Category archives: Education Program
-
-
-
11 years ago
-
We’re thrilled to be featuring three days of interactive, thought-provoking performance art at Solar One Park for our upcoming “Artists4Equality” Festival. Artists Caridad Sola, Sindy Butz, and Cocoon NYC will perform original pieces on all three days. We are so pleased to have these talented artists on board, and their performances are not to be missed!
Caridad Sola is known for pushing boundaries and creating emotional, thought-provoking art. If you have been fortunate enough to see one of her performances, you know that it is always fresh and exciting. Broaching topics from romantic relationships to politics, Caridad is sure to bring us performance art filled with energy and emotion.
We were fortunate to work with artist Sindy Butz during our “Mixed Greens” series last year. Through an artistic form of experimental dance called “Butoh,” Sindy creates edgy, ethereal performances. As an artist, Sindy Butz is not afraid to touch on human experiences that are common to us all, and cross racial and sexual boundaries. This time she will have us thinking of marriage and getting married.
Cocoon NYC, curated and led by artist Sherry Aliberti, is a project that revolves around multiple persons and experimental dance in a very special “cocoon.” Interactive and symbolic of life, their performances breathe energy and newness to the air.
-
-
-
-
11 years ago
-
On Tuesday March 12, the AFP music program at Humanities Preparatory Academy was fortunate to host Jeremy Danneman of ParadeOfOne for a special multimedia presentation to students. Mr. Danneman is a truly unique artist with a poignant social message that made a palpable impact on the students and their perspective on art, music and world events. The presentation involved showing students slides, playing both live and recorded music, and discussing his experiences having visited Rwanda and Cambodia, two countries that have been recently ravaged by genocide. He shared stories about and recordings of musicians he was fortunate to encounter in these locales, and collaborations he performed with them, despite having possessed no other means of communication with them save for an interpreter. His enthusiastic explanations of his motives for doing this type of work and colorful retelling of his experiences illustrated beautifully the potency of music and arts to bridge social divides, and to introduce a new, living meaning to cultural exchange and painful, but important world events. The presentations culminated with live performances by Mr. Danneman on saxophone and clarinet, and in one case included myself playing guitar in an impromptu musical improvisation that tied together the power of all the skills that students have been learning in class for the past semester. AFP would like to thank Mr. Danneman for visiting our classes, and look forward to hosting him again soon along wi[...]
-
-
-
-
11 years ago
-
This week's update on the Art for Progress art education programs features a brief introduction to some of the students in the AFP music programs, as well as some photographs by Paula Parker from the AFP visual arts programs, including student artwork. Sherif, a senior at Humanities Prep, moved to New York City from Cairo, Egypt last summer, and was always an eager student in my music class throughout the past semester.
Sherif spent most of the first several weeks of the semester playing a D chord rather roughly on the electric guitar. Although I continuously suggested that he learn another chord, he continued to focus on the D chord, lifting one finger at a time to hear the variations. Since he seemed to derive such joy from that one chord, I encouraged him to listen to the tone of the strings and demonstrated to him that there were different sounds that could be evoked coaxing them out of the instrument rather than hacking at the strings. Sherif has since developed his D jam into a more coherent developing piece, and after I lent him one of AFP's classical guitars, he recently exchanged it for an electric guitar and is avidly practicing at home. Sherif fulfilled his arts requirements last semester, but continues to come by the music room at every opportunity and is a regular participant in the Tuesday afternoon student/faculty jam, playing drums, guitar, and occasionally gracing the microphone with his own inimitable brand of freestyle rapping/storytelling. Ever the eager[...]
-
-
-
-
11 years ago
-
Art for Progress arts education programs have been doing great work this winter, with visual arts programs in place at Landmark High School and Quest 2 Learn NY and music programs at Quest, Humanities Prep, Hudson High School for Learning Technologies, and, most recently, at James Baldwin High School, all in Chelsea.
The Humanities music program, led by teaching artist and musician Barry Komitor, has added an after school student/faculty jam on Tuesday afternoons to two regular classes per day, enabling students to apply the knowledge and skills they develop during school music classes. In a dynamic group environment, they learn an entirely different set of skills and considerations. The group has learned “Zombie” by The Cranberries, and “Twist and Shout”, among other songs, and has regular blues and freestyle jams. Komitor also teaches drums after school at Quest 2 Learn on Mondays, and has begun offering guitar and piano lessons after school three days a week, subsidized by grant monies thanks to the Sansom Foundation. These lessons are to serve students from former AFP programs in the Bronx and Brooklyn, which lost support or funding, including: Christopher Columbus High School Campus in the Bronx (which comprises Bronxdale High School and Pelham Prep as well as the Collegiate Institute for Math and Science [CIMS], all providing students that are participating) and The Academy for Conservation and the Environment in Canarsie, Brooklyn. Lessons are available one of the da[...]
-
-
-
-
11 years ago
-
Thanks to all who attended our opening at Gallery Bar this past Friday. It was an exceptional night, and we were pleased to have many of the participating artists in attendance. The show will run through January 3rd. If you have the opportunity to check it out, please do. We also have some photos below for your viewing pleasure.
It's been a very busy year for AFP. In March, we leased the Armory on Lexington Avenue in partnership with Fountain Art Fair to produce one of the largest art exhibitions in NYC during Armory Week. This past summer we hosted AFP's first annual 3 day music & art festival- Brooklyn Beat Festival and then launched a 3 month series of music & performance art at the same venue.
In November, we were thrilled to host Michael Alan's "Living Installation" and work with his crew of incredible artists. The show was a great success, and we look forward to working with Michael in the future.
To round out the year as we began, "What's Your Religion" opened on Friday night at Gallery Bar. As mentioned above, the exhibition will run through January 3rd.
AFP's Art Education Program continues to grow and flourish. We are currently working with 5 schools and hundreds of students providing music, visual art and theater classes. We just received this new promotional video that was created by Jewel Fiore, a college level film student.
As of January 1st 2013, AFP will no longer charge a fee for artist memberships. Applications will still need to be approved, [...]
-
-
-
-
11 years ago
-
Art for Progress hosted a student recording project incorporating participants from the 2011-12 Bronxdale High School after school music program, which was open to students from all of the Schools housed in the Christopher Columbus High School campus. The students had written and prepared a song in the weeks before the recording dates, and on August 28th, 29th, and Sept 1, met teaching artist Barry Komitor at Zen Archer Studio in Chinatown. Bassist Jason McFarlane and Guitarist Raymond Moreta were joined by guitarist Randy Rivas, Drummer Jacob Roberts, and vocalists Celeste Pasian and Queen Manson. The group learned about the process of setting up microphones to record all of the instruments, as well as the process of recording a live band.
The group learned firsthand about the level of intensity involved in committing work to a permanent medium. Most importantly, the project focused on the cooperation involved in working as a group with a common goal, including taking initiative and making compromises, and overcoming doubts and fears. The project was a great success and the students each received a CD of a mixed recording of the song to take home and enjoy.
-
-
-
-
12 years ago
-
Here's a link to our September newsletter:
September Artist Happenings
-
-
-
-
12 years ago
-
Another exciting school year has ended and AFP's impact and our programs continue to grow. The Sansom Foundation recently awarded Art for Progress a $20,000 grant which was a thirty percent increase over last year's grant! We are ecstatic that the foundation has increased their support for the program. Though the funds are very important we believe the vote of confidence from the Sansom Foundation is even more important as we focus on applying for more funds to expand our important work in the NYC Public Schools.
A special thank you goes out to Barry Komitor who has been instrumental in the development of the program in many ways. His passion and dedication to the organization and the students is unwavering. If we just had a few more Barry Komitors, we can do so much more!
In the following video, Barry and some of our students at Bronxdale High School offer some insight into AFP's Music Program. Thanks to our intern Fred Hua for doing such a great job working on this video.
http://youtu.be/8I7Drhip1JM
-
-
-
-
12 years ago
-
Miami Art Basel is this weekend and, as promised below is the update about Art For Progress and Fountain Art Fair exhibit. Rounding up the art-infused session from Friday, December 2 through Sunday, December 4, let's celebrate:
Please join us again for the Fountain Art Fair closing party, smART, on Sunday, December 4th, 7-10:30pm. APF is proud to produce this special event, where we will bring you the best and brightest in fashion, performance art, music, and film!
If you're in Miami for the Art Basel, you don't want to miss the exhibit and event!
-Heather Liggins
-
