FOVAPA is a grassroots 501(c)3 non-profit all-volunteer organization dedicated to increasing opportunities for youth and adults to appreciate experience and participate in the arts in the Mohawk Valley of New York State.
KeyBank and the Amsterdam Recorder need help to decide where to donate $5,000.
A $1,000 1st place gift and a $500 2nd place gift will be awarded to the nonprofit organizations receiving the most votes in each of the following categories:
* Arts and Culture
* Health and Human Services
* Civic and Community
Cast your vote at any participating Montgomery County branch during normal
business hours, August 16 - October 1, 2010, or click the link below to go the the Recorder's website.
Only Montgomery County residents may vote, and you may only vote once. Forms can be photocopied.
Winning organizations will be announced October 15, 2010.
The Friends of the Visual and Performing Arts could really use your help! We are an all-volunteer 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and any funds we receive go toward helping youth and adults participate in and experience the arts in the Mohawk Valley.
The Friends of the Visual and Performing
Arts are looking for artists to lead workshops at our 2011 summer festival.
The Festival will be held on Sunday
August 7th 2011.
We are in need of 8-10 artists to run one hour workshops throughout
the day for youth in 5th grade through adults.
The following information will need
to be submitted:
Resume & references
Description of workshop
Supplies needed & approximate
cost
Photo of an example of the
finished product
Maximum number of participants
you will allow in the class
Please remember, these workshops are
for youth and adults. Artists will be required to prepare an example
of the final product to be on display during the
day. Artists
will be expected to produce EXACTLY what is promised. Each artist
is paid a stipend of $100 for each workshop. Examples of past
workshops
include: Mosaic art, watercolor, mono-printing, hand puppets,
hand-made instruments, etc. FOVAPA will notify selected artists
by September 30th 2010.
If you are interested,
please email the above requirements to
The Friend’s of the Visual and Performing Arts’ 15th
annual Summer Music and Art Festival, held on Sunday August 1st, was a huge
success!Family members as well as
many folks from the community came out to enjoy the “final product” of weeks of
rehearsals and classes, and our participants didn’t disappoint.
Our emcees, Sundial Express, got us off to a great
start!The Summer Jazz Band
started the onstage performances with some great tunes, and then the audience
was treated to some soothing sounds by Jim Traglia’s Caribbean Steel Drum
Sounds.The Jazz Band then
returned to the stage for their second set. Mr. Greg Kowalczyk, Middle School
Band Director at FFCS, directed this group.He did a wonderful job working with a group comprised of a
great bunch of musicians. Tunes performed included “Coconut Champagne”,
“Groovin’ Hard”, “Minnie the Moocher”, and “Little Brown Jug”.
Several hands on art workshops took place throughout the
day, including “Mono Printing” with Joel Chapin, “Collage” with Diane Wheeler, “Hand
Made Instruments” with Mary Lou Baldwin, and many others. There were also some open activities
that many attendees took advantage of participating in including origami, face
painting, dish gardens, and making mini kaleidoscopes.
On display throughout the day was art work created by our “Mosaic
Creations” participants. Susan Ruscitto did a great job teaching students the
three basic mosaic methods, as well as all the basics they needed to create
some beautiful pieces of art.Also
on display were public art projects sponsored by businesses and organizations
throughout the area. This year’s project was birdhouses, and our wonderful
decorators were extremely creative.Themes this year included “Tuscany”, “Dentistry”, “Americana”, and many
others.
For the second half of our day, the Summerfest Concert Band
took to the stage, directed by Mrs. Jessica Gould from Schoharie Central
School.Mrs. Gould did an
excellent job this year as Concert Band Director. Participants in the Concert
Band ranged in age from 6th grade through adults.You can imagine the difficulties that
could arise with having such a diverse group, all with different experience and
ability levels.These participants
worked very hard, and gave quite a performance.For their first set they started us out with “Star Spangled
Banner”. Other pieces included “Into the Storm”, “Party Rock”, and “Instant
Swing Concert”.
Following the Concert Band was our first ever Summer
Children’s Choir.Directed by Mrs.
Kathryn Cole from Middleburgh Central School, this group was comprised of
students in the 3rd through 6th grades.They prepared a wonderful selection of
tunes that included “Dust in the Wind”, “The Frim Fram Sauce”, and “!Cantar!”.
Our audience was then treated to a spectacular performance
by the Ernie Williams Band.Ernie
and his band played some great classic jazz tunes and were a wonderful addition
to the festival.It was then time
for the Concert Band to end our program with selections including “Utah Beach”,
and a song that has become a tradition for our festival, “Dixieland Parade”.
We’d like to give a big “thank you” to all of the parents
and volunteers who helped make this festival possible. Also, thank you to the
program and workshop directors & instructors.
Thank you to Caribbean Steel Drum Sounds and The Ernie
Williams Band for their wonderful performances, and to Sundial Express for their acoustic folk music and fun
humor.
Thank you to the following businesses/organizations for
grants and donations: Target, Montgomery County Youth Bureau, Stewart’s Holiday
Match, WGY, Children’s Aid Association, C.T.W. Foundation, Golub Foundation,
NBT Bank, Arkell Foundation, and the Fonda Fair. This event was made possible in part with public funds from the
Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts,
administered through the Tri-County Arts Council.
The Friends of the Visual
and Performing Arts are always looking for new members and volunteers. Please
visit our website at www.fovapa.orgfor membership information, program updates,
meeting dates, and photos from our programs and events. We look forward to
seeing you at next year’s festival, Sunday August 7st 2011!!
FOVAPA is pleased to be part of the JustGive.org family.You can support our organization's efforts to expand the arts by donating directly to us or click on the JustGive button above