Relive the past 5 years of Starting Artists, Inc. history through the SA Book. Order directly from Blurb.com’s Website and have the book printed as you like and sent directly to your home. Enjoy!

Newsletter Archive

December 2010

A Message from Marisa

November 2010

Mid-October Update

October 2010

September 2010

August 2010

July 2010

June 2010

May 2010

April 2010

March 2010

February 2010

January 2010

December 2009

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To help celebrate its 50th anniversary, Americans for the Arts challenged constituents to create 2-minute  entries to the Why Arts Matter Video Contest.  The competition received entries from across the nation, and we are excited to announce that our Executive Director Marisa’s entry, created with SA students, won the grand prize!

Marisa’s Why Arts Matter video will be shown on the the largest HD screen in Times Square, the MTV 44 1/2 screen.  The video will play 4 times every hour from October 25 – 31 and will feature the best 30 seconds of Marisa’s video plus information about Starting Artists.  SA will also receive an UltraHD Flip video camera to continue making art!

UPDATE: See starting artist Julia to the left at one of our viewing parties and view clips from the video playing in Times Square below. The first clip was taken at night and the second clip during the day.

Read more about the video on ARTSblog:

ARTSblog asked Marisa to be a guest blogger to talk about the video. See the post here.

“We’re so proud of our creative and entrepreneurial students,” says Executive Director Marisa Catalina Casey. “Creating the video was a communal creative process. Afterschool Program participants brainstormed words they associate with the arts to create a prose poem, and then they matched the words with images I had taken around New York City. An SA intern, Quon, composed the music and we edited it all together to make the final piece.”

So we’re going on a field trip – join us as we travel to Times Square to celebrate our victory and watch the Why Arts Matter video on the big screen on Saturday, October 30!  All students, parents, and community welcome -  we’re meeting at 5pm in Times Square.  Halloween costumes encouraged!

See SA on NY1:

See the 30-second video clip as it appears in Times Square during the day and at night:

See the original, Grand Prize-winning video here:

- Do you need help putting together a portfolio?

- Are you worried about the audition process?

- Would you like to hear from current high schoolers who successfully applied to arts high schools such as LaGuardia?

Sign up for the ARTS HIGH SCHOOLS WORKSHOP 2010!

At this 3-day, 8-hour workshop, you can hone your interview skills, practice responding to drawing prompts, and curate & perfect your portfolio with the help of SA staff & volunteers.  Plus, meet with current high school students who went through the process themselves and have tons of advice to share!

Dates:

Friday, October 15: 4pm – 6pm

Saturday, October 16: 1pm – 4pm

Sunday, October 17: 1pm – 4pm

Fees:

$100 per student* payable via cash, check, or PayPal

Download the Arts HS Wkshp 2010 Application or email lacey [at] startingartists.org to request one.

Arts High Schools Workshop

*Some scholarships available.  Call (710.701.5483) or email to inquire.

Thursday, May 13th , Doors open at  6:00pm

Drink Specials, Food, Silent Auction, Music: 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Art Attack Competition: 7:00pm – 9:00pm

Cheer on your favorite Starting Artists Team (Students vs. Volunteers) as they compete in the Live Art Attack Competition. Enjoy drink specials, food, silent auction, and music all to benefit SA’s free Afterschool Program for teens.

This event is 21+.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Smackdown Ticket

Add tickets to your Shopping Cart.
Click on the SHOPPING CART above.
Make a secure, online Payment via PayPal.
(PayPal account is not required.)

To save on the PayPal processing fee please mail a check made out to Starting Artists, Inc. with the name of the ticketholder and “Smackdown” in the memo line.

You may also bring cash or check to:
211 Smith Street, BKLYN, NY 11201.

GALLERY BAR

Thank you for supporting SA this past year.  Because of your generosity, SA has touched the lives of hundreds of additional children and their families in New York City and beyond.  Because of this difficult economic climate, it comes as no surprise that fundraising this year is increasingly difficult.

That’s why your support is more crucial than ever, so please consider donating or supporting SA.

Please visit our April Appeal page to read all about the good work that SA does and the 2010 Starting Artists Times, profiling three of our outstanding students.

Thank you for your continued generosity and support!

SAVE THE DATE: Starting Artists Smackdown!

Think art is not a spectator sport, well, think again! Cheer on your favorite starting artist team as they compete in this live action, art attack to benefit SA’s free Afterschool Program for teens.

Save the date for SA’s Spring Benefit:

Starting Artists Smackdown

THURSDAY MAY 13, 2010
@ Gallery Bar

120 Orchard Street, LES, NYC

The Spring Benefit will feature a silent auction, food, drink (21+) and a live art-making competition. Look for the official invitation coming soon!

Contact Lacey if you have auction items to donate or you would like to be involved in planning the event.

Parents & Students Help Plan SA’s Future

We need YOUR help!  We want to talk to our community of students and parents to find out what is working at SA and what we can improve.  We have partnered with Inspire, an organization that provides consulting services to non-profits, to assist us with this goal.

By filling out a simple, 10-minute online survey, you can help shape the future of SA:

STUDENT SURVEY: Click here.

PARENT SURVEY: Click here.

Parents: Inspire will also be conducting phone interviews with parents about SA.

If you are available for a quick 15-20 minute phone conversation with Inspire consultants, please call Mayuri, Inspire Case Team Leader at 646-562-8779 or email mayuri.shah@inspire-inc.org.

Please contact Marisa with any other questions or concerns. We appreciate your feedback!

SA Paints Mural at The Bookkeeping Center

SA students and volunteers were contracted to paint a mural for Brooklyn’s The Bookkeeping Center!

The Bookkeeping Center is a nonprofit organization which trains aspiring bookkeepers through their DISCOVER BOOKKEEPING program and helps them enter the field of accounting successfully.

SA participants painted their logo, a cheerful little bookkeeper holding a key named Max Green, on their office wall.  We’re happy to partner with a fellow nonprofit with such a positive mission and impact on the Brooklyn community!

See images of the mural painting process HERE.

Special Projects Update

The Girls Club:

After an exciting inaugural meeting of the new Girls Club at SA, we are excited to officially launch on:

Friday, April 9 at 4pm.  The Girls Club will meet on Fridays and choose creative & fun community service projects  to benefit Brooklyn.

Email us or show up on April 9 to get involved!

Hearts for Haiti:

SA has raised over $100 by selling student & volunteer artworks to benefit Art Creation Foundation for Children, a dynamic & nurturing arts organization benefiting children in Jacmel, Haiti.  This week, we sent a care package full of cards, Inspiration Kits, and art supplies to ACFC.

This video, conceived by Angel Band founder & member Nancy Josephson, features Jacmel-based rap group Tresor and ACFC children.  Its message of love & hope is truly inspiring!

“Hope Is on the Way” – Angel Band

Please consider donating to ACFC through their website.

Through a generous grant from the International Youth Foundation and Starbucks Shared Planet Youth Action, SA is piloting the Creative Entrepreneurs Club (CEC), designed both to unleash teenagers’ artistic potential and to benefit local nonprofits through real-world creative services and products.

The CEC announces a Request for Proposals to offer pro bono design services to benefit small, start-up, and grassroots nonprofit organizations located in Brooklyn, NY, or with programs based in Brooklyn, NY.

The CEC is an opportunity for teen designers with experience in illustration, graphic design, photography, video, animation, and branding to use arts and business skills to benefit their community through donating their creative services. 1-2 grantees will be selected to receive a creative project free of charge each school semester while CEC student leaders earn stipends for their work.

The new CEC Spring 2010 Application is now available. Click here for more details.

Spring 2010 Applications are DUE by THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 by 6:00pm.

Spring Arts Intensive: The Arts of Performance

The Spring Arts Intensive includes lunch every day, Open Studio Time, a field trip to an NYC cultural institution, access & guidance to all SA supplies, and will culminate in a Student Presentation Night on Thursday, April 1st where SA students will show off their work to parents & community members at 6:00pm!

Monday, March 29 – Thursday, April 1, 2010
4 Days: 11am – 5pm

Student Presentation Night: Thursday, April 1st @6:00pm

Apply: In person at 211 Smith Street, or online at the SA Programs Page.

Download the 2010 Application on the SA Programs Page.

Conact: Lacey with any questions.

ELNYA: The Future of Arts Education Panel

Join us March 1st for the Emerging Leaders of New York Arts’  Creative Conversation:
“How Do We Create a Future for the Arts Through Education?”

This panel, featuring three NYC arts leaders, including SA  board member Katherine Gressel, will discuss the challenges of sustaining arts institutions, fostering artistic development, and more.

See images from this event HERE.

ELNYA is a New York City-based networking and professional development group that explores new ideas, best practices and challenges in the field of arts management. SA’s Executive Director, Marisa Catlaina Casey, is a founding member of ELNYA.

Where: Jerome L. Green Performance Space, 44 Charlton St.
When: Monday, March 1 from 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Fee: $10 suggested donation at the door

Sponsored by: Emerging Leaders of New York Arts (ELNYA), a Program of the Arts & Business Council of NY.