Community Shares 30 Years 30 Stories

For 30 years, Community Shares has been a strong supporter of nonprofits focusing on Social Justice, Animal Welfare and the Environment. Over the coming months, we will be sharing 30 stories from our 30 years of community change.

Serving the Community Through Organic Arts

The Artists of Organic Arts perform to serve the community. These folks are the artists who go into your schools, libraries, nursing homes, churches, parks, nature centers and community organizations bringing the performing arts directly to the people. They serve your children, your parents and your community with grassroots arts and programs that are free to the audience.

No ivory towers for these performers!

David HB Drake, the founder of Organic Arts, said, “There are two kinds of performers: One says ‘Watch me,’ and the other says ‘Do this with me.’”

“We build community through shared music, stories and folk wisdom in a way that all people can participate,” Drake said.

Drake has been performing professionally in music, theatre and dance for 36 years doing mostly public service educational programs. Drake adapts his songs to his audiences. He writes his own songs, but also uses other songs when appropriate. When performing for seniors, he plays songs that will awaken memories by singing songs from the ‘40s such as “Blue Skirt Waltz.”

“By the end, they’re pulling out their handkerchiefs,” Drake said.

The focus of Organic Arts is to provide entertainment while educating. Drake has a show called “Wiscon-Sing” where he sings about the history of Wisconsin to elementary students. He said most history needs to come alive, so he makes it exciting with music and visuals for the kids. He performs at community events as different historic characters, wearing costumes to make the performances both visually and musically appropriate. You can view one of his Wiscon-Sing performances below.

Drake said his message to the kids is that it isn’t tough to do the right thing. When he performed in his “What a Wonderful World” show in La Crosse, he drank from the graniteware cup he’s been using for 55 years while educating the kids about plastic bottles affecting the environment. He said his focus is to plant seeds and hope it will lead to someone making positive choices in the future.

“Performing is the best thing in the world,” Drake said. “It’s what truly keeps me alive. I’m taking in so much life when I perform.”

David formed Organic Arts from a circle of lifelong professional artist-educators to create a co-op where each performer helps the others to survive and continue bringing the arts to the people. Other cooperating artists include Jean-Andrew, Krista Wildflower, Sky Schultz, Michael Drake, Dangerous Folk, Pickin’ Up Speed, Side-By-Side, Julie Thompson, and more.  In addition to hundreds of community programs by member artists each year, Organic Arts has sponsored the annual Tellabration concert, an evening of storytelling for adults, the Milwaukee Ukulele Festival, the Sacred Sites Run, and has provided technical support, artists survival loans, mentoring and shared promotional campaigns to support Milwaukee’s community based arts.

Community Shares of Greater Milwaukee is passionately committed to raising money for our more than 50 nonprofit members through employee giving in area workplaces. By donating to Community Shares, you help us help them make Milwaukee a better place to live.

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~ Keith Anderson, Engberg Anderson