There's A Place For You
Manchester Bidwell Changes Lives Through Education
Bill Strickland was a frustrated teenager in 1963. Growing up in the poor and crumbling Pittsburgh neighborhood of Manchester, life offered little hope to a young black kid. The community around him had lost its integrity and character, offering few inspirational role models and even fewer opportunities.
His epiphany came when he met the man who would become his mentor for nearly 20 years. Frank Ross was a ceramics instructor at Strickland’s high school and introduced him to the power of self-expression. Inspired by a man forming a masterpiece from a shape-less piece of wet clay, Strickland knew from that moment what he wanted to do with his life. Through Ross’ mentorship, he developed a love for ceramic art and jazz music. Ross exposed Strickland to architectural masterpieces such as Fallingwater and fine art museums such as The Carnegie. It was these experiences that became Strickland’s inspiration. After high school he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh, graduating cum laude with a degree in American history and foreign relations in 1969.
Before completing his degree, however, Strickland founded the Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild in the basement of a local house donated by the Episcopal church. Responding to the cultural crisis of those turbulent times, he offered an afterschool refuge to high school students. At MCG they could spend time in a safe place learning the same skills that motivated and inspired Strickland. After graduation, he continued his work there and expanded the program with a staff of volunteers. Today, it is part of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation, a non-profit organization serving adults and youth from the Pittsburgh region and surrounding areas. . .
Today, that dream is a bustling, multi-building 162,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility located on Pittsburgh’s north shore and filled with students eager to learn and create. Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild (www.manchesterguild.org) provides a plentiful listing of programming and instruction for area youth that boggles the mind . . . ceramics, art, photography, digital imaging, and music to name a few. The programs, classes, and partnerships that have been formed all strive to reach the local communities and surrounding areas to bring them to MCG to share what it has to offer. In partnership with the Pittsburgh public schools MCG offers programs for middle school and high school students both during the school day and afterschool, and it operates these programs both on campus and in the schools. Some of these programs include: Artists in Schools, Studio Seminars, Arts Explorers and the Artist in Residence program. MCG also lends their state-of-the-art visual facilities to CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts High School) students for classwork requirements. Students ages 13-18 have the opportunity to participate in 5-week Summer Studio Intensives. MCG also offers a Summer College Academics progam in cooperation with Indiana University Summer SHARE and the Community College of Allegheny County in which students participate in arts programming on the college campus and can earn college credits.
MCG Jazz (www.mcjazz.org) is yet another division of Manchester Bidwell Organizations. In existence for over 20 years, this includes one of the longest running jazz series in the nation, and even has its own recording label. For two decades, MCG Jazz has produced over 1,200 concerts and 40 record-ings including four GRAMMY® Award-winning albums with artists such as Nancy Wilson, Paquito D’Rivera and The Count Basie Orchestra. It maintains the largest archives of jazz memorabilia, video, audio, and photographs in the world!
They have also begun a new series called the MCG Jazz Family Series, which is aimed at providing Jazz music in a setting for children and families to enjoy together. We re-cently attended the JazzMagic show. It was a delightful afternoon, with jazz musicians setting the stage for a variety of magic tricks per-formed by magician Paul Gertner, an internationally-recognized and award-winning performer. Music was presented in a way little ears could enjoy – adding one instrument at a time, playing well-known childrens songs. This was very enticing to all the children involved – they were singing along and dancing in the aisles!
Another Jazz program, sponsored by UPMC Health Plan and the Buhl Foundation, was formulated for third graders. Through Third Grade Jazz, every third grade student in the city is transported to the center to participate in this program. The thought behind this endeavor: when music is introduced to children at a young age, they are more able to appreciate it and make it part of their daily lives.
Bidwell Training Center (www.bidwell-training.org) Since 1968, Bidwell Training Center, Inc. has attracted national recognition for its innovative and career-oriented training. Programs feature strong partnerships with Pittsburgh’s premiere corporations, agencies and organizations. Bidwell is an accredited post-secondary training institution that offers short-term accelerated programs. Training is geared toward equipping students with the necessary skills for employment in today’s ever-changing marketplace.
Bidwell changes lives through educational and career opportunities for people in transition in Southwestern Pennsylvania. Bidwell responds to the needs of students and employers by eliminating road blocks to success, encouraging life-long learning, and designing market-relevant training programs.
Corporate partners include: IBM Corporation, UPMC, Bayer Corporation, Duquesne Light, Giant Eagle, H.J. Heinz Company, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, Nestle Food Service, NOVA Chemicals, Pennsylvania Women’s Work, Per Se Technologies, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pittsburgh Cut Flower, Pressure Chemical Company, Sunoco Chemicals, Inc., University of Pittsburgh, Calgon Carbon Corporation and others.
Among its many honors, Bidwell Training Center recently received an EPIC Award from the Department of Labor and The Office of Federal Contract Compliance Pro-grams. This award honors public in-terest groups that have, through their exemplary efforts, supported affirm-ative action and linked their efforts with those of Federal contractors to en-hance the employ-ment opportunities for minorities, wo-men, individuals with disabilities, and special disabled and Vietnam-era veterans.
Successful partnerships between government, industry and community based organizations result in a win-win situation for everyone involved. Corporations get qualified workers; government receives tax dollars from workers rather than dole out money to support unemployed adults; and community residents are trained to fill job openings that actually exist. Government and industry truly get a return on their investment. People who are displaced from their jobs, laid off, or seeking a career change all may find success at Bidwell Training Center.
High school seniors can aspire to go college via a different route. Capable youth who lack the resources to attend college can train at Bidwell, begin a meaningful career, and then pursue post-secondary training at CCAC, University of Pittsburgh and Point Park University or other institutions of higher education. Many Bidwell graduates receive tuition reimburse-ment from employers. Graduates from Bidwell are currently working in training related fields throughout the region. Diploma Programs include: Culinary Arts, Office Technology, Horticulture Technology, Medical Coder, Medical Claims Processor, Health Unit Coordinator and Pharmacy Technician. Additionally, the students in the culinary program are the daily providers of lunch for the staff, students, and visitors of the facility!
Bidwell offers an Occupational Associate Degree in Specialized Technology for its Chemical Laboratory Technician Program. Bidwell Training Center is accredited by: ACCSCT - the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology; and State of
Pennsylvania (Associate Degree - Chemical Laboratory Technician Program). It also serves approximately 400 students annually by offering GED preparation, literacy services, tutoring, math and reading skills enhancement, and typing and computer keyboarding instruction.
Another facet of BTC is the Drew Mathieson Center, a 40,000 square foot educational greenhouse to beat all. The Center houses the horticulture program, which grows hydroponic vegetables and other seasonal crops. A highlight there is the cultivation of the phalaenopsis orchid. Even more extraordinary is that the Center distri-butes to Giant Eagle and Whole Foods as well as some very upscale florists in the area! They will be participating in the Home and Garden Show to be held March 9-18 at the newly re-opened David L. Lawrence Convention Center where BTC students will “Grow A Dream Garden” by designing and landscaping a 2,700 square feet of space consisting of a series of themed gardens. This year there will be gardens with different themes, including three 20 square foot areas that will feature: a resi-dential “back yard” garden, a formal garden with topiaries and herbs, and a tropical water garden with orchids and lush foliage. A fourth area will focus on hundreds of vegetable plants grown in raised beds. A fifth area is dedicated to a hydroponic display. The gardens were all designed and built by Bidwell Training Center students with assistance on hardscape projects by Triangle Tech. Bidwell also teamed with Allegheny East Mental Health/Mental Retardation Center on the hydroponic display.
The true masterpieces of the Manchester Bidwell Corporation are the people themselves. For nearly 40 years, Bill Strickland has honed his “craft” – by creating environments and nurturing opportunities for people to become their own works of art.
Manchester Bidwell Corporation
1815 Metropolitan Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15233
Telephone: 412-323-4000
