Our Mission

Art Beyond the Ink is an arts education organization which supports students and early-career artists through musical storytelling and interdisciplinary collaboration.

What “Interdisciplinary Collaboration” Means to Us

We believe work that joins together multiple art forms provides a vast canvas for storytelling and human connection. Art Beyond the Ink envisions a future where the arts are truly intertwined; from an early age, students of music, film, dance, visual arts, and beyond can build a network of collaborators who come together on creative projects to more clearly and fully express their artistic visions.

Furthermore, students of any artistic experience level can incorporate the skills of storytelling into their lives outside of the arts. An understanding of the vocabulary behind musical stories is the same vocabulary needed to express and relate to how one is feeling; deepening engagement with music in this way allows for improved listening skills, as well as enhanced self-expression and social-emotional development.

Behind the scenes on the set of *Sketches of Love* with Director of Photography, Claire Haughey, and dancers, Izzy Hanson-Johnston and Julia D’Angelo.

Our Storytelling Philosophy

We are guided by the philosophy that every piece of music tells stories. Unlike other languages, instrumental music speaks without words; its meaning can be uniquely defined by each listener. The process of discovering and illustrating these stories is what we call “creative listening.” Whether you hear the memory of a personal experience, the wildest facets of imagination, or a stronger connection to yourself or others, there is always a story that lies just beyond the ink.

Emmalie and Rebecca speaking at Art Beyond the Ink’s first public event in Chelsea, NYC. (Photo by Kayla Miller)

Our Beginnings

In their last year of graduate school, co-founders and longtime-friends Rebecca Schifilliti and Emmalie Tello began working together on a musical short film presentation as part of their Capstone thesis project. The project plan faced many obstacles at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but, as recipients of the Alsop Entrepreneurship Award, the two shifted their focus to developing a music curriculum for children. They soon after completed a workbook that teaches musical concepts and creative listening skills through short stories, artistic prompts, and kinesthetic exercises.

Our Growth

The workbook, “Hearing and Seeing Musical Stories: The Story-Filled Tool for Understanding What You Hear,” has been used by over 200 students in partnerships with the Mott Haven Academy Charter School, Buffalo String Works, Bow & Heart, and the Harlem Dowling West-Side Center for Children and Family Services. With the help of supporters, ABI programs have expanded to include singular workshops, semester-long after-school and summer courses, and film production in collaboration with early-career artists. Our work, both in education and film, has been commissioned and showcased by the New York Public Library; one film, Sketches of Love, was screened at the Backyard at Hudson Yards in June 2021 in celebration of Pride month.