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Friday, February 11, 2011

FREE, IMMERSIVE ARTS PROGRAM FOR NJ TEEN ARTISTS

New, multidisciplinary program is a collaboration between
The College of New Jersey and Young Audiences New Jersey

Young New Jersey artists have just a few weeks to apply for enrollment in a new 14-week, immersive exploration of the arts offered by The College of New Jersey and Young Audiences New Jersey (YANJ), the state’s largest provider of arts education programs. Called the Emerging Artists Creativity Hub, or EACH, the program is funded by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.

Student auditions and interviews will be held on February 26 and March 5, 2011, at The College of New Jersey; up to 15 young artists ages 13-17 will be selected for the course, which begins on March 12. Details and applications are available online at YANJ’s website. Tuition is free, but there is a $150 materials fee per student; some scholarships are available.

The EACH curriculum was created by professional teaching artists, and features faculty from The College of New Jersey and New York University. The program’s goal is to help young musicians, visual and theatre artists, dancers and media artists collaborate in an intensive workshop format. The 14-week course will culminate in a collaborative final art installation/performance.

“This immersive arts experience is really the equivalent of a college-level course,” noted EACH lead artist Darrell Wilson, who teaches film and video at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Maureen Heffernan, YANJ’s Director of Arts and Education, added, “It’s a great opportunity for young artists who’d like to collaborate with artists from other disciplines to create original work.” Heffernan is an adjunct professor at The College of New Jersey and will also be teaching EACH students.

EACH program sessions will take place on Saturdays from 10 AM to 3 PM, in the College of New Jersey’s all-new Arts and Communications Building. There will also be field trips to New York City and Philadelphia-area museums, art galleries and events.

“At a time when our young people have very little opportunities for intensive arts exposure in school due to time restrictions and budget cuts, this program provides an incredible opportunity to explore the arts in depth,” said John L. Laughton, Dean of the School of the Arts and Communication at The College of New Jersey.

For more information on EACH, and for program applications, call YANJ’s Liz Winter-Kuwornu at 866.500.YANJ, ext. 204, or visit www.yanj-yaep.org and click on the EACH button.

About Young Audiences New Jersey:
Since 1973, Princeton-based Young Audiences New Jersey has been bringing creativity and inspiration to children and educators through innovative, curriculum-rich arts education programming. Each year, YANJ artists provide extraordinary, inspiring arts experiences to nearly 500,000 kids and 1,600 teachers across New Jersey—from pre-kindergarten through high school—serving all 21 counties with dynamic assembly presentations and artist-in-residence workshops. Now, YANJ is also working in partnership with Young Audiences of Eastern Pennsylvania.

YANJ is the first arts education organization designated as a major service organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and, as part of the national network of Young Audiences, Inc. was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton. The 4,500 programs provided annually by YANJ are made possible in part through a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State and funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Visit www.yanj-yaep.org.

About the School of Arts and Communication at The College of New Jersey:
As one of TCNJ’s seven schools, the School of Arts & Communication offers a strong liberal arts core and, through its Center for the Arts, serves the regional arts community as an advocate and champion for the arts, through programming and educational outreach.