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NAC ArtStart '06 winners named |
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For immediate Release Contact: Joyce Ann Judd, Project Coordinator or Linwood Oglesby, Executive Director Telephone: 973-643-1625
At its Annual Meeting on June 22, the Board of Directors of the Newark Arts Council approved grants for ArtStart 2007, a program created by the Council to nurture arts and cultural activities throughout the city, most especially those activities that involve young people and take place in our neighborhoods. A selection committee representing a broad spectrum of the community reviews proposals and recommends funding. A total of 36 applications were received. The ArtStart Grants Committee had recommended funding for 15 projects. From funds raised through its Art & the City Gala on May 10, the Newark Arts Council allocated funding for 8 projects totaling $25,014. Thanks to a grant of $17,400 from the City of Newark Department of Recreation/Cultural Affairs a total of $42,414 was awarded.
Through the ArtStart Grants Program, the Newark Arts Council has made over 75 grants, ranging from $500 - $4000, to stimulate arts and cultural activity in the city's neighborhoods and its local schools and to provide direct funding to individual artists. These innovative programs take the arts into locations that are often overlooked by traditional programs. Over five years, NAC has awarded nearly $250,000 in grants to local groups and artists.
A list of funded projects for 2007 is attached:
ARTSTART 2006 PROJECT PROFILES & GRANT RECOMMENDATIONS
ORGANIZATION: LA CASA DE DON PEDRO
PROJECT TITLE: #4 - COMMUNITY MURAL PROJECT PROJECT DIRECTOR: ALLE RIES
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: La Casa de Don Pedro is requesting funds to hire a local artist to create a mural for a new community playground. This summer arts project will incorporate neighborhood youth, the neighborhood and a talented local artist to create a mural to complete the transformation of a garbage-strewn vacant lot into a dream playground. This community mural project will provide the finishing touch to a playground that will be owned by the surrounding community in every sense. La Casa is working with a national foundation, KaBOOM, to create the playground of the community's dreams and create a safe place for local children of the Lower Broadway neighborhood.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $2950.00
ORGANIZATION: PAUL ROBESON GALLERY/RUTGERS NWK PROJECT TITLE: #5 -BRICK CITY ALL STARS ANNUAL, 2007 PROJECT DIRECTOR: JORGE DANIEL VENECIANO
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This program will consist of an annual arts exhibition mounted at the Paul Robeson gallery and showcasing the work of the most talented students among participating Newark city high schools... Work for the exhibition will be selected by two New Jersey artists, preferably from the Newark area, who will function as co-curators. Art students will benefit by enhancing the portfolios with a brochure and with gallery-ready-exhibited artwork. New Jersey artists will benefit by augmenting the range of their artistic endeavors to include curatorial activity for a university gallery. An exhibition brochure will be produced honoring the students and participating schools.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $2,250.00
ORGANIZATION: CITY WITHOUT WALLS PROJECT TITLE: #6-NEWARK NEW MEDIA ARTISTS RESIDENCY & APPRENTICESHIP
NEWARK SCHOOL OF THE ARTS IN COLLABORATION WITH CITY WITHOUT WALLS
PROJECT DIRECTOR: SHERRI THALER, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: the grant will provide a cutting edge visual artist with studio space at Newark school of the arts (NSA) and provide a stipend to the artist for (17) wks. It benefits five (5) promising students from Newark with hands on training through an apprenticeship program using technology in contemporary art. Students will be exposed to the real life of working artists and receive encouragement, practical advice and guidance, as well as assistance in completing an art project suitable for public exhibition. In return, students will assist the artist in his or her studio, with a project that otherwise might not have been possible.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $3,315.00
ORGANIZATION: ALJIRA PROJECT TITLE: #13-TEEN ARTISTS / TEEN CURATORS
PROJECT DIRECTOR: VICTOR DAVSON
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: the teen artists/teen curator's project is an educational outreach and youth development initiative for Newark public schools. Through the studio program, artist-educators are paired with high school art teachers on a semester long basis to integrate contemporary art into the arts curriculum and contribute work for an annual, teen-curated exhibition presented at Aljira. Teachers and students experience a broad range of contemporary art through field trips to museums, galleries, and artists' studios. In the curatorial training program, a group of 4 to 6 high school students serve as paid interns who work with Aljira staff to organize an exhibition and host a teen event. The exhibition is drawn from work created in the studio program. Teen curator interns create advertising; prep the gallery; hang the art; produce the opening night reception and oversee the entire venture from concept to completion.
RECOMMMENDED FUNDING: $3,000.00
ORGANIZATION: PROTESTANT COMMUNITY CENTERS, INC. (PCCI) PROJECT TITLE: #14 SEEN THROUGH ROSE-COLORED GLASSES PROJECT DIRECTOR: WILLIAM ""CHIP" MADSEN
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: this project addresses the lack of civic engagement and pride in the community as well as a lack of nurturing skills in our youth. Following up on focus groups with parents and youth, PCCI learned that neither group felt that things are working in their interests and, even though there are many community-based organizations, corporations, religious institutions and civic groups addressing their concerns, there does not seem to be strategic collaborative planning to connect those programs. PCCI proposes a collaboration with Glass Roots, Inc., involving photography, glass art design and creation, and poetry for six weeks during the summer to build community awareness and create a connection among the diverse teenage residents of Newark. Assisted by glass roots instructors, the teens will be given a camera to use as they explore their neighborhoods and downtown Newark looking to visually capture the city's essence. Each participant will make a glass tile from a favorite photograph. In addition, with the help of center for children staff, the teens will write poetry describing their projects and their sense of their neighborhoods.
To create collaborations between the two projects within the community for youth (teenagers) using photography and glass works to create glass tiles that reflect where they live.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $3,500.00
ORGANIZATION: INTERNATIONAL YOUTH ORGANIZATION (IYO) PROJECT TITLE: #15- NEW JERUSALEM COMMUNITY MURALS PROJECT DIRECTOR: CAROLYN WALLACE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: International Youth Organization and collaborating local artists will create a mural to cover the side of the IYO (International Youth building). IYO's building, located at 697-703 South 12th Street, one block south of Springfield Avenue, will serve as the location for the mural. Situated at the corner of Woodland and 12th Street, IYO presents a prominent wall-front in the neighborhood and is a fairly active pedestrian area, both with the mural project and its program of neighborhood beautification. IYO is regularly involved in lot cleanups and landscape plantings, and hopes that the mural will spur more involvement with local residents. Artists Jerry Gant, Gary Conway, Lance Robinson, Shawn Trayham, and Milton Conway will lead the project.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $2,799.00
ORGANIZATION: COMMUNITY AGENCIES OF CORP.OF NJ QUITMAN STREET SCHOOL, NEWARK, NJ PROJECT TITLE: #16-FAMILY QUILTING
PROJECT DIRECTOR: HARRIET WASHINGTON WILLIAMS
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: the Quitman community school family Quilting project would involve children and families from the Quitman community in Newark's central ward. Beginning with the history of quilting, including African American quilting and sharing stories and literature about quilting, the course would instruct and support families in creating their own family square together as a family, drawing on family strengths and identity in the present as well as sharing family history. Families would engage together in research in literature, library archives, and through the internet. Senior citizens from Foushee towers and representatives from the Montclair quilting guild will be invited to work with the group. Each family will design their square and then learn how to quilt them together into the community quilt. Approximately 30-50 adults and children combined would be involved in the project which draws together the community into one "quilt".
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $2,550.00
ORGANIZATION: NEWARK BOYS CHORUS SCHOOL PROJECT TITLE: #18- MURAL OF MUSIC
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This project will create a mural on an exterior wall of the Newark Boys Chorus School, which faces Orchard Street. The mural is to reflect the life of the Boys choir. Plans are to have the students involved with the creative process from beginning to end, brainstorming with the artist to come up with items, reacting to mural design concepts presented by the artist, and painting portions of the actual mural.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $3,000.00
ORGANIZATION: SPARK FRIENDS OF RIVERBANK PARK PROJECT TITLE: #26-RIVERBANK PARK SMALL WORLD CULTURAL ARTS PROGRAM
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Riverbank Park: First "99" Years! will present a series of programs which highlight and educate about the Riverbanks Park's past and anticipate the 100th year of Riverbank Park's existence. Riverbank Park's history is integrally entwined with the immigrant history of the Ironbound's peoples. Through its programs, Riverbank Park: First 99! Years will bring immigrant past and immigrant present together, highlighting the common threads of the history of the park, and helping to usher in the park's second millennium. The program will feature a "salad bowl" mix of music inclusive of Ironbound's history including Portuguese, Ecuadorian, Chilean, Mexican and Brazilian performances; special exhibits of park history; evening concerts; live theatre with a tri-lingual performance; and dance from three immigrant cultures.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $2,500.00
ORGANIZATION: COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF NJ (CISNJ) PROJECT TITLE: #27-SUPPORT STUDIO WORKS 2006 FALL SERIES PROJECT DIRECTOR: KATIE GRIM
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Studioworks Youth Arts Apprenticeship program of Communities In Schools of NJ will have a fall media series that will have various components: videography, photography, music composition/arrangement, and sound production to highlight the impact of public art in an urban setting. The object of interest will be the Studioworks outdoor mural to be placed in downtown Newark beginning in summer 2006. Under the director of professional artists Sergio Samayoa and Manuel Acevedo in collaboration with CISNJ, ten Newark students will explore documentary film-making from conceptual design to final production.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $2,200.00
ORGANIZATION: DELIVERANCE EVANGELISITIC CENTER, INC. PROJECT TITLE: #29-ZADOK PROJECT DIRECTOR: REV. RALPH S. NICHOL, SENIOR PASTOR
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this initiative is formally to introduce art disciplines and present culturally significant activities as community enrichment tools, creating a positive, productive environment in the Clinton Hill community during the summer. The development of this pilot program is in response to a need to expand current efforts and create new opportunities for children, adults and families. art curricula will include music (beginning keyboard lesson); fine arts (portraiture, professional artists experience; and, African American art history); dance (hip-hop, jazz, modern, ballet, and African dance); and, theater. A roster of distinguished artists will provide art instruction.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $3,500.00
ORGANIZATION: NEW JERSEY SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PROJECT TITLE: #30-NEWARK EARLY STRINGS PROGRAM PROJECT DIRECTOR: KERYL MCCORD
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Early Strings Program will be targeted as a community initiative to translate program brochures into Spanish and Portuguese, and to market the Newark Early Strings Program (NESP) to immigrant communities. Because of the program's strong record, NJSO is seeking to deepen its connection to communities whose first language is not English by distributing brochures for the Newark Early Strings Program in Spanish and Portuguese.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $2,500.00
ORGANIZATION: JAZZ HOUSE KIDS PROJECT TITLE: #32-THE VOCAL SUMMIT JAZZ RESIDENCY PROGRAM PROJECT DIRECTOR: MELISSA WALKER
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The Vocal Summit Jazz Residency Program provides a unique opportunity to introduce choral students to the world of jazz, the art of performance and the thrill of singing with professional musicians, jazz vocalist, recording artist and the program's founder, Melissa walker. This program is focused on Newton Street School because it represents a cross section of Newark's public school students. The Vocal Summit would give a significant boost to the dedicated vocal students of this school and provide a unique learning opportunity.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $3,000.00
ORGANIZATION: NEWARK SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL PROJECT TITLE: #35 "ROMEO & JULIET" PROJECT DIRECTOR: ALBERTA HUNTER
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: Students in the Science High School Players will present Romeo and Juliet in June 2007. Students will learn techniques of acting, voice production, dance, and technical theatre. The program will be based on "school ?to-career" goals and objectives and will address all New Jersey state core-content curriculum standards for the visual and performing arts. The production will allow students the opportunity to acquire hands on experience in the art, technology, and business of theater through performance, lighting and sound technology, costume and set design.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $2,500.00
ORGANIZATION: CHANCELLOR AVENUE SCHOOL PROJECT TITLE: #36 "B. U. I. L. D." (BEAUTIFUL UNIQUE INDIVIDUALS LEARNING DISCIPLINE)
PROJECT DIRECTOR: CARLINE D. REED
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: This project will instill confidence and self-esteem in elementary, middle school and high school age children through promoting creativity and artistic ability using the industries of fashion and style as a self-enhancement tool.
RECOMMENDED FUNDING: $2,850.00
TOTAL REQUESTED FUNDS: $ 56,599.00
TOTAL FUNDING ALLOCATED: $ 42,414.00
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NAC Board. |