Art Beyond the Ink is an educational organization that uses interdisciplinary performance to encourage audiences to become creative listeners. The organization was founded in 2020 by New York City–based artist and entrepreneur Emmalie Tello and flutist, teaching artist, and social entrepreneur Rebecca Schifilliti and is guided by the philosophy that every piece of music tells a story. Audiences engage with the stories and join in on the creative process as listeners, developing empathy and a deeper understanding of themselves. This imaginative expression of one’s emotions and personal narrative also serves as a creative outlet.
Art Beyond the Ink developed from Tello and Schifilliti’s capstone project, Jugend! A Celebration of Youth, in which they paired Jugend, a chamber piece by Sigfrid Karg-Elert, with animation to tell the story of a boy entering a magical world. The two students had planned to present their project live at the New York Public Library (NYPL) and at children's museums in NYC, but the performances were canceled and the film was never completed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on all that they had learned in the MA Arts Management and Entrepreneurship program, Tello and Schifilliti developed Jugend! into Art Beyond the Ink, where they combine music with other art forms to tell the stories that they hear in the music. They continue to partner with NYPL, creating educational videos for their online music series. While in the Arts Management and Entrepreneurship program, Tello and Schifilliti received the Alsop Entrepreneurship Award, which helped them develop a workbook and curriculum to teach children about musical storytelling and music theory.