The goal of The Links’ Arts programming is to enrich the quality of life of our youth and communities through educational and engaging art experiences.  Links chapters partner with museums, symphonies, arts councils, educational institutes and corporations in order to support art programs, especially where there is a focus on artists of color. 

An example of The Greater Wayne County Chapter’s expression and commitment to the Arts is reflected in our signature and award-winning programming, Link 2 Arts 4 Life – a transformative partnership with the Michigan Opera Theater(MOT).  This groundbreaking collaboration was co-created in 2016 with the then newly appointed and innovative Michigan Opera Theater CEO, Wayne Brown, with the intention to create increased access to performing arts, particularly dance, for Detroit youth. In the Chapter’s inaugural effort with the MOT, it exposed 60 middle school-aged girls to dance performances by some of the country’s and the African American community’s most revered dance companies including Ballet Met’s The Nutcracker, Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Company Tour, Eisenhower Dance Anniversary Performance, American Ballet Theatre’s Sleeping Beauty and Opening Night performances of Romeo & Juliet featuring the inspiring ABT principle dancer Misty Copeland.

Our arts programming has also allowed for intensive exposure to the classics as an extension of our national signature arts theme, Classics through the Ages, through scholarships to intensive ballet immersion and through support of the historic Sphinx organization, with our aspiration to train and propel local, young African American  ballet and violin symphonic talent to become the next generation prima ballerinas and first chair violinists.  

Expanding our reach and approach to the arts, the Chapter partnered with Figure Skating in Detroit, the only figure skating organization for girls of color that combines the life-transforming power of education with access to the artistic discipline of figure skating. We recently extended into the visual arts in partnership with the Motown Museum through the Lyric Program Workshop. Young people will explore traditional songwriting and music production processes using the Motown hit “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye, to assess their own voices and emotions through a series of activities that will result in them writing their own lyrics or poetry.