THE CENTER FOR ARTS EDUCATION

Local teen wins Nike billboard campaign

BY ERICA EDWARDS

Wednesday, February 18, 2009 1:24 PM EST

If you are ever at the corner of Jamaica Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard, look up, and you will find the work of Cindy Bencosme, Queens’ winner of the Nike ACG Boots Billboard Campaign.

As part of their new marketing campaign, “The Strength Inside,” Nike Sportswear assigned high school teens in New York City, along with those in Philadelphia and Baltimore, with the task of creating a photo journal of what strength means to them.

ENTIRE ARTICLE.

The city’s leading Spanish language daily newspaper El Diario La Prensa ran an opinion piece penned by CAE’s executive director, Richard Kessler on Thursday, February 5th. The piece, entitled “Cerrando brechas educativas” or “Closing the education gap,” highlights the inequities that exist in the delivery of arts education and the relationship of the lack of access to arts education with graduation rates. The piece is based on research conducted by CAE using data provided by the New York City Department of Education for the 2006-2007 school year.

Citing data that shows that students from poor families are less likely than more advantaged peers to have learning opportunities in art, music, theatre and dance, Richard Kessler calls for greater accountability in the public school system to ensure that all of the city’s students are receiving an arts education:

“As a first step to making sure that every child at every school receives a quality arts education, the Mayor and Chancellor should hold principals accountable for spending money targeted for arts education on arts education. Currently, money allocated to schools for arts education has no strings attached – principals can spend this money on almost anything. Can we close the arts education gap and help more kids graduate on time? Yes we can.” ¡SI SE PUEDE!

View the original El Diario La Presna piece in Spanish.

Download as a PDF the English translation.

Obama’s call to arts
An interview with Richard Kessler about the potential impact of President Obama’s commitment to an arts platform, championing the importance of arts education, resulted in the lead quote that appeared in this nationally-syndicated story.

The president-elect’s proposed Artists Corps is one plank in his push to revitalize the arts in education.
By Gloria Goodale | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
from the January 16, 2009 edition

Read the entire article.

“The Strength Inside” photography showcase, a collaborative effort with Nike, Inc. and The Center for Arts Education (CAE), which was unveiled on January 14 at Art and Design High School in Manhattan, celebrated the work of a group of talented student photographers from New York City public high schools. Their challenge was to create a photo journal capturing a visual interpretation of personal strength. The participating schools included: Art and Design High School in Manhattan; Thomas Edison CTE High School in Queens; and John Dewey High School in Brooklyn. Winning images from each of the three students will appear on Nike billboards in their respective neighborhoods, in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn. The powerful images captured by high school student artists give them a voice through visual art. New York State Assemblyman Jonathan L. Bing from the 73rd district attended the unveiling of the showcase, to congratulate the winners, view the entire collection of work submitted and express his support to preserve arts learning. The Center for Arts Education (CAE) is committed to stimulating and sustaining quality arts education as an essential part of every child’s education in the New York City public schools.
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Nike Sportswear invited teens in New York City, Philadelphia and Baltimore to assemble a photographic journal, inspired by the question: “What does the strength inside mean to you.” The competition, part of Nike’s “The Strength Inside” marketing campaign for Nike ACG Boots, sought powerful black and white photographic images to be shown on neighborhood billboards in Queens, Harlem and Brooklyn, as well as in Philadelphia and Baltimore, throughout the month of January 2009. The competition gave students a creative opportunity to share their voices through visual art.

Re: “Schools’ capital plan greeted with boos,” Nov. 13.

Unfortunately, Riverdale residents are not alone in expressing displeasure with overcrowded schools. Overcrowding is widespread in city public schools and students are being forced to bear the brunt of inadequate facilities.
Riverdale Press
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Just 8 percent of city elementary schools met state requirements for arts instruction in the 2007-08 school year, according to a new report.
New York Post
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New York City schools offered more classes in visual art, music, theater and dance last year than the year before, and more students took advantage of those classes, according to a Department of Education report released on Wednesday. Download article as a PDF.

New York Times Cityroom Blog

See a list of media web sites that posted the story (more…)

Great Art of Our Nation Arriving at Public Schools
New York Sun