ArtsErie to host free workshops in Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Venango, and Warren Counties to assist prospective applicants

ArtsErie announces the workshop schedule for the 2012 Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) Project Stream grants. The PPA program provides opportunities for arts organizations, individual artists and community-based groups to apply for up to $3,000 in funding to support performances, exhibitions, and other arts projects that are presented to the public and take place between September 1, 2012 and August 31, 2013. Grant applications are due Friday, June 29, 2012. ArtsErie supports the program in Crawford, Erie, Mercer, Venango and Warren Counties.

The workshops are designed to provide detailed information on the program, and to guide prospective candidates through the application process. In addition to the PPA program, workshops in Erie County will also provide information on the ArtsErie grant programs due Wednesday, August 15, 2012.

ArtsErie PPA Grant Workshop Schedule:

• Corry: Thursday, May 24, 7 pm
  Corry Higher Ed Council, 221 N. Center St., Corry
• Meadville: Tuesday, May 29, 5:30 pm
  Meadville Council on the Arts, 910 Market St., Meadville
• Oil City: Wednesday, May 30, 4 pm
  City Hall Council Chambers, 21 Seneca St., Oil City
• Warren: Monday, June 4, 7 pm
  Allegheny Center for the Arts, 217 Liberty St., Warren
• Erie: Tuesday, June 5, 5:30 pm
  Cathedral of St. Paul, Downey Hall, 134 W. 7th St., Erie
• Sharon: Thursday, June 7, 5:30 pm
  Shenango Area Chamber of Commerce, Founders Room, 41 Chestnut St., Sharon

Please contact ArtsErie at info@artserie.org or by phone at (814) 452-3427 to register for one of the workshops. All workshops are free and open to the public.

PPA Project Stream guidelines and grant applications will be available online at http://ppa.egrant.net. Applications must be submitted electronically through the eGrant system on or before Friday, June 29, 2012.

The PPA program is a partnership initiative between local arts organizations and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), a state agency. State government funding for the arts comes through an annual appropriation by the Pennsylvania General Assembly and from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. ArtsErie administers the PPA program in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

About ArtsErie
ArtsErie strives to nurture the arts and enrich the lives of the people of Northwestern Pennsylvania through leadership, financial support, education, and advocacy. Additional information about ArtsErie is available online at www.artserie.org.

About the PA Council on the Arts
The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency under the Governor’s Office that works to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state. For more information on the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, visit www.pacouncilonthearts.org. 

ERIE, PA — ArtsErie’s Board of Directors today announced that Char Mashyna has resigned as executive director of ArtsErie. The board has named Susan K. Breon as interim executive director, effective immediately. Breon is actively involved in the Erie arts community, serving as past board member of the Arts Council of Erie (ArtsErie) and currently as a board member of the North East Arts Council and a member of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

ArtsErie board chairman Matthew Fuchs stated, “As interim executive director, we feel that Susan possesses the leadership skills, understanding and expertise that will allow ArtsErie to continue its mission of nurturing the arts and enriching the lives of everyone in Northwest Pennsylvania through leadership, financial support, education and advocacy. As the board begins its search for Char’s successor, we have complete confidence in Susan’s abilities to oversee ArtsErie.”

As ArtsErie executive director since 1999, Mashyna was previously responsible for growing ArtsErie in both size and scope; administering arts funding to multiple counties throughout Pennsylvania; leading advocacy efforts; and coordinating the implementation of CultureSpark, the Erie County Cultural Master Plan.

MEDIA CONTACT: Matthew Fuchs, ArtsErie Board Chair, 814-870-7612 

Site visit to showcase Art in Action program at First District Elementary School

ERIE, PA — On Thursday, May 3, M. Holly Nowak, ArtsErie's Arts in Education director, and Delta Zahniser, principal, First District Elementary School, Meadville, will host three area legislators’ representatives at a site visit to a fourth-grade music residency with world music ensemble One World Tribe. The following three representatives from area legislators' offices will be present: Brad Moore, district director for U.S. Representative Mike Kelly; Kyle Hannon, regional representative for U.S. Senator Bob Casey; and Sheila Sterrett, regional manager for Senator Pat Toomey. The event is not open to the general public.

One World Tribe is a world music ensemble, consisting of musicians and dancers from many different countries and disciplines. The group's residency work provides insight into the music, dances, languages and cultural traditions of West Africa and the Caribbean supporting subjects such as Math, History, Geography, Language Arts and Social Studies.

First District Elementary School is one of three elementary schools that are partners in ArtsErie's Art in Action program, a four-year project funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination grant program (AEMDD).

About ArtsErie

ArtsErie strives to nurture the arts and enrich the lives of the people of northwestern Pennsylvania through leadership, financial support, education and advocacy. Additional information about ArtsErie is available online at www.ArtsErie.org.

About Art in Action

The Art in Action project is a partnership between ArtsErie, Union City Elementary School, First District Elementary School (Meadville), Cambridge Springs Elementary School and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Through Art in Action, ArtsErie and its partner agencies propose to develop, document and evaluate a model that will enhance both the quality of teaching in the classroom as well as student academic achievement and engagement in the learning process by 1.) integrating the arts into existing curriculum, and strengthening in-school art experiences for approximately 900 elementary students living in rural northwestern Pennsylvania, and 2.) strengthening quality relationships between teaching artists and classroom teachers.

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Nationwide program encourages study of poetry through recitation

ArtsErie announces that Marissa Works, a freshman at Hickory High School in Hermitage, has been selected as the winner of the regional finals for the Poetry Out Loud: National Recitation Contest.

Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program, created by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Poetry Foundation, which encourages the study of poetry by offering educational materials and a dynamic recitation competition to high schools across the country.

ArtsErie and the PA Council on the Arts presented the 2012 regional competition, held Saturday, February 18, 2012, at Allegheny College in Meadville, PA. This year, five students participated in the regional finals. In addition to Works, the following students competed: Annette Hilton, Junior, Meadville Area Senior H.S., 2nd place; Claire Pomorski, Sophomore, Mercyhurst Prep, 3rd place; Megan Kibler, Junior, Collegiate Academy, Honorable Mention; Katelyn Clarahan, Junior, Western PA Christian Orators, Honorable Mention.

The three poems Works chose to recite for her portions of the competition were “Barter” by Sara Teasdale; “Love’s Philosophy” by Percy Bysshe Shelley; and “Early Affection”   by George Moses Horton.

Works was awarded an all-expense-paid trip to the Pennsylvania State Finals for Poetry Out Loud, held in March 2012 at the Governor’s Residence, in Harrisburg, PA. The winner of the State Finals will compete at the 2012 Poetry Out Loud National Finals in May in Washington, D.C., where Poetry Out Loud will award $50,000 in scholarships and school prizes to the top three contestants.

2011 ArtsErie Arts Appreciation Award honorees announced;
public reception slated for Tuesday, Nov. 1

ERIE, PA — Each year ArtsErie honors individuals and groups for their contributions to the arts community with ArtsErie Arts Appreciation Awards. The awards are presented each year at ArtsErie’s Fall for the Arts Annual Meeting and awards ceremony. ArtsErie will host the 2011 Fall for the Arts celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 1 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the Harlequin Ballroom, Sheraton Erie Bayfront (55 West Bay Drive, Erie).

At the event, ArtsErie will present three Arts Appreciation Awards. Erie Art Museum will receive the Leadership Award. Mercyhurst College & Michael Fuhrman will receive the Applause Award. Madelyn Simmons, educator in Wattsburg Area Elementary Center, will receive the Imagine Award.

Doors will open at 5:15 p.m.; the awards presentation will begin at 5:30 p.m. A reception will immediately follow, featuring new hors d’oeuvres by Chef Michael Cerrie of the Bayfront Grille.

Fall for the Arts is sponsored in part by Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, BNY Mellon, Erie Insurance and Sheraton Erie Bayfront Hotel. This year’s awards have been created by metal artist Evan Everhart.

For more information or to inquire about purchasing tickets, priced at $10 each, please contact ArtsErie at 814-452-3427 or info@ArtsErie.org.

About the ArtsErie Arts Appreciation Awards

Nominations for the ArtsErie Arts Appreciation Awards are accepted from members of the community and voted upon by the ArtsErie Board of Directors. The award categories are as follows:

The Leadership in Arts Award recognizes a business, government, or foundation that (1) has exhibited long term art support, or (2) whose work has had a significant impact on the region’s arts/cultural landscape, or (3) has demonstrated a successful collaboration between an arts organization and business.

The Applause Award recognizes a dedicated individual(s) or group whose outstanding volunteerism and contributions, either currently or in the past, have supported ArtsErie or the arts in our community. (The Applause Award now incorporates the Art Service Award given out in previous years.)

The Imagine Award recognizes an educator, instructor or individual whose efforts have made an outstanding contribution to the enhancement of arts education by consistently inspiring and encouraging arts excellence in their students or an education affiliate (PTA, Board of Ed., Performing Arts/Music School) or other organization that has demonstrated outstanding efforts to evoke interest and understanding in the arts both having worked over time to implement excellence in and for arts education.

About ArtsErie

ArtsErie strives to nurture the arts and enrich the lives of the people of northwestern Pennsylvania through leadership, financial support, education and advocacy. Additional information about ArtsErie is available online at www.ArtsErie.org.

Each year ArtsErie salutes individuals and groups for their contributions to the arts community by presenting them with ArtsErie Arts Appreciation Awards. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2011 ArtsErie Arts Appreciation Awards. 

Individuals and organizations are urged to use the nominating form on the ArtsErie website to submit nominations before the August 15 deadline to honor achievements in any of the three categories.

• The Leadership in Arts Award recognizes a business, government, or foundation that (1) has exhibited long term art support, or (2) whose work has had a significant impact on the region’s arts/cultural landscape, or (3) has demonstrated a successful collaboration between an arts organization and business.

• The Applause Award recognizes a dedicated individual(s) or group whose outstanding volunteerism and contributions, either currently or in the past, have supported ArtsErie or the arts in our community.

• The Imagine Award recognizes an educator, instructor, or individual whose efforts have made an outstanding contribution to the enhancement of arts education by consistently inspiring and encouraging arts excellence in their students or an education affiliate (PTA, Board of Ed., Performing Arts/Music School) or other organization that has demonstrated outstanding efforts to evoke interest and understanding in the arts both having worked over time to implement excellence in and for arts education.

In 2010, ArtsErie saluted the Corry Community Foundation (Leadership Award); Union City Area School District (Imagine Award); and Andrew Kauffman for the Arts 'n Drafts Festival (Applause Award). A complete list of past Arts Appreciation Award recipients is available online.

Awards will be presented in October 2011 at ArtsErie’s Fall for the Arts celebration.

Teachers and Professional Artists Encouraged to Attend

ERIE, PA — ArtsErie’s Art in Action Program will host an Art in Action Summer Institute on Sunday, June 12 and Monday, June 13 for teachers and professional artists at The Riverside Inn in Cambridge Springs, Pa. Although professional artists may register for either of the one-day programs, the sessions on June 12 will be geared toward artists. Teachers are asked to register only for the June 13 program. Both day-long sessions will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“Participants in the Art in Action Summer Institute will learn about the Art in Education programs with ArtsErie, including the Art in Action program, artist residencies and infusing the arts into classroom lessons,” said M. Holly Nowak, Arts in Education Director at ArtsErie.

The cost of the Art in Action Summer Institute is $50 per person. The fee includes a keynote speaker (to be announced), workshops, group meals and snacks, a basic, one-year membership in ArtsErie and an embroidered canvas tote with a school calendar, Art in Action handbook and other items. Teachers may also receive seven hours of Act 48 Credits. Guests interested in overnight accommodations at The Riverside Inn should mention ArtsErie when making reservations.

To receive a registration form, please click here for a registration form for teachers or click here for a registration form for professional artists. Those interested may also contact ArtsErie at (814) 452-3427 or info@artserie.org. The registration deadline is Monday, June 6, 2011.

This Art in Action Summer Institute is supported by the U.S. Department of Education Arts in Education Model Development & Dissemination Grant, an Art in Education Project of ArtsErie.

About ArtsErie
ArtsErie strives to nurture the arts and enrich the lives of the people of northwestern Pennsylvania through leadership, financial support, education and advocacy. Additional information about ArtsErie is available online at www.ArtsErie.org.

ERIE, PA — ArtsErie announces the workshop schedule for the 2011 Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA) Project Stream grants. The PPA program provides opportunities for arts organizations, individual artists and community-based groups to apply for up to $3,000 in funding to support performances, exhibitions, and other arts projects that are presented to the public and take place between September 1, 2011 and August 31, 2012. Grant applications are due June 17, 2011. ArtsErie supports the program in Crawford, Erie, Mercer, Venango and Warren Counties.

The workshops are designed to provide detailed information on the program, and to guide prospective candidates through the application process.  In addition to the PPA program, workshops in Erie County will also provide information on the ArtsErie grant programs due August 15, 2011.

ArtsErie PPA Grant Workshop Schedule:

• Erie: Thursday, May 5 — 7 p.m.
  WQLN
  8425 Peach Street, Erie
  
  
• Girard: Saturday, May 7 — 9:30 a.m.
  Mercyhurst West
  824 Main Street East, Girard
  
  
• Corry: Monday, May 9 — 7 p.m.
  Corry Higher Ed Council
  221 N. Center Street, Corry
  
  
• Titusville: Tuesday, May 10 — 4:30 p.m.
  Towne Center
  101 W. Spring Street, Titusville
  
  
• North East: Thursday, May 12 — 5:30 p.m.
  North East Arts Council
  25 Vine Street, 2^nd Floor, North East
  
  
• Meadville: Monday, May 16 — 5:30 p.m.
  Meadville Council on the Arts
  910 Market Street, Meadville
  
  
• Warren County: Thursday, May 19 — 5:30 p.m.
  Allegheny Artistry/ Local Artist’s Co-op
  106 East Main Street, Youngsville
  
  
• Mercer County: Monday, May 23 — 5:30 p.m.
  Midwestern Intermediate Unit #4
  453 Maple Street, Grove City
  
  

Please contact ArtsErie at info@artserie.org or by phone at (814) 452-3427 to register for one of the workshops.  All workshops are free and open to the public.

PPA Project Stream guidelines and grant applications will be available online at www.pca.eGrant.org. Applications must be submitted electronically through the eGrant system on or before Friday, June 17, 2011. 

The PPA program is a partnership initiative between local arts organizations and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA), a state agency. State government funding for the arts comes through an annual appropriation by the Pennsylvania General Assembly and from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. ArtsErie administers the PPA program in Northwestern Pennsylvania.

About ArtsErie

ArtsErie strives to nurture the arts and enrich the lives of the people of Northwestern Pennsylvania through leadership, financial support, education, and advocacy. Additional information about ArtsErie is available online at www.artserie.org

About the PA Council on the ArtsErie

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency under the Governor’s Office that works to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state. For more information on the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, visit www.pacouncilonthearts.org  

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Students, teachers and families from three area schools invited to attend “Hua Hua’s Visual Expressions” on Tuesday, April 19 at Edinboro University

ERIE, PA — ArtsErie’s Art in Action project will provide a family cultural experience for students and teachers from Cambridge Springs Elementary School, Cambridge Springs, Pa.; Second District Elementary School, Meadville, Pa.; and Union City Elementary School, Union City, Pa. Teachers, students and their families are invited to attend the performance “Hua Hua Zhang’s Visual Expressions,” part of the Performing Arts Series, at Edinboro University on Tuesday, April 19, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. The event showcases a blend of Chinese and Western puppet art with dance, music, masks and lighting.

“Hua Hua Zhang is absolutely amazing,” said M. Holly Nowak, Art in Action's Project Director and ArtsErie's Arts in Education Director. “She taught students in the Clarion area as part of an ArtsErie artist residency several years ago. Everyone remembers how wonderful it was to have her there in residence. We’re so excited to be able to have a new group of students experience her performance.”

The three elementary schools are partners in Art in Action, a four-year program funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Arts in Education Model Development and Dissemination grant program (AEMDD). ArtsErie’s Art in Action project will provide the opportunity free-of-charge, including event tickets and transportation to and from their schools, to the attendees.

About Art in Action

The Art in Action project is a partnership between ArtsErie, Union City Elementary School, Second District Elementary School, Cambridge Springs Elementary School and Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Through Art in Action, ArtsErie and its partner agencies propose to develop, document and evaluate a model that will enhance both the quality of teaching in the classroom as well as student academic achievement and engagement in the learning process by 1.) integrating the arts into existing curriculum, and strengthening in-school art experiences for approximately 900 elementary students living in rural northwestern Pennsylvania, and 2.) strengthening quality relationships between teaching artists and classroom teachers.

About ArtsErie

ArtsErie strives to nurture the arts and enrich the lives of the people of northwestern Pennsylvania through leadership, financial support, education and advocacy. Additional information about ArtsErie is available online at www.ArtsErie.org.

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Harding Elementary Welcomes Famous Children’s Book Author & Illustrator Ruth McNally Barshaw on April 28th

ERIE, PA — Later this month, Harding Elementary Students will be treated to a workshop hosted by children’s book author Ruth McNally Barshaw. Barshaw has published three books’ to date and is currently working on her forth, due out later next year. Her famous series chronicles the adventures of a young girl, Ellie McDoodle, who loves to doodle in her sketchbooks, but often runs into trouble along the way. Barshaw’s books aren’t just popular with children, but they have also been nominated for numerous awards across the country and in her home state of Michigan.

Barshaw’s visit correlates with what the forth grade students at Harding Elementary have been working on, alongside Artist-in-Residence, Mike Bocianowski. Bocianowski is a local graphic artist and animation instructor, who has been sharing his passion for the arts with Harding Elementary students since 2009, which has been made possible through a grant from the PA Council on the Arts known as a Teacher Artist Partnership or TAP. Jeanne Kraus, 4th grade teacher, along with Bocianowski, arranged this meeting along with support from  ArtsErie and the PA Council for the Arts. They are excited to be able to share the work of a practicing artist and author with their students at Harding Elementary.

Barshaw will spend the day at Harding Elementary, conducting workshops on creativity through each individual grade level. Her schedule is as follows:

• 9:30- 10:00 – Room 15
• 10:00 - 10:30 – 4^th grade workshop – Room 201
• 10:45-11:15 – 3^rd grade workshop – Room 201
• 11:30-12:10 – 5^th grade workshop – Room 201
• 12:15-1:15 – Lunch
• 1:30-2:00 – 6^th grade workshop – Room 201
• 2:00 - dismissal –Lobby display

Students will have the opportunity to work closely with Barshaw, asking her questions and learning the unique aspects of writing and illustrating. For more information on Ruth McNally Barshaw, you can visit her website here. You can also visit Mike Bocianowski’s blog, containing his latest projects and updates of Harding Elementary students with their work here. If you would like more information on ArtsErie’s Artist-in-Residency program, you can visit our website at artserie.org

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