IN SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Since 2006, WHOOP DEE DOO has designed and lead workshops for youth ages 8-18. WHOOP DEE DOO’s artists and educators have created programming with organizations including Art21, The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), BRIC, Brooklyn Arts Council, Pioneer Works, Dia:Chelsea & Dia:Beacon, Franklin Furnace, Beam Center, Creative Artworks, Abrons Art Center, NY Studio Residency Program, and Artist Alliance, as well as over 100 colleges and public schools in the United States and abroad.

YOUTH WORKSHOPS

Students participating in our workshops gain technical, conceptual, and professional development from working directly with professional artists toward the realization of the many dimensions of a WHOOP DEE DOO production: community outreach, site-specific installation, materials, processes, performance and documentation, and more.

Collaborating students play a principal role in every aspect of the project. Individual and group assignments are created that make the students actively responsible for many of the major components of the project from researching performance collaborators to sourcing materials. Each WDD project varies in scope and scale, and new project elements and assignments are created specifically for individual students based on their goals and interests.

Upon the completion of a WDD project, students have worked to facilitate collaborations with varied artists and performers within their community, conceptualized and fabricated site-specific installation, and participated in the exhibition and public promotion of a final performance. Our students often conclude a project with a profound sense of artistic ownership and camaraderie.

YOUTH IMPACT

WHOOP DEE DOO connects with youth groups to be fully involved members of the creative team. Wherever we travel nationally and beyond, we often partner with organizations and programs including Boys & Girls Clubs, afterschool programs, high school classes, and organizations providing creative opportunities for youth and young adults.

Youth collaborators see the direct influence of their ideas, skills, and interests in every show, and establish professional connections with a robust network of peers and professional artists. Their participation in a WDD project can range from 1 week to 2+ months depending on project resources and goals.

Youth collaborations gain hands-on experience:

Working as a team to invent creative design solutions
Cultivating technical production skills
Producing immersive installations
Engineering live audio and special effects
Building intergenerational understanding and meaningful community connections

“Working with WHOOP DEE DOO showed me how to be softer on myself while still hustling harder. During my work with WHOOP DEE DOO I got to see myself grow and heal through art making and being surrounded by youth and artists. I was given the opportunity to try so many new things from costume making to taking up as much space as I could on stage with my voice and body. I got to connect back to myself as an actor to show myself my full potential and everything I am capable of as an artist. It really boosted my confidence. On top of that I had a really good support system. I felt very admired and loved and heard the way my ideas and art impacted the finished product of the show.”
Kamilah, 19, young collaborator from Sunset Youth Services, October 2022 project