Arts Education May Soon Play a Prominent Role in Federal Preschool Programs

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Legislation has been introduced into the U.S. Congress to provide State Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K) opportunities for low income 4 year olds and additional early care programs for children age 3 and younger. "While the introduction of this bill in the House and Senate is the first step in the legislative process, it signifies important momentum for a key education priority of the President’s agenda," according to Janet Brown, CEO of Grantmakers in the Arts. The bill was introduced on Wednesday, November 13, and is sponsored by U.S. Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and U.S. Representatives George Miller (D-CA) and Richard Hanna (R-NY).

Read More

The National Endowment for the Arts Announces Expansion of Creative Arts Therapy Program

NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

Mask-making therapy will be one of the treatment activities for military patients with traumatic brain injury and psychological health issues at the Fort Belvoir NICoE satellite. Photo courtesy of NICoE

PHILANTHROPY---The National Endowment for the Arts announces the expansion of its landmark arts partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense to bring art therapy to military patients at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital’s satellite center of the National Intrepid Center of Excellence in Fairfax County, Virginia. The NEA will support a three-month pilot program at the new NICoE satellite dubbed “Intrepid Spirit One,” in which a creative arts therapist will conduct visual arts therapy and therapeutic writing activities with wounded warriors diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and psychological health conditions. The initiative just released a white paper, Arts, Health, and Well-Being Across the Military Continuum, on integrating the arts into healthcare for the military and their families. [link]

Read More

Thailand's Ministry of Culture Arranges Camp Youth to Support Religious Art

THAILAND NATIONAL NEWS BUREAU

THAILAND---The Ministry of Culture presides over the Youth Culture camp opening ceremony in order to support religious, art and cultural learning for youngsters during summer vacation. Minister of Culture Sontaya Khunplome has presided over the opening of the Youth Culture camp, which is opened during summer vacation in order to help children and adolescence to prioritize and manage their time for religious, art and cultural learning. Interesting activities have also been held to give participants a golden opportunity to learn about the biography of the late Supreme Patriarch or Phrasangkharat of Thai Buddhism at the Bowon Temple, observe the Department of the Ten Crafts or Chang Sip Mu’s art and craft demonstration, and watch traditional Khon dance rehearsal. [link]

Read More

Rabbi Organizes Religion, Spirituality, and the Arts Seminar in Indianapolis

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS

INDIANA---In another sign of the growing acceptance of religious art, a rabbi has organized secular religious arts seminar based on "The Binding of Isaac", Genesis 22 at Butler University. Entitled, "Religion, Spirituality, and the Arts: A Symposium," the new initiative of the Center for Faith and Vocation is designed to bring people together from diverse artistic disciplines, practices and religious/spiritual perspectives for a sustained study and reflection on a Biblical text. Participation is limited to twelve artists who engage the sacred text as they seek inspiration to create new work (music, poetry, visual art, dance, drama, narrative, liturgical art). The project is being made possible through the support of Lilly Endowment Inc.

Read More

ArtPrize's Online Youth Competition ArtStart Names 10 From 53 Winners

THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
By Monica Scott

MICHIGAN---The ArtPrize Education Team is calling ArtStart, an online youth competition launched this year, a success after drawing 53 entries in various art forms from around West Michigan. Ten unranked winners were recently named by artists from 1st grade to 11th grade. Besides an ArtPrize swag bag of items, students also received gift cards for art supplies or music, and a membership to the international art exhibition's partner of their choice, including Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. [link]

Read More

ArtStart: ArtPrize Launches New Online Competition for Youth

GRAND RAPIDS PRESS
By Monica Scott

MICHIGAN---ArtPrize is putting the spotlight squarely on youth this fall with its new online competition - ArtStart - challenging them to create an artwork as a reaction to their experience at the international event. The competition is for young people under age 18 and they can enter all forms of art, including video, short stories, photography, painting, drawing, and sculpture. Individuals, school groups, and families are all encouraged to participate. All artwork created must include three "ArtPrize Elements" such as ArtPrize registered works of art, or ArtPrize themes such as "the public vs. the juried vote." Winners will be selected by grade and everyone that makes the top 10 will be awarded a gift to be revealed at a later date. Education Team created an Education Youth Advisory Committee, made up of seven Kent County high school students, to help them with the initiative and develop other programing for young people. The students, who applied and were interviewed, attend City High-Middle School, Caledonia, East Grand Rapids, and East Kentwood high schools. They created a "How to" video about how to apply for ArtStart and will judge the competition. [link]

Read More

Extremists Gather in Nashville to Form Own Version of Boy Scouts of America

THE CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY

TENNESSEE---Christian activists who opposed the Boy Scouts of America’s decision to allow openly gay troop members have taken the first steps toward launching an alternative youth corps, NPR and CNN report. The new group, Trail Life USA, held its inaugural conference in Nashville over the weekend, with more than 1,000 parents and scoutmasters in attendance. Leaders of the effort say Trail Life will focus on adventure, character-building, and leadership. Members will be taught that sexual activity outside marriage is a sin, and avowedly youth will be barred. Trail Life expects to charter about 1,000 troops by January, when it plans to officially begin activities. A Boy Scouts spokesman said 99 percent of the older organization’s more than 100,000 troops have remained committed since the policy change on homosexual membership. [link]

Read More

Attack on Art: Silence on Indian front, Decry Pakistani Artists

THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE
By Atika Rehman

No serious condemnation, criticism from Indian artists, media on gallery attack. DESIGN: EMA ANIS

PAKISTAN---Members of Bajrang Dal, an extremist youth organisation, ransacked the Amdavad Ni Gufa Art Gallery and destroyed the collection of paintings by 11 Pakistanis and six Indians to ‘protest’ against the alleged Line of Control (LoC) ceasefire violations by Pakistani troops and the killing of Indian soldiers. Soon after the incident was reported, an official condemnation email titled ‘Aman ki Ashes’ was sent out by Gallery 6, the Islamabad art house that put up the collaborated show with the Amdavad Ni Gufa. The incident condemned far and wide in Pakistan – but things were quiet on the Indian front. “They [Indians] proclaim to uphold art in high esteem. But there has been no strong criticism of the vandalism. [link]

Read More

Catholic Archbishop Funds Sacred Art School to Spark Religious Renaissance

HUFFINGTON NEWS
By Alessandro Speciale

Students Creating at Florence's Sacred Art School

ITALY---Even in today’s secularized world, “sacred art is a booming market,” said Giorgio Fozzati, the director of Florence’s Sacred Art School. He pointed to Koiné, a church art and supplies fair held every two years in Vicenza, which attracts thousands of visitors from all over the world. Just in Italy, 540 new Catholic churches were built in the last two decades. And the church’s many new saints – chief among them soon-to-be-canonized John Paul II – require their own statues and shrines. Inspired by Irish sculptor Dony MacManus, Florence’s Sacred Art School was launched in 2012, with funds from donors and support from the city’s archbishop, Cardinal Giuseppe Betori. [link]

Read More