GSO presents nationally recognized OrKIDStra program for Head Start

KPMG volunteer Kim Cossaart reads aloud to Head Start students to

prepare them for upcoming OrKIDStra concerts

Performance puts spotlight on literacy

and musical enthusiasm for 4-year olds.

"GREENSBORO, NC—The Greensboro Symphony continues its nationally-recognized OrKIDStra program this May, delivering an exciting and interactive concert focused on literacy and artistic expression for over 600 4-year old Head Start students. This is the second year that the program is supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and it continues to be one of the GSO’s flagship programs.

OrKIDStra works with Head Start students and their families to encourage literacy and artistic expression at an early age. Tying together literacy skills with classical music, the Symphony provides over 600 Head Start children with free books related to the concert theme—this year, the featured book is Pete Seeger’s popular storybook, Abiyoyo. The children are prepped by Head Start educators and see the book brought to life in an interactive concert featuring the Symphony’s Percussion Ensemble and local professional storyteller, Logie Meachum.

In addition to the private performances at UNCG for Head Start, families can also enjoy two public performances at the Greensboro Science Center and Greensboro Children’s Museum. Performances are FREE with admission to either museum and last approximately 25 minutes. See details below for more information on community performances."

Who:  4-year old students from Guilford Child Development Head Start

Greensboro Symphony Percussion Ensemble

            Logie Meachum, storyteller

What: OrKIDStra, a concert series for 3-5 year olds focused on building literacy skills and

enthusiasm for classical music

When: Tuesday, May 03                                Saturday, May 14                   Saturday, May 21

            Wednesday, May 04              10:00 & 11:00 a.m.                 11:00 a.m.

            10:00 a.m.

           

Where: UNCG Recital Hall               GSO Science Center               GSO Children’s Museum

              100 McIver Street                 4301 Lawndale Dr.                 220 N. Church St.

              Greensboro, NC 27412         Greensboro, NC 27455           Greensboro, NC 27401

- A Press Release

ArtsGreensboro Receives $25,000 Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

The organization’s second NEA grant in 10 months will support the Special Needs and Arts Innovation grant program piloted in partnership with the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation

"Greensboro, N.C., May 11, 2015 — The National Endowment for the Arts announced last week that ArtsGreensboro has received a $25,000 grant to support the Special Needs and Arts Innovation grant program.

Recognizing the need to support creative arts collaborations, projects, and programming geared toward building sustainable growth in audiences, ArtsGreensboro joined forces with the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation in 2014 to develop a pilot that evolved into the Special Needs and Arts Innovation grant program.

“Working with the Bryan Foundation to assist arts organizations with needs that go beyond the goals of our four regular grant programs—Mission Support, Project Support, Teacher Art Grants, and Regional Artist Grants—really sparked a desire for ArtsGreensboro to do more in this area,” said ArtsGreensboro President and CEO Tom Philion. “We are delighted that the NEA has recognized the importance of energizing arts participation across our community by helping arts organizations channel their creativity into building new audiences.”

“The NEA is committed to advancing learning, fueling creativity, and celebrating the arts in cities and towns across the United States,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. Funding this new project—and 1,022 others across the country in this round of grants—will promote opportunities for people in Greensboro and throughout America to experience the arts and exercise their creativity.

Armed with this NEA grant—and with the ongoing support of the Bryan Foundation—ArtsGreensboro is developing a process for implementing the grant program. Once the process is published, nonprofit arts organizations in Greater Greensboro with annual operating budgets over $50,000 may submit applications on a rolling basis. The current review and approval process, which was developed as part of the pilot and is overseen by the Bryan Foundation and ArtsGreensboro, will remain in place."

- A Press Release

Elsewhere To Host Process Talk With Southern Constellations Fellows Hillerbrand Magsamen

GREENSBORO - Elsewhere— a living museum and artist residency set within a former thrift store on South Elm in downtown Greensboro — will hold a process talk entitled “Constellations and Conversations” with current Southern Constellation fellows, Hillerbrand Magsamen, on Friday, August 8 from 5:30-7 p.m.

Hillerbrand Magsamen are a collaborative husband and wife visual artist team made up of Stephan Hillerbrand and Mary Magsamen. Based in Houston, Texas their work draws upon the rich Fluxus practice of incorporating humor, performance, video art and everyday objects. Expanding their personal family life into a contemporary art conversation about family dynamics, suburban life and American consumer excess which they call “suburban fluxus”.

Funded in-part by the National Endowment for the Arts, Southern Constellations embeds fellowship artists into Elsewhere’s artist residency for the production of site specific projects and participation in dialog on the conditions of experimental art production.

Now entering its second year, the program seeks to bring in artists specifically from the South to create experimental site-specific artwork using Elsewhere’s extensive “Collection” of materials. There are six 2014 Southern Constellations fellows who will participate in process talks, exhibitions, member events, public studios and First Friday events at Elsewhere. The program will culminate with a gathering of regional curators, artists and returning fellows to discuss connections between art and experimentation in the South. This year’s program was collaboratively designed and curated by Jina Valentine — an artist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Art at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill — and Elsewhere’s Production Curator, Jennie Carlisle.

Constellations and Conversations is open to the public and free with $1 museum admission. Attendees are invited to stay for dinner immediately following the event; the cost of dinner is $5 for museum members and $10 for non-members.




via email
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ArtsGreensboro Receives $100,000 Grant from National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

The organization’s first NEA grant in over a decade will fund “Fabric of Freedom” during the National Folk Festival

"Greensboro, N.C., July 16, 2014 — The National Endowment for the Arts announced today that ArtsGreensboro has received a $100,000 “Our Town” grant for its Fabric of Freedom initiative, which will be presented in conjunction with the upcoming National Folk Festival.

ArtsGreensboro President and CEO Tom Philion said, “This is the first NEA grant ArtsGreensboro has received in more than a decade. We are delighted that the NEA has recognized Greensboro’s unique place in the history of our nation, and will help us celebrate that by funding the Fabric of Freedom project.”

A multidisciplinary arts festival within the National Folk Festival, The Fabric of Freedom will highlight Greensboro’s leadership role in Americans’ quest for freedom:

·      beginning with its Quaker roots and the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in the 18^th century;

·      encompassing its emergence as a textile, transportation, and furniture center in the 19^th century;

·      honoring its role as the birthplace of the Sit-In Movement and as a Civil Right leader in the 20^th century; and

·      recognizing the city as a haven for immigrant and refugee populations in the 21^st century.

Performances and community activities addressing the issues of civil rights, equality, and freedom will take place at sites throughout Greensboro. Working with a host of partners including the National Council for Traditional Arts, the City of Greensboro, the International Civil Rights Center and Museum, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park, Guilford College, and North Carolina A&T State University, ArtsGreensboro will invite performers and artists based on the Fabric of Freedom theme.

The NEA’s Our Town grants program provides a platform for diverse populations to engage in arts activities that help to define a future vision for their community. All Our Town grant awards are made to partnerships that include at least one nonprofit organization and a local government entity. Each of the recommended grants speaks to the role of arts practitioners and partners in building greater livability across a range of geographies and community types. Many communities have used these grants to support multi-partner, anchor investments in their communities' future.

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About ArtsGreensboro

With an annual budget of nearly $1.8 million, ArtsGreensboro is a catalyst for innovation to build recognition and support for the arts. Through the 17 DAYS Arts& Culture Festival, power2give, and other opportunities like the National Folk Festival, ArtsGreensboro is driving the health and vitality of our community through support for arts education, celebrating the diversity of Greensboro, and supporting economic impact through excellence in arts programming."

A Press Release