The Obo Addy Legacy Project Receives an NEA Grant

Just in case you missed this in the local press, here’s a copy of the press release.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:      Susan Addy
December 4, 2012                                                               susan@oboaddylegacyproject.org

THE OBO ADDY LEGACY PROJECT receives NEA grant to support THE MASTERS PROJECT — A tribute concert for NEA National Heritage Fellow Obo Addy (deceased) featuring Jazz Master Randy Weston and his Trio

Grant one of 832 Art Works grants totaling $23.3 million in funding nationwide

PORTLAND, Ore. — National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Rocco Landesman has announced that the Obo Addy Legacy Project is one of 832 non-profit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works grant. The Obo Addy Legacy Project is recommended for a $12,500 grant to support a tribute concert to be held one year after Obo’s death.

This project features a collaboration with The Obo Addy Legacy Project traditional drummers from Ghana and the Randy Weston Trio showing the connections between jazz and West African music. Randy Weston and his group will be offering an outreach activity at Cleveland High School for students in the jazz program.

“I’m proud to announce these 832 grants to the American public including The Obo Addy Legacy Project,” said Chairman Landesman. “These projects offer extraordinary examples of creativity in our country, including the creation of new work, innovative ways of engaging audiences, and exemplary education programs.”

Susan Addy said, “This project was a dream of Obo’s – to showcase his rhythms and the traditions of his country with the artistry and creativity of Randy Weston and his African infused work.”

In March 2012, the NEA received 1,509 eligible applications for Art Works requesting more than $74 million in funding. The 832 recommended NEA grants total $22.3 million, span 13 artistic disciplines and fields, and focus primarily on the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing works for the benefit of American audiences. Applications were reviewed by panels of outside experts convened by NEA staff and each project was judged on its artistic excellence and artistic merit.

For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA website at www.arts.gov.

source: Susan Addy

photo: The Oregonian

Chase Community Grant

This something we don’t normally do, but it would be a wasted opportunity if we didn’t at least make a small mention.

We were nominated for a Chase Community Giving grant (woohoo!) but need to be one of the charities with the most votes to qualify for funds. Can you please take a moment and vote for us? Voting closes tomorrow,  Wednesday the 19th.

Here’s the link: http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charity/view/ein/93-0521848?ref=a05eabdee8
You have to vote through facebook which is a little bit weird. They ask you to allow an app before you can vote. You can always vote, then go back and disallow the app when you’re done!

Also, please spread the word to your other friends and contacts so we can make it happen!

Schools and Arts Together

National Average versus Portland Schools

Today in Portland there are nearly 12,000 children attending schools that do not have any art, dance, drama, or music instruction. And the rate of decline for arts education here has been shockingly steep. Portland is home to six school districts and in the last five years, two of them (Parkrose and Centennial) have cut their arts and music teaching staff by half, while our largest (Portland Public Schools) has dropped all arts instruction in 22 schools in just two years.

With the Arts Education and Access Fund, the City of Portland will restore arts education by providing stable, long-term funding for certified teachers for every
elementary school serving Portland residents and support arts organizations citywide to improve access to the arts in every classroom and community.

Join us at http://SchoolsArtsTogether.com and ‘Like’ us at http://Facebook.com/SchoolsArtsTogether. After years of losing ground, we can ensure our children have the future they deserve, today and tomorrow.

courtesy: Keith Daly, Creative Advocacy Network

2012 Sunburst Awards Luncheon

Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington is thrilled to announce the winners of the  2012 Sunburst Awards for brilliance in arts education. We are proud to recognize local individuals and organizations that have made a significant contribution to the arts in our community. This year’s winners are:

Mayor Sam Adams (Advocacy)
Deborah Vaughn – Oregon Arts Commission (Advocacy)
Nicole Joanne (Artist)
Pacific Youth Choir (Arts Organization)
Atkinson Elementary School – Portland Public Schools (Education)
Larry Verdoorn (Education)
Far West Fibers (Philanthropy)
Paula Wight (Lifetime Achievement)

Please join Young Audiences for a luncheon on Wednesday May 23rd at 11:30 a.m., at the  Governor Hotel, 614 SW 11th Avenue, Portland to celebrate these local leaders and their exemplary commitment to the arts.

This event is generously sponsored by Norris, Beggs & Simpson Companies, Ball Janik,  LLC., Umpqua Bank, Perkins & Company, Albina Community Bank and Boly:Welch Consulting|Recruiting.

Tickets for the event are available at our website: www.ya-or.org, at the door, or by  contacting Christi Crowley at (503)225-5900 ext. 233.

2012 Run For The Arts T-Shirt Contest Submissions on Display

2012 Run For The Arts Modified Winning Design

This time of year, Run For The Arts keeps me pretty busy; helping the schools with additional materials and answering their always good questions, assisting parents of participating students with their sponsor sheet questions, getting the banners hung all over town and getting the T-Shirt Design Contest submissions on display for the public as well as getting them on our website.

Well, most of that has been taken care of already.

Starting Monday, April 23rd through Friday, April 27th, a vast majority of the submissions we received for the 2012 Run For The Arts T-Shirt Design Contest will be on display at Umpqua Bank in the Pearl District.  In the past, they were on display for about 4 weeks, but it was only a matter of time before others started clamoring  for this choice location (right on the Portland Street Car Line) and we were reduced to just a week.  I’ll take what I can get.

If you don’t get a chance to see them at Umpqua Bank, you can see them on our website.  I probably sound like a broken record (will that phrase ever be retired even though vinyl is moving to the annuals of old tech?), but this year was tough in selecting a winning design, so enjoy all the wonderful submissions!

2012 Sunburst Awards Nomination Sought

Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington

Young Audiences of Oregon and SW Washington has a long standing tradition of honoring  community members who have demonstrated an exemplary commitment to arts education at our Sunburst Awards Luncheon. The awards luncheon is a wonderful event that celebrates honorees and the work they do through the arts to enrich the lives and education of children and youth. The awards event also brings needed community attention to the value of the arts, culture and creativity, and has the potential to engage and inspire others to arts advocacy.

Please tell us about the individual(s) and organization(s) that you feel have made significant contributions to the arts and education this year (nomination form here). The Young Audiences Board of Directors will make the final selections from the slate of nominees submitted. All nominations are due to Young Audiences via email, fax or mail no later than March 30, 2012 (email Christi Crowley).

US House & Senate Designate National Young Audiences Week, beginning March 12

Salish Ponds performing at the Young Audiences 2012 Gala Event

This Resolution highlights the importance of arts and recognizes national Young Audiences organizations for contributions to arts-in-education. The following is our press release;

The United States Senate and House of Representatives have issued resolutions designating the week beginning March 12, 2012 as “National Young Audiences Week” to honor the contributions Young Audiences has made to schools nationwide through its arts-in-education programs and to encourage Americans to recognize the importance of the arts to society.

The Senate resolution states that arts education, “including dance, music, theatre, media arts, literature, design, and visual arts, is a core academic subject and an essential element of a complete and balanced education for all students.” The resolution also emphasizes that the arts not only foster academic success, but also support personal growth by developing critical thinking, problem solving skills, creativity, discipline, and cross-cultural understanding.

For 53 years the Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington affiliate has engaged youth, teachers and families in high quality creative arts learning experiences that stimulate lifelong learning and creativity. Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington’s Executive Director Denis Hickey states, “The Arts nurture a child’s development and fosters more engagement in education.  Providing more arts programming to schools is a win-win for everyone, especially children.”

Young Audiences of Oregon & SW Washington is an affiliate of Young Audiences, Inc. the largest organization in the arts-in-education field, which has 31 affiliates across the United States and serves over 5 million youth annually.  National Young Audiences Week will be observed around the country by Young Audiences affiliates in 20 states with events, school activities, and speakers to promote awareness for its arts-in-education programs. Young Audiences is the first arts-in-education organization to receive the National Medal of Arts by the US Government.

In support of this resolution, all Young Audiences affiliates across the country are promoting the arts and arts programming locally. In celebration ourselves, we have a number of performances happening in the schools from such great local artists as Imago, Oregon Shadow Theatre, Do Jump! and Gideon Freudmann.

In addition to the performances, we also have several residency programs starting being done by Shuhe, Mark Brody and Habiba’s Village.  And lastly, at the end of the week, we have a school conducting a Family Arts Night!  You can also check the out the rest of the talented artists on our roster here!

We couldn’t be happier for the designation of National Young Audiences Week this week!

Say Hello to Our Right Brain Initiative Partner Artists

The Right Brain Initiative

Look who’s new on the Right Brain Initiative teaching artist roster! Many Young Audiences teaching artists work through us to be arts providers for the Right Brain Initiative as well, and six have just joined those ranks. Read more below in our own Briana Linden’s piece, and if you have any questions feel free to contact Miriam Budner, Young Audiences Artist Programs Manager: miriam@ya-or.org

YA artist Ben Popp is an animator who received his MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and is co-founder of the experimental media group Grand Detour. As a teaching artist, Ben works with his students to explore classroom topics through animation. In his workshops, topics such as the multiplication table become hands-on learning experiences and take on a life of their own on film.

YA artist Carla Wilson is a professional flutist and teaching artist who believes that residencies provide students with the opportunity to experience the music-making process in a non-formal, and therefore non-threatening environment. She encourages students to participate in the musical experience as composers, performers and listeners. Carla has worked with Portland Public School teachers to design curriculum for the Oregon Symphony, Scottish Storyline, and ArtSplash.

YA artist Karen Brunke is a mixed-media collage artist and Certified Arts Specialist. Karen received a BA in Art History and an MA in Art Education, and has been teaching art mediums in K-5 classrooms for 14 years. Through age-appropriate activities, Karen enables her students to appreciate art as a form of visual communication accessible to everyone.

YA artist Karie Oakes is a ceramic artist who began her teaching career 27 years ago at the Portland Children’s Museum. Karie uses clay as a tool for inquiry in the classroom, and encourages her students to ask questions and make hands-on discoveries. Karie creates an environment rich in spatial exploration, unique to clay as a 3-D medium.

YA artist Nancy Smith Klos is a multi-media teaching artist of 25 years who has been featured on Oregon Art Beat and HGTV’s Modern Masters. Nancy works with both children and adults, including 8 years teaching Adult Arts Seminars at the Portland Art Museum. In her residencies, Nancy works with students to cultivate their creative spirits, and with teachers to integrate art into the science curriculum.

YA artist Sarah Nagy is a filmmaker and teaching artist. Sarah holds an MA in Film from the University of Amsterdam, a BA in Writing from Marylhurst University, a certificate in Film from the Northwest Film Center, and is founder of the Buckman Film Academy. She works to engage her students through collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and engagement of all the senses. Sarah dreams of one day producing a Lego video that will receive a million hits on YouTube.

source: Miriam Budner, Briana Linden, The Right Brain Initiative, Young Audiences of OR & SW WA

Grant from Oregon Cultural Trust

We are so pleased and honored to announce that Young Audiences of Oregon Inc. has been awarded a grant from the Oregon Cultural Trust http://www.culturaltrust.org/  for Arts and Education Programs!  The Oregon Cultural Trust is Oregonians sustaining, developing and participating in our arts, heritage and humanities. The Trust has invested over $11 million in Oregon’s culture since 2003.

Projects funded by the Cultural Trust have significant impact in communities across Oregon.  We are excited to be among the 60 competitive grant awards given this year.  As you experience our programs and hear people talk about the Cultural Trust, we hope you’ll take pride in knowing that as a cultural donor who matches your donations with a gift to the Cultural Trust you have a direct hand in making projects like ours possible for thousands of your fellow Oregonians.

Arts for Learning & the Oregon Arts Commission

You can read more about our Arts for Learning project with the Beaverton School District, funded by the US Department of Education Investing in Innovation (I3) grant…

Arts Commission Releases Two New Monographs

The Oregon Arts Commission announces publication of two new monographs, Arts Build Communities, which highlights twenty-eight Arts Build Communities projects, undertaken across the state between January and December, 2010; and  Proficiency in the Arts and Beyond: Arts Learning in Oregon, which highlights Oregon-based best practices and notable accomplishments in arts education, and profiles eight individuals and organizations making a positive impact in their educational community.

The Commission created the Arts Build Communities program in Oregon in 1996, using federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts to better connect the arts with issues important to Oregonians: downtown revitalization, small business development, community and folk traditions and projects engaging youth.  The 2010-funded projects benefited more than 300,000 people in Oregon.

Read or download both reports: http://www.oregonartscommission.org/about/oregon_arts_commission_publications.php

source: Oregon Arts Commission