2008 JCC Maccabi ArtsFest® Starting at the End of July
More Art Specialties, Increased Teen Participation,
New Artists-in-Residence
NEW YORK, NY, July 14, 2008 - JCC Maccabi ArtsFest® opens its third season this summer in two locations with more JCC delegations bringing more teens to participate in more fine and performing arts than ever before. The JCC of Northern Virginia in Fairfax (July 27-August 1) and the Sabes JCC in Minneapolis (August 17-22) will welcome over four hundred Jewish teens to express themselves through various artistic media including musical theater, rock and jazz bands, interpretive dance, filmmaking, computer animation, creative writing, and for the first time, costume design and culinary arts.
JCC Maccabi ArtsFest, a signature program of JCC Association, connects young people entering grades 8-12 with a shared passion for the arts. Through a dynamic combination of workshops, master classes, performances and exhibitions, community service and social activities, the program cultivates Jewish identity and exposure to Jewish values, culture and heritage.
New artists-in-residence are: Sonya Berlovitz (costume design); Bart Schneider (creative writing); Stewart Woodman (culinary arts); Shira Greenberg (dance); Melody Gilbert (filmmaking); Lisa Clair (improv/acting); Peter Avery (musical theater); Lloyd Wolf (photography); Denise Tennen (visual arts); Todd Herzog (vocal music); Kay Christy (computer animation); and Phillip Ratner (visual arts). Ratner, a multi-media artist of international renown whose bronze sculptures stand at the base of the Statue of Liberty, now lives in Safed, Israel. He is in the process of establishing a museum devoted to the stories of the Bible. Returning artists-in-residence are: Geoffrey Cantor (acting/improv/musical theater); Mattan Klein (jazz/world music); Josh Nelson (rock/pop); Nadine Epstein (creative writing); Elizabeth Johnson (dance); and Beth Schafer (vocal music).
This year, JCCs across North America were able to apply for financial assistance, defraying some of the costs associated with organizing a delegation. That support, said Arlene Sorkin, continental director, translated into an increased number of teens being able to attend. Eighty-seven scholarships were awarded to teens who might otherwise not have been able to participate. Emily Warshaw of JCC Association is leading a continental delegation of 15 teens from all over U.S. and Canada for those who do not live close enough to a participating JCC.
Participation in 2008 is about 25 percent more than 2007. ArtsFest, which is presented with the support of the Legacy Heritage Fund, has grown each year since its inception in 2006, when 166 teens took part in seven different art specialties at the JCC of Greater Baltimore. ArtsFest plans to add a third site in 2009. "I'm very excited that in 2008, ArtsFest can offer more creative, talented Jewish teens the opportunity to express themselves and learn from master artists, as well as make a life-long connection to one another and to Jewish community," said Sorkin.
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JCC Association
is the leadership network of, and central agency for the Jewish
Community Center Movement, which is comprised of 350 JCC,
YM-YWHA and camp sites in the U. S. and Canada. JCC Association
offers a wide range of services and resources to strengthen
the capacity of its affiliates to provide educational, cultural,
social, Jewish identity-building, and recreational programs
to enhance the lives of North American Jews of all ages and
backgrounds. Additionally, the movement fosters and strengthens
connections between North American Jews and Israel as well
as with world Jewry. JCC Association is also the U.S. government
accredited agency for serving the religious and social needs
of Jewish military personnel, their families, and patients
in VA hospitals through JWB Jewish Chaplains Council.
Miriam
Rinn
Communications Manager
JCC Association
15 E. 26 St., NY, NY 10010
212-786-5092
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