As some of you have heard, Starting Artists is saddened to announce that we will not be providing programs during the spring of 2011.

The organization will not dissolve and we will continue to answer emails and act as a resource for students.  But in January, we will be going a hiatus due to three main factors:

- Our lease here at 211 Smith Street is up and we have not yet found a donated space to become our new home.

- Several of our funding sources have unfortunately cut funding because of the economy and we have not been able to make up the lost revenue.

- Our Executive Director, Marisa, has decided to transition out of the organization because she and her husband will be joining the Peace Corps next summer and serving as volunteers for over 2 years in Central or South America.  Congratulations to Marisa & Paul – we look forward to hearing all about your adventures and good work abroad!

To read Marisa’s detailed message to the SA community, please click here.  If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email Lacey or Marisa for more information.  Visit our Art Programs Resource Guide Page to learn about other local art programs and contests.

SA Farewell Finale: Student Gallery Show & Party, December 16

As you know, the end of December will bring a close to Starting Artists’s doors.  Please join us for a celebration of Starting Artists that will truly be the culmination of 5 years of programs and hundreds of starting artists’ hard work & creative energy! We want to go out with a bang – so bring your good cheer & happy SA memories, connect with friends both old & new, and view artworks created by current SA students this fall.  Our students in the Afterschool Program have been working hard all semester, learning new programs and techniques to create works of art and to stretch themselves as artists.

All past & present students, parents, and community members are invited to the SA Farewell Finale & Gallery Show on Thursday, December 16th from 6pm – 8pm.

What: SA Farewell Finale & Gallery Show
When: Thursday, December 16
Time: 6pm – 8pm
Where: Starting Artists, 211 Smith Street

211 Smith Street: Packing & Tag Sale

It’s always hard to say good-bye, but it’s even more difficult to pack!  As you all know, cleaning and packing all of our supplies here at 211 Smith Street will be a challenge.  Please roll up your sleeves & volunteer your time as we pack up the studio and move everything out – your efforts will be much appreciated!

Another way to help is to shop our Tag Sale!  As we pack and move, we will be selling much of SA’s equipment that is too difficult to move or store.  Here’s your chance to take a piece of SA home with you or to snag some art supplies, furniture, or office supplies at a great price!  Email Lacey if you are interested in a particular item, or browse during our packing hours.

Sign up as a volunteer and/or shop our Tag Sale on:
* Friday, December 17th from 2pm – 7pm
* Saturday, December 18th from 12pm – 5pm
* Sunday, December 19th from 12 – 5pm

Stay tuned – we may add additional packing hours if needed.  Thank you!

How to Support SA

- Click the Donate button below to make a secure, online payment via PayPal (account not required).

- Become a Starting Artists Volunteer by contacting Lacey and filling out the Volunteer Application.

- Make an In-kind Donation of goods: office supplies, art supplies etc. or services: accounting, marketing etc.

- Shop Starting Artists products at the Pop Up Shop.

- Tell Your Friends about SA or Host a Fundraising Party to benefit SA.

Contact Marisa for more information.

Donate Now

VOLUNTEERING

Volunteer Spotlight: JINI

“As a person who wants to give something back, I like coming to SA to help the community, to help kids, to be artistic, and to be a part of something that is really positive.”

Starting Artists Volunteer, Jini teaches photography at the Urban Assembly School of Music & Art. She found out about SA through a Call for Submissions to the Brooklyn Utopias? Teen Art Show. “I was so excited for my students to be a part of the Utopias? show and then I went to the SA website and I thought, this would be great for my daughters!” she explains. Jini’s daughters, Chandani and Jauhara, who are currently home-schooled, attend SA’s free Afterschool Program on a regular basis. So far, Jini has contributed by mentoring students during the Afterschool Program and by creating handmade objects to sell at the first annual Starting Artists Holiday Pop Up Shop.

ABOUT VOLUNTEERING

We could not serve hundreds of starting artists of all ages each year without the support and dedication of our volunteers. Our committed corps of students, young professionals, artists, business people, parents, and educators help by offering their time and energy in the following ways.

Volunteers:

• Assist students during the Afterschool Program, which runs Monday – Thursday, 3 – 6pm.
• Host dinner parties and fundraising events to solicit donations on behalf of Starting Artists.
• Help out at special events including street fairs, birthday parties, fundraising events, and gallery openings.
• Apply marketing, fundraising, financial, communications, and programmatic skills in the administrative offices.

To become an SA volunteer, please fill out the Volunteer Application and contact Lacey or call our offices at: 718.701.5483.

On the Video Page see videos made by Starting Artists students, staff & volunteers!

Images

Thank you for a wonderful 2010 Summer Intensive!

Students at this year’s Summer Intensive completed incredible projects in art & design, including: photography, silkscreening, graphic design, animation, decoupage, stop-motion animation, layout design, & more, bringing many professional tools to their already strong passion for self-expression.

Students also visited a NYC cultural institution each week – a special thanks to our hosts at WABC, the Smack Mellon Gallery in DUMBO, the Brooklyn Museum and its teen Museum Apprentices, Martha Graham Dance in Manhattan, and The Art Library in Red Hook!

With so many friendships to make & inspiring projects to complete, it’s no wonder that one student remarked, “When I come here, I feel like an artist – like I can do anything and nothing is impossible.”

Exciting Changes to the Afterschool Program

Starting Artists is pleased to announce some changes in the way that we will be running our Afterschool Program this fall!

Thank you to our intern Susan and ABC-NY!

The Multicultural Arts Management Internship program at the Arts & Business Council of New York (ABC/NY) was created to promote diversity in arts management careers & to provide young people with a hands-on introduction to work in the business fields of the nonprofit arts sector. Each summer, the ABC/NY matches select undergraduate students with arts organizations & with corporate mentors who can guide their personal & professional growth. Over ten weeks, interns complete projects in marketing & communications, development & fundraising, event planning, audience development, community outreach, & more.

Susan, our wonderful intern from ABC/NY this summer, is from Princeton Junction, NJ, and currently a junior at Brown University, studying Visual Arts, Public Policy, & Education. She will be working with SA throughout the summer in program development & the Summer Arts Intensive.

Join us for the 2010 Summer Intensive!

The Summer is here and our 5 week Summer Arts Intensive is just around the corner! The program begins July 12 and features a new theme each week, guiding the lessons, field trips, & activities. Explore Photography in Week 1, Moving Images & Film in Week 2, Graphic Design in Week 3, Performing Arts in Week 4, & Entrepreneurship in Week 5. Fees for the program include lunch every day, access to all SA supplies, workshops from guest artists, & 4 field trips to cultural institutions throughout NYC. This year’s trips will include visiting the Smack Mellon Gallery, Art House Library, Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, & more!

DATES: 5 weeks; 4 days each: July 12-August 12

TIME: 11am-5pm

FEE: $150 per student, per week; some scholarships still available (visit the Programs Page and scroll down to learn how to apply).

SA @ Brooklyn Indie Market on July 17th!

Join us at Smith Street & Union Street in Carroll Gardens on Saturday, July 17th from 11am-7pm for “Kidding Around,“ a shop-and-swap for tots, tweens, and adults! Brooklyn Indie Market and The {NewNew} designers continue their series with handmade offerings by local indie designers specializing in children’s clothes, toys, and themed goods, while kids are encouraged to bring a gently used book to swap for one they haven’t read yet. Come check out our table for crafts & fun!

Check out CinemaParque, a film series branded by the CEC!

This spring, the Creative Entrepreneurs Club (CEC) made a series of posters & postcards for CinemaParque, a film series hosted by Moviehouse! The series runs July 12 – August 23 and features new films with themes such as art & social justice. CEC students put their graphic design skills to work, creating a series of similar but unique images that shaped the branding for this series. They also got to experience the collaboration process between the designer & the client as they labored over many drafts before arriving at the polished, final images.

Also congratulations to CEC members, Duncan, Justice, Dierdre, Gabbi & Lizzie on their successful spring CEC project! All the CEC members this year learned a lot about applying their skills to the creative economy and helped out two Brooklyn nonprofit organizations in the process!

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