May 2010
2010 Nancy Hanks Lecture
April 2010 | Americans for the Arts - "On April 12, 2010, Joseph P. Riley, Jr., Mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, delivered the 23rd Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy to a crowd of arts advocates and distinguished guests in the Concert Hall of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Mayor Riley’s speech focused on the art of city design and the role mayors can play in transforming their cities into dynamic and more livable cultural communities." For more information and to listen to the lecture go here.
Roy A. Hunt Award for Commitment to Education in the Arts and Humanities Awarded to Mt. Lebanon School District
May 2010 - The Frick Art & Historical Center is pleased to announce Mt. Lebanon School District as the recipient of the 2010 Roy A. Hunt Foundation Award for Commitment to Education in the Arts and Humanities. In 1999, the Roy A. Hunt Foundation made a designated grant to the Frick Art & Historical Center to be utilized for an ongoing excellence in teaching award. The Roy A. Hunt Foundation Award for Commitment to Education in the Arts and Humanities is given annually to an educator
who has demonstrated a commitment to participating in the Frick’s education programs, and who has successfully integrated the arts into the students’ learning experience. For the first time, the award is being given to an entire school district for demonstrating its strong commitment to the arts and humanities. Frick Art & Historical Center Director Bill Bodine comments, “Through participation in a breadth of Frick educational programs over the years, the Mt. Lebanon School District has instilled appreciation for art and history and begun the life-long habit of museum-going for its students at an early age.”
Since 1998, 5,344 Mt. Lebanon School District students from grades K–12 have visited the Frick and/or participated in more than 30 of its different programs. Of these student participants, 4,863 are from the district’s seven elementary schools, 63 are from Mellon Middle School, and 418 are from Mt. Lebanon High School. Mt. Lebanon High School students visit the Frick regularly for programs ranging from Vasarely’s Visuals to Kôgyo Blockprinting offered in conjunction with special exhibitions at The Frick Art Museum. Says Mt. Lebanon School District Superintendent, Dr. Timothy Steinhauer, “On behalf of the staff and students of the Mt. Lebanon School District I want to thank the Frick Art & Historical Center for honoring us with the Roy A. Hunt Foundation Award for Commitment to Education in the Arts and Humanities. Over the years, the Frick’s programs have provided our students with outstanding enrichment opportunities in the arts as well as a greater appreciation of the rich cultural history of Pittsburgh.”
The Mt. Lebanon School District was recognized at a ceremony in The Frick Art Museum auditorium on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 at 12:00 p.m.
National Endowment for the Arts Announces "Shakespeare for a New Generation" Grants
May 2010 | Broadwayworld.com - "The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) today announced that 40 nonprofit, professional theater companies will receive grants of $25,000 each to participate in Shakespeare for a New Generation from June 1, 2010-May 31, 2011. Part of the NEA's Shakespeare in American Communities initiative, Shakespeare for a New Generation introduces middle and high school students to the power of live theater and the masterpieces of William Shakespeare. Managed by Arts Midwest, the program has benefitted more than 1.5 million students and their teachers with live performances and educational activities since the program began in 2003.
Six of the participating companies will receive additional grants of $10,000-20,000 through a partnership with the Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, which organizes federal programs for at-risk youth among multiple federal agencies. Funds for the grants are provided through the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice, and will support performances and educational activities targeted to youth involved with the juvenile justice system.
'We are proud to support bringing Shakespeare to America's students' said NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman. 'I have seen firsthand how the productions supported through Shakespeare for a New Generation have connected youth with Shakespeare - sometimes for the first time - inspiring them and creating the next generation of audiences. At the same time, this funding increases work opportunities for our theatre artists.'" More...
Westmoreland Museum of American Art Presents Building a Transatlantic Bridge International Partnership
May 2010 - City of Greensburg Mayor Karl Eisaman will proclaim May 27, 2010 as Transatlantic Bridge Day. The Westmoreland Museum of American Art, along with the LVR-Industriemuseum in Oberhausen, Germany, has created the Building a Transatlantic Bridge project, a dynamic partnership that is connecting students from these two regions by using technology with a focus on the art and industrial heritage of the regions of Pittsburgh and the Ruhr Valley. A free event is scheduled for 7 PM on May 27 at The Westmoreland to introduce the public to the Building a Transatlantic Bridge project. The project is funded by the American Association of Museums and the U.S. Department of State. For more information, go to www.wmuseumaa.org.
Scottish Opera Company Aims for Youngest Demographic Yet - Babies
April 2010 | BBC News - "Baby O, which is for babies as young as six months old - includes arias about bees, ducks and wellington boots. The show, which will tour Scotland, is the brainchild of Scottish Opera's education director Jane Davidson.
She compared the melodies featured in the event to the musical patterns of nursery rhymes and said the babies were "completely fascinated by it". Ms Davidson told BBC Radio Scotland her idea of staging work for six to 18-month-old babies was initially dismissed as madness, and that she was "slightly worried" about their response." More...
