New York House Party with Charles and Jean Wood
April 15, 2010

On April 15, Workshop staff and friends attended a house party fundraiser at the home of Jean and Charles Wood in New York City. The reception was a great success and gave supporters of the Workshop on the East Coast a chance to help youth learn critical thinking, creative expression and basic learning skills through the arts. The Workshop would like to thank all who joined us at this event.

The photos were taken by guest photographer, Wolfgang Wesener, who was also in attendance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tom DeCaigny Speaks on Panel with NEA Chairman, Rocco Landesman
March 17, 2010

In March, Performing Arts Workshop's Executive Director, Tom DeCaigny, spoke at the San Francisco stop on NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman's "Art Works" tour. Chairman Landesman was invited to San Francisco at the behest of the James Irvine Foundation and foundation CEO Jim Canales. This visit was part of a country wide tour to learn how the arts work in communities across the nation. The guiding principles of Chairman Landesman's "Art Works" program, include a particular focus on the role of the arts in education and in creating and sustaining livable, vibrant urban centers

Chairman Landesman has this to say about the San Francisco panel.

"One of the things I was really looking at during my California trip was arts and education, which is a big learning curve for me, though I feel that I’m starting to get the hang of it. The stage I’m in right now is listening to the experts. A lot of people have been doing this for many years, and what I need to do is learn from them out in the field. They all seem to have a great deal of appreciation and respect for what the NEA’s doing in their field. We seem to be up on what’s going on, and I think in arts education we are a significant funder. It was nice just to get out there among the people who are there every day and know what they’re doing.

At the end of the week, I was in San Francisco and then, across the bridge, in Oakland. In San Francisco, one of the things I did was meet with about nine arts educators, from foundations, local arts organizations, the city arts council. Well these are people who have been very committed to arts education for years, and it was very instructive for me to listen to them. One of the current issues is, of course, if the artists who come in to teach in the schools should be professionals, in terms of being trained teaching professionals, or is it enough for them to be working artists. And the consensus seems to be that the teachers, when they’re trained, are a lot more effective, which is something these folks have learned through long experience. We had a great roundtable around that issue."

Read Rocco Landesman's full blog post.
Postcard from California, Part 2

Learn More About "Art Works"
http://www.arts.gov/artworks/?page_id=79

Read the NEA press release on Chairman Rocco Landesman's Visit to California
http://www.arts.gov/news/news10/california-schedule.html

 

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Planning Meeting for the 2010 Conference for Community Arts Education
February 22, 2010

Performing Arts Workshop Executive Director, Tom DeCaigny, will be speaking at The National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts conference planning meeting on Monday, February 22, 2010 in San Francisco.

As co-chair of the San Francisco host committee, Tom invites you to join your peers in community arts education to help design the 2010 Conference for Community Arts Education in San Francisco. This meeting will offer you an opportunity to help shape the future of community arts education and to network with your California colleagues. The meeting will be held at the Mission Cultural Center, 2868 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110.

The 2010 conference host committee (in formation) includes representatives from Alameda County Alliance for Arts Learning Leadership, The Colburn School (Los Angeles), Community School of Music and the Arts (Mountain View), Community Music Center (San Francisco), Luna Kids Dance (Berkeley), Performing Arts Workshop (San Francisco), San Francisco Arts Commission, and San Francisco Conservatory of Music.

Please RSVP to Hanna Gyory no later than Wednesday, February 17 at hannagyory@nationalguild.org or at (212) 268-3337 ext.19.

SCHEDULE

10:00AM - 12:00PM: CONFERENCE PLANNING MEETING AND LUNCHEON

Presented annually by the National Guild, the Conference for Community Arts Education provides essential professional development and networking opportunities to staff, faculty, teaching artists and trustees at organizations---neighborhood music schools, arts centers, youth theaters, and arts education divisions of performing arts companies, museums, and local arts agencies across the country---that offer classes, lessons and workshops to the general public. The 2010 conference will be held November 3-6 at the Parc 55 hotel in San Francisco.

Next month's conference planning meeting is an exciting opportunity for you to inform the conference program by helping planners identify 1) key issues affecting the field and 2) community arts education providers doing exemplary work in California that might be showcased at the conference.  

You'll hear about opportunities to get involved in the conference and enjoy a networking lunch with other community arts education providers at the end of the meeting.

For more information, download the Planning Meeting Agenda and visit last year's conference website at www.communityartsed.org.

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Gloria Unti's Retirement Party
November 5, 2009

Gloria Unti, Performing Arts Workshop’s founder, mentor, teacher and visionary, retired from the Board of Directors after more than 45 years of service to our community. The board and staff held a party in her honor and invited friends old and new who have watched the Workshop grow throughout the years. There was a short program including a video created by WAVE (Women, Achievement, Vision, and Excellence) which gave an overview of Gloria’s life and work. The Workshop's Archives were also on view. Attendees included members from the Redwoods in Mill Valley where Gloria teaches movement classes to seniors, students who have become artists and teachers in their own right, past board members and friends. It was a memorable night to celebrate Gloria’s life work.

A collection of photos from the event are posted on the Workshop’s Flickr page.

 

 

 

 

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Signing party for Board Member Aniefre Essien’s new book,
Capoeira Beyond Brazil
April 8, 2009

About the book:
Brazilians have dominated the Capoeira book market, yet the form has spread across the globe over the last four decades. This expansion from the favellas (slums) to the world stage has introduced a host of new Capoeira practitioners with varied lineages, techniques, and traditions. In Capoeira Beyond Brazil, Aniefre Essien brings an international and political perspective to capoeira, speaking to both the novice and aficionado, as well as to historians, martial artists, social justice organizers, and youth development professionals.

Essien shows capoeira in its complete historical context, providing not only technical instruction but a critical history that highlights the political milestones of the form. Author Essien doesn't shy away from the realities of the capoeira community, directly illustrating principles that should be embraced, as well as established norms in practice and instruction worth questioning. Showcasing Essien's own experiences using Capoeira training with at-risk youth, Capoeira Beyond Brazil articulates the form's empowering aspects with strategies for using martial arts to foster individual self-reliance and confidence, as well as a commitment to community development.

About the Author:
Aniefre Essien has long specialized in youth development work in the under-serviced communities of east Oakland and the greater Bay Area. As a Capoeira teacher, he traveled throughout the United States and Brazil teaching and performing. Aniefre is passionate about the arts and believe that they serve as a vital tool for self-discovery.

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Workshop Archives Event
October 22, 2008

The Workshop unveiled 43+ years’ worth of organizational archives. This event was the culmination of a four month project headed by our Development & Administrative Assistant, Devon Nandagiri, and interns Natalie and Yelitza. These images of long-ago students and performances had remained locked away since the 1960s. In October, they came to life again in Archival notebooks and projected photographs on display for the Workshop’s community. Hosted at the Workshop’s offices in the Bayview Hunter’s Point neighborhood, a number of previous artists and youth were in attendance. Brian Wiedenmeier, our Development Director, put together a lovely evening for Workshop friends. Visitors traveled through the four decades of history and seven different San Francisco locations (from Telegraph Hill to the Fillmore; from Fort Mason to the Bay View) played on the wall. The Workshop would like to thank everyone who was a part of our evening of living history.

You can view the Workshop’s Archives and other photos from the Workshop here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Mighty Fair
May 14, 2008

The Mighty Fair was a grand success. We met our fundraising goal, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. Brooke Gessay and Scott Marlowe from LEVYdance performed an amazing work in progress. The event couldn’t have happened without the hard work of Nick Hutchinson - former Development Director, Linda Belden - Advisory Board Member, Gregory Marks – Board Member, and Devon Nandagiri – Administrative and Development Assistant. A special thank you to Cate Corbitt who provided photography for the event.