At Relevant Speakers Newtwork, we partner with only the nation's best youth communicators. All our presenters have been hand selected and fully vetted to ensure you have a successful and impactful event. No matter your topic, timeline or budget, we can help you find a speaker who is a perfect fit to meet and exceed your goals.

The Arts Engagement and Education Department serves as a vital bridge between artistic expression and community involvement. Rooted in the belief that art is transformative and essential for personal and societal growth, the department is dedicated to fostering creativity, nurturing talent, and promoting cultural understanding through various educational and engagement initiatives. Our mission is to enrich lives and strengthen communities through the power of the arts. By providing accessible and inclusive arts education, innovative programs, and meaningful community engagements, we aim to inspire creativity, cultivate diverse talents, and foster a deep appreciation for the arts. We offer many programs such as Junior Theatre Celebration, On School Time performances, a high school musical theatre awards program, residencies, 4 theatre camps, and more.

Diane Edgecomb brings top quality entertaining performances to your school that enhance elementary school curriculum. Folk & Fairy Tales! Myths! Environmental Literacy! Seasonal Nature Tales for young learners! Diane’s dynamic storytelling assemblies get every single student excited about core-curriculum topics, proving once again that story is the shortest route to imaginative learning. Choose from performances designed to enrich and engage: Folktale Superheroes around the World dovetails English core studies in folktales and myths. Students discover that folktales from China, Africa and South America all have their own versions of Superheroes! Tales for the Earth teaches important lessons about bio-diversity and water conservation through Diane’s engaging original tales. Environmental literacy can be not just meaningful but fun. Looking for something for K-2? Choose Diane's Seasonal Nature Tales for young learners: Fall Tales Celebrates how the leaves got their colors and the Star in the Apple, Spring is for Planting Seeds, Nesting Birds and Composting Adventures, Insect Comedy teaches about the value of our six-legged friends through entertaining and informative stories sure to get students excited about the unbelievable lives of insects. Diane galvanizes student’s learning with award-winning stories. Give your teachers a helping hand in meeting English Core Curriculum requirements with Diane’s follow-up master class in storytelling techniques. Students learn about the power of their own imaginations through hands-on exercises sure to have everyone participating. By the end of the workshop, each student is retelling a folktale to a partner an English core-curriculum requirement! “Your stories were wonderful. The teachers and the students agreed that your presentation is one of the best we’ve ever had. Thank you so much for bringing to life our study of myths and legends.” - Missy Thomson, teacher and school librarian, Woodville School, Wakefield, MA “Ms. Edgecomb had even the most restless audience members completely mesmerized. Her physicality, variety of voices/sounds, involvement of her young charges, and respect of nature ~ appealed to me as well as my students. Thank you! The program was first rate.” - B. O’Connell, teacher, Ralph Talbot School, Weymouth, MA Diane has received numerous awards for her work, including the ORACLE award for storytelling excellence in the Northeast, the national Circle of Excellence award and the Parent’s Choice Silver. Diane has been featured on NPR and is one of New England’s favorites storytellers as recommended by Elementary library school collection.

We offer a variety of tours and workshops related to NYS curriculum. Immersive experiences in our recreated Bark house and 1790's Seneca Log house, as well as guided and self-guided tour options. We also feature our permanent exhibits, and seasonal exhibits from a variety of different art forms/perspectives. If you have any questions or would like more information as to how we can customize and experience for your group, please reach out via phone or email.

Arts for Learning WNY'S mission is to inspire, expand learning, and strengthen our community through engagement with the arts. We offer assembly, workshop, and long-term residency programs with professional artists, committed to their craft, and using it as a tool for creative learning. Art forms include music, multi-media arts, theater, dance, and visual and literary arts. Services are provided in the eight counties of Western New York, including Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, and Wyoming.m

An visually exciting presentation for all ages of an ongoing art project that explores a broad range of artistic and scientific disciplines with a strong sense of humanity.

Richard Hight is a nationally recognized artist/speaker who uses the fine arts to help his audiences create strategies for change by turning good ideas into great results. He is on a mission to help students see the possibility of their potential and create new opportunities. Addressing thousands every year, Richard’s Art of Inspiration influences his audiences to use their imagination to discover their originality and celebrate their differences. As a masterful storyteller with a down to earth, Oklahoma warmth, and humorous style, he always connects with his audiences. Richard’s presentation begins with the dramatic and exciting creation of a stunning illustration on a six-foot canvas (each school can suggest what image will best serve their students – historical figures, patriotic images, school mascots and others, etc.). Students and teachers are WOW’ed by the combination of powerful illustration, spoken word, and music that transpires in a matter of moments. The artwork Richard creates then provides the foundation for his keynote presentation and discussion.. He can customize a portion of your event to include Anti-Bullying, Character Building or reinforce the theme of your school.

You Can Do a Graphic Novel, Comic Book, Meme, or Zine Categories: Creative Writing, Visual Arts Curriculum. Costs VIRTUAL PROGRAMS (ZOOM) One-hour interactive classes, unlimited participants: $500.00 LIVE IN-PERSON PROGRAMS One day: $1,200.00 Four days: $3,800.00 Eight days: $6,500.00 For venues more than 40 miles from Hudson, NY travel cost of $0.50 mile will be added. For venues more than 40 miles from Valatie, NY travel cost of $0.50 mile will be added. Available year-round. Program Theme: Students learn how to create a graphic novel beginning with a six page comic. It doesn’t matter if they can draw. Stick figures are an expressive way for the reluctant artist to begin. Participants are encouraged to bring their sketchbooks and characters they may already be working on. They will learn about The Creative Process, how to write a Character Study, focus on the beginning, middle, end and twist of a story, and Create Layouts. If the program is an assembly, Barbara talks though the program with on-screen illustrations of the process. The school is to provide a computer, projector and screen. Program Description: Each program is custom tailored to the grade, number of students in the class, and number of sessions. If there are four or more sessions per class, the program finishes with a Graphic Novel Exhibition (see below). The Creative Process: 20 creative tips. Creating Characters: Participants complete bio sheets with the character’s name, age, best friend/side kick, powers (if any), biggest fear, life goal, etc. Plotting: Learning how to plot challenges the student to complete a story. Too many begin the story and throw it out somewhere in the middle. The student learns to plot by color code, a method used by film/tv/graphic novel writers. Layout: Participants learn about panels, thumbnails, dialogue balloons, sequence, and making a page pop. Rather than drawing “talking heads,” they draw a close-up, pull back for a long shot, followed by interior, exterior, bird’s eye views. Everybody works at their own pace. Some are advanced artists/writers while others are beginners. It doesn’t matter where they begin as long as they get going. I hand out a “character bible” sheet and encourage them to think about the beginning, middle, end and twist of their story. The twist is what makes the story interesting. I bring in samples of character bibles from Marvel comics which they can keep, and scripts written by professionals. Feedback is an important part of the program. It usually begins when I hold up a student’s drawing and ask them to suggest a name, age, or character trait. The student can take the suggestions or discard them, however, it opens up discussions. In the first session, students are sometimes quiet/shy with other students but by the second, they open up about their characters and stories. After the last workshop, the doors open to parents, friends, relatives, the community, and the local press. Students show and talk about their work…where they got their inspiration for characters/story. The “Graphic Novel Exhibition” attracts a lot of attention and often results in newspaper articles. Having artwork in the newspaper is great for a student’s self-esteem and for their portfolio. Copies of Barbara's textbook You Can Do a Graphic Novel can be ordered for the school library, and discounts are available from the publisher for class-size orders. http://youcandoagraphicnovel.com/students1.htm

Create A Space NOW is an interactive social justice platform, creating art to combat bias, racism, and systemic oppression. We believe that art is a powerful tool, and we're committed to creating space for art to inspire change, educate, and activate. At Create A Space NOW, we deliver dynamic, art-centered educational programming that goes beyond performance, and we spark dialogue, critical thinking, and courageous imagination. Our curriculum includes dance, theater, film, and poetry and media productions, workshops, presentations, syllabi, and engagements rooted in social justice, equity, and healing practices, giving students the tools to process complex realities and build skills for positive change. Create A Space NOW is committed to equipping schools, teachers, and young people with creative tools that challenge oppression and nurture liberation. Through the transformative power of art, we believe every student can learn to build a more just, joyful, and connected world.

Kelly de la Rocha is a poet, journalist and founder of poem RENOVATION, a fun, web-based word challenge that promotes literacy, creativity and social-emotional learning. The software was a prize-winner at the 2024 Yale Innovation Summit. Every day, poem RENOVATION presents users with a scrambled snippet of literature. They select words that resonate with them, then move them around on a digital canvas. The rules? There are none. The objective? To create. During her lively, interactive workshops, Kelly details how poem RENOVATION came to be and how it works. Students have an opportunity to create a poem, phrase and/or word art on the site, share their creations, and receive positive feedback. Along the way, constructs including perspective, voice and figurative language are discussed. Poem RENOVATION has been used by hundreds of students from New York to California and has become a favorite, ongoing activity in a number of classrooms. Workshops: *Are appropriate for middle and high school classes *Can be personalized to include literature of the teacher’s choice *Are offered in-person or via video call WHAT EDUCATORS ARE SAYING: “The level of confidence that I saw grow in my students was amazing, from not being willing to share to being willing to share, from sitting quietly and not saying much, to offering a compliment or asking a question to better understand one of their peers.” ~Teacher Valerie Wadsworth, O’Rourke Middle School, Burnt Hills, NY They’re loving it! ~Teacher Renee Duran, Stone Valley Middle School, Alamo, CA It empowered them and it brought them to a place where they wanted to share what they made and they love that their creation was never wrong. I think that was what really made the students feel so special and so willing.” ~Teacher Dena Marie de la Rocha, Gowana Middle School, Clifton Park, NY “I immediately understood the impact it could have on public school children’s literacy and social-emotional development. ~Lauren B. Carpenter, Ed.M, Director of Education Programs, Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT

Imagine a world where math isn’t just a classroom subject, but an exciting, laugh-filled adventure. Welcome to the Mathical Mystery Tour, a brand new, innovative assembly show designed to turn math into an action-packed experience for kids. We’re not just talking about numbers and equations; we’re blending puzzles, stunts, games, and magic tricks to make math come alive, right before their eyes. On stage, 12 students become the stars as they dive into stunts, solve puzzles, and perform tricks that reinforce their classroom lessons. This isn’t just entertainment; it’s a powerful K-5 educational tool aligned with the elementary school math curriculum. Each activity is crafted to teach math terminology, concepts, and proven theories in a way that’s engaging and unforgettable. The Mathical Mystery Tour is more than an elementary assembly show; it’s a revolution in how we teach math. By intertwining education with excitement, we’re inspiring a generation to see the magic in math. This is guaranteed to ignite curiosity and foster a love for learning in every student! Learning, Fun and Laughter – All in One! School assemblies are designed to provide students with an opportunity to learn something new, get inspired and be entertained. Without a doubt, it’s no easy task to capture the attention of a whole school, but The Mathical Mystery Tour does it with remarkable ease. If you’re looking for a school assembly show that will bring students together and leave them with tears of laughter, then look no further than this amazing assembly show!

A New York actress with decades of experience in film (the "Uncle Buck" mom), TV, Broadway and Off-Broadway, I have also taught at over 170 colleges and high schools. Workshops include: Exploring Intention through American Sign Language, Making Your Monologue HOT!, Acting on Camera, Acting for Singers: What's Behind the Words?, Cold Reading: Don't Panic!, Mining the Hidden Impulses: Creating Your Own Work (a writing workshop.) In addition, my Off-Broadway solo show "TEA FOR THREE: Lady Bird, Pat & Betty" is available.