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About Us :: Our History

Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center (YAWAC) is the local chapter of Young Audiences, Inc., the oldest non-profit arts education organization dedicating to making the arts an integral part of every child’s education.

Formerly known as Young Audiences of Atlanta, Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center has been improving the lives and education of Georgia’s children since 1983.  YAWAC has grown from a small organization with a roster of nine artists to a leading provider of in-school arts education in Georgia and the southeast, reaching nearly one million school children each year.  Young Audiences joined the Woodruff Arts Center in January 2005, becoming the first new division to join the center in more than 30 years.  

Young Audiences’ roster of 65 professional artists brings programs of excellence in music, theatre, dance and visual arts with strong core curriculum connections into schools and communities across Georgia.  Our programs provide

  • A vehicle for effective, innovative education
  • high quality live, professional performances
  • alignment with the Georgia Performance Standards
  • dynamic teaching that addresses students’ multiple learning styles
  • an outlet for creativity and expression through the arts
Young Audiences, Woodruff Arts Center has received numerous awards over the years, including the 1994 Regional Designation Award given by the Cultural Olympiad for excellence and innovation in arts programming and the 1995 Abby Award for Arts Education from the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.  The National Medal of Arts was presented to Young Audiences in 1994 by President Clinton, making us the first organization ever to have received such an award.  Young Audiences was recognized as a finalist for the 1997 Abby Award for Distinguished Arts Organization and its executive director was a finalist for the 1997 Arts Professional Abby Award.  In 2000, YAWAC’s executive director was named one of the Super 17 by TBS and was the recipient of the Super Service Award among those named.  In December 2002, Young Audiences was selected as one of only eight major arts organizations in Atlanta to receive a gift from the Kendeda Fund. 
1280 Peachtree Street NE • Atlanta, GA 30309 • (p) 404-733-5293 • (f) 404-733-5236

Woodruff Arts Center          Alliance Theatre          Atlanta Symphony Orchestra          High Museum

Young Audiences’ programs are supported by the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA) through the appropriations of the GA General Assembly. GCA is a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, which believes that a great nation deserves great art. Major funding also provided by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council. Major support is also provided by the City of Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs. © 2001-2007 Young Audiences, Woodruff Art Center All Rights Reserved.
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