Seed to Roots

02/18/2026

Thank you for supporting our kids and this program!

02/15/2026

✨ FINAL WEEK ✨
Seed to Roots 2026 • Artist Spotlight

🎟️ These kids need your support. Be in the room.

Last year, Maxwell Tisdale stood on the Seed to Roots stage alongside Nyah Butler and shared what he hoped to see in the world for families like his.

This year, he returns with a powerful spoken word piece titled “I Am Him.”

Using the letters of his own name, Maxwell honors Black men throughout history whose courage, intelligence, creativity, and leadership continue to shape the world we live in. His message reminds us that legacy is not something we simply remember. It is something we carry forward.

When young people stand up and claim their identity with confidence and pride, we should be there to witness it.

🎭 Live at the Weinberg Center
📅 Monday, February 16
🕕 6:00 PM

🎟️ Tickets are $10. Children 10 and under are free.
Help us pack the house and surround Maxwell and all of our young artists with love and support:
https://weinbergcenter.org/shows/2026-seed-to-roots-youth-art-performance/

In partnership with the Weinberg Center for the Arts and the City of Frederick.

02/13/2026

✨ FINAL DAYS ✨
Seed to Roots 2026 • Artist Spotlight

🎟️ These kids need your support. Be in the room on February 16.

🎨 ART THAT MAKES YOU THINK 🎨

At 15 years old, Florence Binfon, a student at Tuscarora High School, creates art that asks brave questions.

Florence has loved art since she was young, and she sees it as more than something beautiful to look at. For her, art is a way to express deep feelings and perspectives that are sometimes hard to say out loud. It is how she understands herself and how she helps others reflect.

Her mixed media watercolor piece explores the emotional legacy of enslavement and what it means to carry history in today’s world. Through powerful imagery, Florence depicts one young Black girl weighed down by self doubt while another reaches toward her with pride, love, and community. Her message is clear. Even when physical chains are gone, the INTERNAL ones can remain, and it is up to us to break them together.

Florence will take the stage to speak about her work live. When students are given a platform, they rise. The question is, will we be in the room to hear them?

🎭 Live at the Weinberg Center
📅 Monday, February 16
🕕 6:00 PM

🎟️ Tickets are $10. Children 10 and under are free.
Get yours now and help us fill these seats with encouragement and support:
https://weinbergcenter.org/shows/2026-seed-to-roots-youth-art-performance/

In partnership with the Weinberg Center for the Arts and the City of Frederick.

If you want it even punchier, we could say:

🎟️ These kids need your support. Show up.

02/11/2026

✨ FINAL WEEK ✨
Seed to Roots 2026 • Artist Spotlight

🎤🪘 COME SEE McKENNA TAKE THE STAGE WITH LIVE POETRY & PERCUSSION 🪘🎤

At just 13 years old, McKenna Massaquoi returns to the Seed to Roots stage for her fourth year, and her creative energy continues to grow. A homeschool student with boundless talent, McKenna’s passions span singing, dancing, drumming, theatre, visual arts, and beyond. Wherever she goes, she brings joy, confidence, and a spark that lights up the room.

This year, McKenna presents a solo performance honoring the enduring legacy of Black literary excellence. Inspired by Langston Hughes’ “I Too” and Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise,” her piece is not a simple recitation, but a creative reimagining developed alongside a close circle of friends, including fellow Seed to Roots alum Faith.
Joining her onstage will be her musical teacher and mentor, Ayanna Gallant of Aya Cultural Music Studios, who will accompany the performance with live drumming which adds rhythm, depth, and power to the piece.

This is poetry, movement, and music woven together in a way only McKenna can deliver.

🎭 Live at the Weinberg Center
📅 Monday, February 16
🕕 6:00 PM

🎟️ Get your tickets today and help us pack the house for McKenna and all of our young performers:
https://weinbergcenter.org/.../2026-seed-to-roots-youth.../

In partnership with the Weinberg Center for the Arts and The City of Frederick.

02/11/2026

"So don't forget about us, lift us up because when you do, we rise." From Nyah's 2025 Seed to Roots speech. Come lift her up! Get your tickets today. The show is on Monday, Feb. 16th at 6pm: https://weinbergcenter.org/shows/2026-seed-to-roots-youth-art-performance/

✨ FINAL WEEK ✨
Seed to Roots 2026 • Artist Spotlight
🎹 COME SEE NYAH TAKE THE STAGE AGAIN. 🎹

Last year, Nyah Butler stood on the Seed to Roots stage and reminded us that children just want to be listened to and understood so they can have their best futures. She ended with a line that stayed with so many of us:

“So don’t forget about us.”

We didn’t forget.

This year, Nyah returns for her second time on stage and not just as a speaker, but as a composer.

Nyah has been taking piano lessons online since she was five years old. Now, at just eight, she will perform an original piece she wrote herself titled "When the Stars Come Down."

The beginning of the song came from a moment of frustration with two accidental notes (C and E) that turned into something beautiful. She let the music guide her, adding pieces one by one until it became a full song. Inspiration came from another piece she once practiced with something about the moon, something beautiful, something she couldn’t quite explain, but she felt it.
When asked what it means to be a young Black girl who wrote her own song, Nyah said it feels impressive that kids in her class look up to her, and she’s even started teaching a friend how to play.

This is what growth looks like.
This is what being heard looks like.
This is what happens when we don’t forget about them.

🎭 Live at the Weinberg Center
📅 Monday, February 16
🕕 6:00 PM

🎟️ Get your tickets today and come support Nyah and all of our young artists:
https://weinbergcenter.org/.../2026-seed-to-roots-youth.../

In partnership with the Weinberg Center for the Arts and the The City of Frederick.

02/10/2026

✨ FINAL WEEK ✨
Seed to Roots 2026 • Artist Spotlight

🎨 COME SEE OLIVIA SHARE HER STORY — AND HER ART — FOR THE FIRST TIME. 🎨

Meet Olivia Tiara Ann Beck, a 14-year-old freshman at Governor Thomas Johnson High School and a first-time Seed to Roots participant we are honored to welcome.

Olivia is a true multi-talented student. When she’s not competing with the GTJHS Junior Varsity indoor track team, you’ll find her active in the Black Student Union, theatre club, Girl Scout Troop 81226, or exploring her creative side as an aspiring guitarist and visual artist. She also enjoys volleyball, soccer, and even brings an entrepreneurial spirit as a part-owner of TDH BBQ and Grill.

For her Seed to Roots debut, Olivia will take the stage to present a mixed-media artwork focused on the Reconstruction era, using a historic photograph of a Black family in the aftermath of the Civil War. Her piece explores the reality of emancipation — the complex emotions, uncertainty, and determination of newly freed people in 1865 — while highlighting the strength of family and the connection between past struggles and future leadership.

This year, students presenting still artwork will step on stage to speak directly about their pieces, and Olivia’s voice and perspective are a powerful addition to this moment.

🎭 Live at the Weinberg Center
📅 Monday, February 16
🕕 6:00 PM

We’re highlighting our student artists and performers throughout the final week leading up to the show.

🎟️ Get your tickets today and come support Olivia and all of our young artists:
https://weinbergcenter.org/shows/2026-seed-to-roots-youth-art-performance/

In partnership with the Weinberg Center for the Arts and the City of Frederick.

02/09/2026

✨ ONE WEEK OUT ✨
Seed to Roots 2026

🎻🎹 COME SEE SARAN PERFORM — A SEED TO ROOTS FAVORITE RETURNS. 🎹🎻

Meet Saran Sade W. Freeman, an 11-year-old musician and a proud, longtime member of the Seed to Roots family. This year marks Saran’s fourth year performing at Seed to Roots, and she is someone we can always count on to deliver beautiful, thoughtful performances.

This year, Saran will showcase her talents on both violin and piano. She began studying violin at just four years old and is currently a violin student at the Peabody Preparatory of Johns Hopkins University, where she studies with Ms. Phyllis Freeman. She also studies piano at Kim Perseghin’s Studio for Musical Minds, exploring a wide range of musical styles beyond classical traditions.

On violin, Saran will perform a joyful, uplifting piece by Alain Pierre Pradel, a Black composer of West Indies origin, celebrating culture, warmth, and childhood memories. On piano, she will perform The Easy Winners by Scott Joplin, highlighting the richness of Black contributions to American music and introducing audiences to the energy of ragtime.

Beyond music, Saran enjoys drawing, animating, reading, animals, nature, track and field, gymnastics, and all things blue. She brings curiosity, discipline, and heart to everything she does — and it shows on stage.

🎭 Live at the Weinberg Center
📅 Monday, February 16
🕕 6:00 PM

We’re highlighting our student artists and performers throughout the countdown to the show.

🎟️ Get your tickets today and come support Saran and all of our young performers:
https://weinbergcenter.org/shows/2026-seed-to-roots-youth-art-performance/

In partnership with the Weinberg Center for the Arts and The City of Frederick.

07/16/2025

✨ DAY 2 RECAP – Seed to Roots Summer Workshop ✨
We wrapped up the weekend with power, creativity, and joy. Here’s what went down on Saturday:
💃🏿🕺🏾Dance Session
Thank you to and for kicking off our morning with another high-energy dance session! The students warmed up, practiced their choreography, and showed out with full confidence.

💄📸 Glam + Headshot Session
A huge shoutout to our glam squad for helping our students shine from the inside out — and to our photographer for capturing professional headshots and unforgettable moments! Confidence, presence, and self-expression were the themes of the day.

🕶️🌐 Virtual Reality Exploration
Thank you to Christopher for leading an incredible session where students learned about VR, built their own metaverses, explored immersive worlds, and even rode through virtual theme parks like Universal Studios. 🔥

🎤🎭 Final Student Showcase
We closed out with a showcase where students shared what they learned, from public speaking and dance to vision board presentations and team creativity. We’re so proud of every student who stood up and shared their voice!

Thank you again to our families, volunteers, instructors, and supporters. We hope everyone left feeling inspired, seen, and celebrated. 💫

07/14/2025

We kicked off Friday with incredible energy, learning, and movement — and we couldn’t have done it without our amazing facilitators!

🎶 Dance Session
Huge thank you to Ally Keller of Dee Buchanan Studio of Dance and Noline Edmond of Leading Edge Academy of Dance for getting our bodies moving and our spirits lifted! Students warmed up, started learning a 3-minute routine that they would perform for their parents on our final day, and built confidence through choreography and freestyle. You truly set the tone for a joyful day.

🗣️ Public Speaking & Presence
A heartfelt thank you to Yolanda Davis of The Swann School of Protocol - Western Maryland Area, MD for leading a powerful session on communication, professionalism, and posture. Students practiced handshakes, introductions, and elevator speeches — then wrapped up by creating vision boards that reflected their dreams and goals. Thank you to Frederick Lifestyle for donating the supplies that helped unlock our students' creativity.

🎓 College & Career Readiness
We’re so grateful to Mr. Micah from Frederick Community College for offering a campus tour and an engaging conversation on college pathways, financial aid, and dual enrollment. His insight into the cost-benefit of community college left a lasting impact!

💻 Digital Presence & Etiquette
Big thanks to of Florida A&M University for guiding our students through a critical conversation on building a positive digital footprint. From what to post to what to protect, her session offered students a chance to reflect and refine their online presence.

💡 Special thanks to the Ausherman Family Foundation for their generous support through a $4,000 matching grant — and to everyone who donated to help us meet that match. Together, your contributions raised $8,000 to make this weekend possible for our students.

Stay tuned for our Day 2 recap — it only gets better! 🌟

03/11/2025

WE DID IT! 🎉 Thanks to your support, we hit our $4K goal—unlocking an additional $4K in matching funds! That means $8,000 is now going directly toward Seed to Roots students, supporting not just the performance but a full range of activities that help them grow as artists, leaders, and confident individuals.

This campaign was fueled by student-led video appeals, community engagement, and your generosity. Your support makes it possible for these young performers to shine on stage, gain mentorship, and access opportunities that celebrate Black history and culture while welcoming all students.

A special thank you to the Ausherman Family Foundation for making this matching grant possible! Your commitment to supporting the arts and youth in our community is making a lasting impact.Ausherman Family Foundation

We couldn’t have done it without you—THANK YOU! 💜✨