Navy Pier Hosts After School Matters Free Performance

Navy Pier hosts After School Matters performance arts programs, "Spotlight on Peace," from 3-4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 9 on the Lake Stage located within Polk Bros Park.

Guests are encouraged to enjoy the fun, free show celebrating Chicago teens coming together to present their accomplishments in the areas of dance, spoken word and music.

• Teens in the After School Matters programs range from 14-18 years old.
• Dance: Dance styles and genres include ballet, African, modern and hip-hop.
• Spoken Word: Teens create and share their original work.

After School Matters is a nonprofit organization that provides life-changing after-school and summer program opportunities to nearly 19,000 Chicago high school teens each year. Teens are at the core of everything After School Matters does. The program has reached more than 350,000 teens since its beginnings.

After School Matters began in 1991 as a summer arts program under large white tents on the then-undeveloped Block 37 lot in Chicago's downtown Loop and was called "Gallery 37." The program served 260 teens that first summer, who worked with instructors who were professional artists. The brainchild of two strong women, Maggie Daley and Lois Weisberg, Gallery 37 recruited and paid professional Chicago artists to not only teach the teens art but to also instill in them the importance of showing up every day, on time and ready to work, in exchange for a monetary stipend and the chance to discover their creativity and express themselves through art.

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