“I think you always need to inspire the next generation,” says Dawry Ruiz, ZUMIX alum and hip-hop artist. “A common misconception of hip-hop education is that we [only] want to find the kids who want to be rappers. But I’m bringing a creative curriculum to the public schools, where it has to be for everyone.”
A 2019 graduate of ZUMIX, Dawry currently serves as Artist-in-Residence for the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) and Youth Arts Ambassador for the city of Madison, Wisconsin. He founded and directs Cuethe608, a partnership between MMSD, the city and the Urban Community Arts Network (UCAN).
“We are focused on youth development through urban arts, creative placement and professional opportunities,” Dawry says. “We run a summer internship program where students get experience in being a professional artist. It’s a very interdisciplinary approach, drawing on what I learned at ZUMIX and in my years at college.”
Cuethe608 has quickly grown to serve students during the school year, with workshops in local schools and a recurring event called the FUNction, which Dawry describes as a “teen takeover” of spaces usually focused on adults.
“We’re serving more than 2,000 students a year,” he says. “We started out in music and visual arts classes; now I’m in English classes talking about poetry. I’m doing career and college readiness classes, going into social studies classes talking about activism. I talk to students about creative careers, careers in the arts, and how to be creative in any kind of career. And we talk a lot about side hustle culture–since I’ve had so many jobs!”
Dawry attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a scholar in the 12th cohort of the First Wave Hip-Hop & Urban Arts program. He studied community and nonprofit leadership in UW’s School of Human Ecology, with a certificate in arts and teaching. He also “had a reputation on campus for having every job ever,” he says, laughing.
“I was the student assistant for the Division of the Arts, managing a $600,000 budget. I was a peer mentor for an artist-specific floor. I was the director of development for an arts nonprofit. I was involved in recruiting incoming students–giving tours, things like that. I performed at youth arts festivals. I wrote and produced a musical. In a lot of ways, I’ve been trying to copy and paste–and also remix–the experiences I had at ZUMIX.”
As a young person, Dawry became involved with ZUMIX “by accident,” he says. “I thought radio might be boring, like NPR–though I later ended up working for NPR. But I ended up really loving radio, and I had three different radio shows at ZUMIX. I also did Street Program, Beatmakers, video classes–I worked on a lot of short films that Rene [Dongo] would help me storyboard and edit. I was basically trying to collect all the infinity stones of ZUMIX! I wanted to learn about being a creative–what goes into every aspect of it. That informs the interdisciplinary approach I take with my students now.”
Along with three other ZUMIX students, Dawry became part of the hip-hop group Project Method, performing at local festivals, concert venues and open mics.
“This was one of the prime ZUMIX eras,” he says, recalling his experiences helping plan YESFest, a city-wide youth arts festival in collaboration with the mayor’s office. “We weren’t just waiting for ZUMIX to present us with opportunities anymore,” he says. “We were making things happen. I’m really proud of the work we did with YESFest, Project Method, and so many other things I did at ZUMIX.”
Dawry credits multiple ZUMIX mentors, including Corey Depina, Brittany Thomas and Madeleine Steczynski, for challenging him to think seriously about his artistic vision and his future.
“Madeleine was always transparent with us in the moments that mattered,” he says of his time on the ZUMIX Teen Council. “And Corey pulled me in to help plan the Street Program tour, so I understood more of the administrative side. I get so much deja vu working with my students now–there’s a group of them who remind me so much of myself and my friends.”
In 2022, Dawry received the prestigious Truman Scholarship, which supports outstanding students as they pursue graduate work in public service and leadership. As he considers his next step–and travels back to Boston to receive ZUMIX’s Luminary Alumni Award at this year’s Muze Gala–he’s thinking, always, about the role of arts and leaders in the current climate.
“We’re in a moment right now where people are attacking the arts, attacking diversity, equity and inclusion,” Dawry says. “Someone needs to stand up for what is right and set that example. I want to live up to what Madeleine and ZUMIX have taught me, and my students will want to live up to what I taught them.”