Deborah Asante

Founder of the Asante Art Institute, Deborah Asante is a storytelling and performance artist based in Indianapolis. A practitioner of her art form for more than 20 years, Deborah has worked with Arts for Learning for more than 10 years. In her performances, Deborah uses words to paint pictures, transporting young audiences to different locations and eras throughout history. "I work hard to ensure that the words I choose and the timbre of my voice will connect with the listener's imagination and easily pull them into a shared experience of the story," she says.

Throughout her career, Deborah has received numerous awards, including the Aesop Cup for Tall Tales and the Zora Neale Hurston Award from the National Association of Black Storytellers. The Arts Council of Indianapolis has also honored her twice as a Creative Renewal Arts Fellow. "Storytelling seeds the imagination and strengthens vocabulary," she says. "I always hope to inspire children to tell their own stories and deepen their appreciation stories and literature in general. Students are always reachable, even when it appears otherwise." Read more >>