level of desire for creativity diminishes. The Fifth Grade Program was designed to enhance the fifth grade curriculum.

Series VII Photographs This series contains photographs of staff members, visiting artists, and school functions. There are photographs of the original Living Arts Staff, the outreach programs, and students who worked there. There are photographs of visiting artists interacting with the student body. There are also photographs of the Living Arts building.

Series VIII Newsletters These series comprised the official Living Arts newsletters, which ran from March 1968 to February 1970. The newsletters detail the origins of the Living Arts Center. Later articles dealt with the problems of lack of funding and diminishing support from the community.

Series XI Creative writing magazines These are publications created by the students of the Living Arts Center. They showcase the talents of the student body with original short stories, plays, poems, and art.

Series X Miscellaneous This series contains a study that was funded by Title III. This study evaluated the Living Arts Program to see if it was effective in stimulating creativity in students. The study is titled A Longitudinal Study of the Development of Creativity and was written by Charles E. Skipper.

Series XI Reel-to-reel films These are films that pertain to the Living Arts Center. Think TV PBS is currently processing them. They are being transferred from film to videotape.

Oversize material: Architectural drawing of L.A.C. building - Loc. 60, Folder 5