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PHILOSOPHY
While public schools in New York City have been working hard to meet federal and state mandates for student test scores, arts education programs have become scarce. At Art for Progress, it is our mission to reverse this trend by delivering quality Arts Education programs to the students of New York City’s public schools. Our programs are designed and implemented by professional educators and teaching artists who have a wealth of experience in arts education in public schools and community-based after school programs. In addition, Art for Progress works closely with teachers and administrators at client schools to design programs for students that deepen their understanding of core subject areas. Through arts education, students make connections between material covered in class and their community; they will explore other cultures and examine human experience from a variety of perspectives and artistic forms.
In 2008 the our Arts Initiative became official when teaching artists began residencies in New York City public schools. The first beneficiaries of this innovative program were Landmark High School in Manhattan and Shorefront Y After- School Stars @ PS 225. At Landmark High our artist in residence designed a weekly visual arts elective for students in grades 9 and 10. In addition, AFP developed a multidisciplinary arts and humanities curriculum that worked in conjunction with Landmark’s Global Studies program. The purpose of this curriculum was to provide st[...]
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11 years ago
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We are gearing up for an incredible festival next weekend, and look forward to experiencing art and music in all their glory. With some of NYC's most innovative artists on board for installations, look no further than the East River.
For AFP's "Artists4Equality," Michael Alan will be drawing his life long love who will be donned in a hand made painted dress and custom designed accessories created by Alan. In a 5 hour act of love, devotion and romance, witness Alan, the line maestro, will create many drawings live while celebrating their love in a piece titled, "Love is the Only."
"Even the reclining male figure of Prostitution looks restless- the angular, attenuated limbs and their busy surfaces bring to mind one of Egon Schiele's more anxious self portraits." - Robert Shuster, The Villiage Voice, Best in Show
Kim Holleman is best known for her seminal work, “Trailer Park: A Mobile Public Park,” which has been featured in the NY Times and shown at several different sites in the city.
In Holleman's words, her installation at Solar One Park is an enormous Festival Flag which will fly in Stuyvesant Park. The fabric flag is huge, brightly colored and has metallic elements, so it acts as a terrific visual marker and color-pops against the sky. I designed to have some dimensionality too, so when it catches the wind, it fills out creating some interesting 3D shapes as it flows.
I had the idea that the patchwork in the flag was the perfect symbol for the gatherin[...]
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11 years ago
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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[...]
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11 years ago
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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, [...]
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12 years ago
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New York City Non Profit to host Michael Alan’s “Living Installation” Friday, November 9th at ABC NORIO
Art for Progress (AFP), a NYC 501C (3) nonprofit, is proud to announce its hosting artist Michael Alan’s “Living Installation, Family Misfit Healing” on Friday, November 9th at ABC NORIO in NYC’s Lower East Side.
The epic art performance piece which has been featured in The Huffington Post, Marie Claire, Gothamist, Hyperallergic and many others, is the creative genius of artist Michael Alan. As described by Alan, The Living Installation Project is a human activist art mission. The main goal is reinforcing that humans are living installations by creating a space for people to open up, come together and are all equal through the process of creating art.
After 8 years of creating performance art, Michael Alan was recently severely injured and suffered major spinal damage as well as a concussion. His injuries have affected his ability to walk and perform.
Despite his physical challenges, the Living Installation Project will return November 9th @ ABC NORIO for a special 8 hour healing show.
Family Misfit Healing: No matter how different and odd we all might be we all have the power to heal. Alan while healing after intense spinal surgery will team up with 7 performers to create a world based on acceptance and growth. A strong dynamic family portrait will be born, created from scratch. The 8 hour mega show, a true experience/happening, will be an escape where guests can d[...]
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12 years ago
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Just as summer becomes fall, AFP is back at The Paper Box with an excellent line-up on Saturday, September 22nd. Check back for more details and artist information.
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12 years ago
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Mixed Greens returns this month with a new date, but you can expect the same fresh, diverse music, brilliant performance art and thought-provoking video installations you've come to expect at AFP events. Plus, The Paper Box is in the coolest neighborhood in Brooklyn and the tacos can't be beat!
What more can you ask for on a Saturday night?
Our original opening band for the evening, The Disappointment have another commitment, but El Pueblo has been added to the ticket. They're a fantastic reggae, dub band (latin and jazz influences) who are known for their powerful performances. We are sure El Pueblo will get the night started properly.
Not walking the line between na trapeze, epic-symphonica, and electropunk, the music duo Muj is a mish-mash of musical styles. In their performances, they are known for playful improvisations and unexpected intense instrumentations. Muj segues seamlessly from ferocious, soaring guitar jams to moving melodic departures. They are now working on a feature-length documentary including an original soundtrack.
When The Coffin Daggers take the stage, get ready for an all out assault on your senses. A staple on the New York live music scene, The Coffin Daggers forge a new sound that will both overwhelm and delight the senses. The NY based surf-punk, instrumental rock band has released a full length album and two singles to critical acclaim.
The super-talented, creative, architect, performance artist Caridad Sola has rightfully become the r[...]
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12 years ago
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Saturdays late press and artist information..
Morning Fuzz: In 2011, the Brooklyn based band released their second EP titled, "Shadows in the Rearview" to rave reviews. They recently performed at Spike Hill and have some dates coming up next month in the midwest.
Thunda Vida: With four original albums released since the band formed in 2006, Thunda Vida has been bringing roots reggae to the masses across NYC for over 5 years.
Mariami: She's been featured by Indie Music Universe and recognized by Skope Magazine as an "Artist to Watch." The Georgian born soul, R&B, jazz artist Mariami, immigrated to NYC with her family when she was 7 years old.
Caridad Sola: The Cuban-American multi-media visual artist has performed at several AFP events over the past year including Fountain Art Fair, Miami and New York as well as the "Brooklyn Beat Festival" in June. Although you never quite know what to expect, Caridad always leaves you wanting more.
Sindy Butz: Sindy is a Berlin based visual and performance artist currently residing in New York City. Sindy likes to create discourse between fashion, science and technology in her conceptual work.
Cat Del Buono: The daughter of Italian immigrants, Cat is a video installation artist whose work focuses on how society defines beauty. She incorporates performance, interactive video, and humor as a way to engage her viewers.
Andy Slate: Andy is a highly praised DJ/Producer currently residing in Miami Beach, Florida. His recent product[...]
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12 years ago
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Join Art for Progress on Saturday, July 21st
featuring live music from Morning Fuzz, Thunda Vida and Mariami,
performance art from Caridad Sola and Sindy Butz
a video installation from Cat Del Buono
DJ sets from Gatto and special guest Andy Slate
more details coming soon!
Doors 8pm. Music 9pm-2am. Cover $8
The Paper Box, 17 Meadow Street, Brooklyn, NY
Directions:L train to Grand Street Stop
(4 blocks from the subway)
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12 years ago
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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
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12 years ago
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As we gear up for the launch of our new monthly at The Paper Box, we'd like to share some videos featuring some of the highlights from AFP's Brooklyn Beat Festival. The videos include performances from Ze Luis, Comandante Zero, Lachi, Minnie and Aya and other participating artists.
The monthly event will also be a multimedia experience featuring live music performances, performance art from Caridad Sola as well as art and video installations from AFP artists. AFP's DJ Gatto will be the resident DJ with special guests each month.
Confirmed dates and live music performances:
Saturday, July 21st: Mariami, Morning Fuzz, more TBA
Saturday, August 18th: The Disappointment, Muj more TBA
Saturday, September 15th: Heavy Birds, Ellis Ashbrook, more TBA
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12 years ago
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Day 2
As we arrived on Saturday, we found our friend Gilf in the early stages of her impressive Wall(Russ) mural in the art garden. We're so thankful for her hard work, as she completed the mural in about 6 hours! Saturday's musical festivities began with a set from DJ Jago. Jago is a young man who we've had the pleasure of seeing develop over the last few years after he won AFP's Clash of the Artists competitions at age 13. Jake has developed a forward, high energy sound that appeals to anyone who likes to shake it on the dance floor. Taking the stage around 7:30pm, Minnie and Aya delivered our first live music performance of the day, and they did not disappoint. Their smooth, soulful sounds were the perfect start to a great night of music. Next up, was long-time friend of AFP and talented DJ Sal Leone. Sal treated our guests to a mix of deep and classic grooves as we got ready for Lachi and Meridian Gold to perform. In the art garden, Caridad Sola was preparing for her performance piece, "Deliver us from Eve-Il" which morphs the urban legend of razor blades in apples with the story of the forbidden fruit and original sin. Caridad has a way of enticing people into her world, and then completely turning the tables on what's expected. Sherri Aliberti's "Green Cocoon" performance piece was also a crowd pleaser, while Iliana Quander's interactive "Trash Couture" installation involved some unexpected additions. We'll just say that the takers likely puffed away as they st[...]
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