Untitled Document

May 10, 2007
This enews is also available online for easy reading.
Visit www.newurbanarts.org to learn more about New Urban Arts.

>>Artist mentors and students sell work at the Providence Open Market this Saturday!

>>New Urban Arts celebrates with the Providence Athenaeum to honor the Ninth Annual Philbrick Poetry Award.

>>A moving story, written by Sarah Gibson, captures last semester at New Urban Arts.

>>Let the words of Gandhi inspire your graduate! Buy this paperweight as a gift this graduation season.

Art Party: a tenth year celebration on May 18, 2007!

We publicize so many events, so we know it is hard to choose which of our life-changing, jaw-dropping, heart-opening events to attend. You do not have to think too hard about this one though, because this Art Party puts all the other openings to shame. (Sorry other openings, but you know it's true.)

Original artwork, live spoken word performances and the infamous fashion show - all by Providence public high school students! Experience the magic walk-in Camera Obscura powered by good old-fashioned sunlight and the ingenuity of Erik Gould. Bring tissue for the senior recognition ceremony and sport your fanciest dancing shoes because the What Cheer Marching Brigade will break it all down.

Since this is our tenth anniversary, the Art Pary will have even more cherry-topped goodness. As of now, that just means birthday cake.*

As we said to promote our first Art Party ten years ago, "If you've been down, be down." These good vibes will last all summer. Promise.

The Art Party is free and open to the public, 5-7 pm, Friday May 18th, at New Urban Arts' studio, 743 Westminster Street, Providence, RI, 02903.

* We are looking for 10 people to each bring a birthday cake to create a magical potluck of multi-colored buttercream treats at the Art Pary! If you are interested in making one, please email info@newurbanarts.org today!

*****

Former artist mentor makes $25,000 contribution to New Urban Arts

New Urban Arts is pleased to announce that we have received an anonymous donation of $25,000 from a former artist mentor to support our nationally recognized arts mentoring programs. The funds were raised at her wedding, where in lieu of giving gifts, guests gave money to start a Fund to support New Urban Arts.

These donations establish a Fund that will provide financial assistance each year so that one or more work-study students from the Rhode Island School of Design can seek employment and community involvement opportunities at New Urban Arts.

New Urban Arts depends on the Federal Work-Study Program to support some of our artist mentors and part-time staff people. For example, Priscilla Carrion, a senior at RISD majoring in textiles, as well as a high school graduate of New Urban Arts, has served as an Office Manager at New Urban Arts for the past four years. The Federal Work Study Program pays for 75% of the cost of the student, while New Urban Arts is responsible for 25%. New Urban Arts is extremely excited to be able to continue this program and provide expanded opportunities for work-study students from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Alumni students and artist mentors who have benefited from New Urban Arts give back in so many ways - donating their artwork and books to the studio, leading our students on college tours, giving financially, and introducing our programs to their colleagues and peers. We are extremely grateful to all of our alumni for their generous support.

Artist mentors and students sell work at the Providence Open Market this Saturday!

Check out the Providence Open Market this Saturday! There will be many Providence artists selling their work, including artist mentors and students from New Urban Arts. The market is free. It's at the corner of Westminster Street and Union Street in downtown Providence, in the parking lot next to Tazza Restaurant. New Urban Arts will be there all day from 11am - 5pm.

Sixteen year old Rebecca Volynsky was featured in a vendor profile on the Providence Open Market onling blog. She writes, “I've been attending New Urban Arts (a non-profit studio for high school students and artists) since freshman year, and participated in mentor groups dealing with various mediums (ranging from sculpture to screenprinting). I would have to say that my favorite medium is screen printing, because I really love the complicated and long process that it involves. There is something about creating crazy, multi-layered designs that eventually make a really satisfying, ridiculously insane looking product. I began printing in my sophmore year, and was mentored by Jean Cozzens as well as Heidi Born (two very well known Providence-based screen printers...their work was featured in the RISD "Wunderground" poster exhibit).” To read more, click here.

*****

New Urban Arts partners with the Providence Athenaeum to celebrate the Ninth Annual Philbrick Poetry Award.

The Providence Athenaeum's Philbrick Poetry Award was established to honor the memory of Charles and Deborah Philbrick by promoting the art of poetry in New England. Charles Philbrick was a poet and professor of English at Brown University. Deborah Philbrick acted as a mentor for many aspiring poets during her lifetime.

This year, poet and scholar D.H. Melhem has selected Leslie McGrath's manuscript, "Toward Anguish" as the winner of the Ninth Annual Philbrick Poetry Award. Ms. McGrath’s manuscript was chosen among 83 applicants for the regional competition and will be published as a chapbook by the Athenaeum. The award will be presented on Friday, May 11 at 7:00 p.m. at the Providence Athenaeum’s Reading Room, located at 251 Benefit Street in Providence. Both poets will read from their work. The event is free and open to the public.

On Saturday, May 12 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., D.H. Melhem will be reading at New Urban Arts. D.H. Melhem is the author of seven books of poetry, including New York Poems and Conversation with a Stonemason, three novels, a musical drama, a creative writing workbook, over 60 essays, and two edited anthologies. Her critical works on Black poets include the first comprehensive study of Gwendolyn Brooks. Among her many awards for poetry and prose, she has received an American Book Award, a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, three Pushcart Prize nominations, and a CUNY Ph.D. Alumni Association Special Achievement Award. She has just been named winner of the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from RAWI (Radius of Arab American Writers, Inc.). Dr. Melhem serves as vice-president of the International Women’s Writing Guild.

For more information about the Providence Athenaeum, click here.

*****
A moving story, written by Sarah Gibson, captures last semester at New Urban Arts.

*****
Let the words of Gandhi inspire your graduate! Buy this paperweight as a gift this graduation season.

About New Urban Arts
New Urban Arts is a nationally recognized arts studio for high school students and emerging artists in Providence, Rhode Island. Our mission is to build a vital learning community that empowers young people, developing creative practices they can sustain throughout their lives. We serve 125 high school students and 15 emerging artists through after-school and summer programs each year.