Special Thanks to The Rhode Island Department of Education for their $375,000 grant to support our nationally recognized arts mentoring programs, as a 21st Century Community Learning Center

New Urban Arts is excited to announce a $375,000 grant from the Rhode Island Department of Education to support our nationally recognized programs for Providence high school students over the next three years, as a 21st Century Community Learning Center. The grant award is vital in ensuring that Providence public high school students have access to enriching experiences during the critical out of school hours. The 21st Century Community Learning Centers initiative is the only federal funding source dedicated exclusively to afterschool programs.

Through this generous support from RIDE, New Urban Arts will partner with Classical High School, Textron Chambers Academy of Commerce and Central High School to provide in-depth collaborative learning and exhibition opportunities after school for students in the visual and literary arts.

"We are thrilled for this opportunity to deepen our partnerships with neighboring schools," says Deborah Obalil, New Urban Arts Board Chair. "Becoming a 21st Century Community Learning Center will enable New Urban Arts to broaden and deepen the impact of our nationally recognized programs, working hand-in-hand with our school partners to provide students with opportunities to explore their own voice toward establishing a life-long creative practice. "

In addition to supporting yearlong mentoring partnerships between students and artists, New Urban Arts will be developing additional opportunities to support high school students including before-school tutoring and health and wellness programming. During school vacations, New Urban Arts will offer an Artist Residency program in which established artists create new work in the studio and partner with students to design and lead art workshops for our partners. We will also offer our, Summer Art Inquiry program, an intensive, creative exploration around a chosen theme for five weeks between July and August.

New Urban Arts is excited to be partnering with RIDE and the 21st Century Community Learning Center Program. Keep your eyes open for more great news from this partnership in future enews. 

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Apply To Be An Artist Mentor For The 2007-08 School Year

Are you interested in becoming an artist mentor to high school students? Well, New Urban Arts is currently looking for new artist mentors for the 2007-2008 school year. Artist Mentors are college students, emerging artists, and professional artists volunteering 4-8 hours of time per week to work with Providence High School students in our interdisciplinary art studio on Westminster Street, across from Classical and Central High schools.

This year, New Urban Arts is looking for artist mentors in the following disciplines: fashion design, printmaking, screenprinting, mixed media, sculpture, film/animation, graphic design, music, sound recording, painting/drawing, poetry, spoken word, performance, digital and darkroom photography, bookmaking and textiles. We are not limited to these media and are open to accommodate other media in our studio.

Artist mentors must commit two days a week during the after-school time, 3-5 or 5-7pm, Monday thru Friday or Saturday from 12-2pm or 2-4pm from October 2007 through May 2008. All artist mentors participate in our yearlong professional development program (committment: four hours each month) and are required to attend two weekend retreats held in Fall and Spring. A small stipend is included with this position. Local college students who are work-study eligible are encouraged to apply.

Artist mentors are nurturing, risk taking, resourceful, flexible under pressure, and committed to their work, their students, and the organization.

To apply, download an application by visiting www.newurbanarts.org or contact Program Director, Sarah Meyer at 751.4556. Visit our studio at 743 Westminster Street to find out more information about this opportunity to work with a nationally recognized community based arts organization for high school students and artists in Providence, Rhode Island.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2007

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Prolific Arts Exhibit In Studio Gallery, This Thursday August 9, 2007

Prolific Arts, an association that supports and promotes emerging artists through networking and critique, will be exhibiting new interdisciplinary artwork in our gallery through the month of August. Gallery opening is tomorrow, Thursday August 9th from 5-8pm. This event is free and open to the public. Snacks and refreshments provided! The art exhibition will be on view in the gallery Monday through Friday from 12-5pm until August 29. Check out works by Prolific Artists on our website at www.newurbanarts.org

Prolific Artists include: Glenn Abanilla, Jill Cook, Sara Decesare, Sarah Fruzetti, Graham Heffernan, Liliya Krys, Povilas Mecys, Jacqueline Sylvia, Ken Yamagishi 

For more information about Prolific Arts Association, visit www.myspace.com/prolific_arts_association

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Cranston Street Mural Unveiling, Coordinated by New Urban Arts Artist Mentor, Kate Sanders-Fleming

Come celebrate the diversity of Cranston Street, with the unveiling of the Cranston Street Mural Project created by young artists at New Urban Arts. Located near the Armory in the West End neighborhood of Providence, the large-scale mural stretches across an entire parking lot wall. The mural's design explores emotion as a universal language, one that can bridge boundaries between language, cultural, and class differences. It intends to bring to light the reality of both negative and positive emotions in our lives and the importance of acknowledging them by sharing them with others. 

During Spring of 2007, Kate Sanders-Fleming, a senior painting student at the Rhode Island School of Design volunteered twice a week at New Urban Arts to mentor Providence public high school students in designing a large public mural. In a collaborative effort with the West Elmwood Housing Development, John’s New York System and S.W.A.P. (Stop Wasting Abandoned Property) along with numerous neighborhood volunteers, students at New Urban Arts spent twelve weeks painting the mural this summer.

Congrats to all involved in this ambitious, creative summer project! Check out the new public artwork as you drive up Cranston Street, and stop by the John’s New York System Parking Lot at 325 Cranston Street on Saturday August 25th from 1-4pm to celebrate and meet the artists. The unveiling event is open to the public with live music and free food catered by John’s New York System. The Honorable Mayor Cicilline will be speaking at 2pm along with recognition and honors for all those involved in the project.

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Shadow Puppets Now Online on YouTube

Thanks to the 200 people who visited our Art in the Park Shadow Puppet event at Dexter Training Grounds in July! If you missed the live shadow puppetry performance, you are now able to view the puppetry show online at www.newurbanarts.org

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