DJ, one of 14 finalists, reached the state competition through the Indiana regional semifinals managed by ArtsPath, a program of the Lively Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The regional event was held in the IUP Performing Arts Center on February 28. Participating were students from Indiana Area High School, DuBois Area High School, Blairsville High School, and Marion Center High School. The state finals are facilitated through the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

“Governor Corbett and I are pleased to host the finals for Pennsylvania’s Poetry Out Loud competition. During the past eight years, 55,000 high school students have participated in the competition,” said First Lady Susan Corbett. “We congratulate this year’s finalists and the parents, teachers, and principals who supported them in this endeavor.”

While at Kiski, DJ has lettered in wrestling, cross country, swimming, and lacrosse. In addition to athletics, he is also a member of the glee club, is a prefect for his school, and enjoys playing guitar in his spare time. DJ has also participated in a number of school plays and has won a national talent competition for his performance. Maintaining high honors since he was a freshman, DJ has earned academic awards for his achievements in science and plans on studying biomedical engineering in college. He lives in Latrobe, Pa.

Gress will represent Pennsylvania at the national championship to be held in Washington, D.C. April 28–30. The state champion will receive $200 from the Poetry Foundation and an expense-paid trip to compete in the national championship, which will award a total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends, with at least one $20,000 college scholarship.

Each of the finalists memorized and performed three poems selected from print and online poetry anthologies. Students were judged on voice and articulation, physical presence, dramatic appropriateness, evidence of understanding, level of difficulty, overall performance, and accuracy.

Created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, the Poetry Out Loud contest encourages high school students to learn about great poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency under the Governor’s Office that works to foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state. The council formed the Pennsylvania Arts in Education Partnership in 1995 to enhance efforts to foster educational excellence through participation in the creative process in schools and community settings.

Pictured here with DJ Gress, center, are Philip Horn, left, executive director of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and First Lady Susan Corbett, who also serves as the chair of the PCA.

The exhibit will feature a look at his 25 public mural projects in Indiana which will be displayed throughout his studio work of paintings, drawing, and installations. Viewers will also have the opportunity to participate in one of the works.

Bernie Wilke completed his M.F.A. degree in studio art from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2001 after earning his B.A. in visual arts from Antioch College in Yellow Spring, Ohio. In the past 11 years he has completed over 55 collaborative mural projects in numerous venues, including schools, community centers, nursing homes, and churches, and remained active as a teacher, including his sought-after curriculum-based mural projects in schools. The projects are student-centered in research and design, and then jointly painted.

He has built a body of paintings and drawings in his personal studio that portray the internal spaces within modern buildings as metaphors for the inner self. His murals, teaching, and personal work have all resulted in numerous commissions. After working in the Philadelphia Mural Arts program from 2005–2010, Wilke returned to Pittsburgh, where he continues to pursue his vision of art building community and cultivating social healing.

For more information on Wilke, visit his website. For more information on his work in residencies, contact ArtsPath associate director for arts-in-education services Jeff Wacker at jwacker@iup.edu, or at 724-357-2787 (ARTS).

DJ will be one of 14 Pennsylvania regional champions who will compete for a chance to advance to the national finals held in April in Washington, D.C. At the ArtsPath regional, DJ competed against four other school winners, including runner-up Ella Glabicki, a senior at Dubois Area High School; Joseph Kukula, a junior at Blairsville High School; Jennifer Gandolfi, a senior at Marion Center Area High School; and Kate Bradshaw, a sophomore at Indiana Area Senior High School. DJ won reciting “Invictus” by Ernest Henley “After working sixty hours again for what reason” by Bob Hicok, and “The Heaven of Animals” by James L. Dickey.  

While at Kiski, DJ has lettered in wrestling, cross country, swimming, and lacrosse. In addition to athletics, he is also a member of the glee club, a prefect for his school, and enjoys playing guitar in his spare time. DJ has also participated in a number of school plays and has won a national talent competition for his performance. Maintaining high honors since he was a freshman, DJ has earned academic awards for his achievements in science and plans on studying biomedical engineering in college.

Judges for the ArtsPath regional included Jason Long, an award-winning poet teaching at IUP and completing Ph.D. in English composition; Edward Carvalho, an assistant professor of English at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and author of two poetry collections; Thomas Harris, a retired secondary social studies teacher from the Indiana Area School District; Kate Geiger, an avid reader of poetry and director of the Indiana Free Library; and Michael Schwartz, an assistant professor of history and dramaturgy in the Department of Theater and Dance at IUP.

  Presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about significant works of poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Pennsylvania’s contest structure is presented each year by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and organized through a network of arts-in-education partners across the state, including ArtsPath. The 2013 national finals will be held at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on April 28–30.

The local competition is organized by ArtsPath, a program of the College of Fine Arts and the Lively Arts at IUP, providing arts-in-education services to students in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties. It has provided these services to over 3,000 people each year since 2001. ArtsPath is led by Jeff Wacker, associate director of arts-in-education services for the Lively Arts.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency under the Governor’s Office. Its mission is to foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.

Titled Julie Bernstein Engelmann: Being Spirit, this exhibit features approximately 35 works that demonstrate her use of vibrant colors and rich textures. Engelmann channels the “painting spirit” in order to produce amazing abstract visions anchored by subtle hints of realism and described using evocative and compelling titles. According to museum coordinator Barbara Hollander, “Julie Bernstein Engelmann combines passages of poured and brushed paint that remind one of stained glass creations. The resulting works are spiritually resonant and ineffably uplifting.”

A resident of Indiana, Pa., Engelmann received her M.F.A. in art from the University of California, Los angeles, and her B.A. from Barnard College in New York City where she studied with renowned first-generation abstract expressionist Milton Resnick. She has won many Best of Show awards throughout western Pennsylvania, including the Southwestern Pennsylvania Council on the Arts 14th annual Regional Juried Art Exhibition, and has work included in many collections, such as the Greater Latrobe School District Special Collection, the Monroeville Public Art Permanent Collection, and several private and corporate collections throughout the U.S. and Canada. She has served three terms as president of the Indiana Art Association and is a past vice president with the Indiana Arts Council.

The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art at Altoona is located in the Brett Building at 1210 Eleventh Avenue and is open from 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 1:00–5:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The museum is handicapped accessible and is open to the public free of charge.

Engelmann will also be speaking about her work from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13, as part of Lunch a l’Art, a $13 public event. Those interested can R.S.V.P. to SAMA at (814) 946-4464.

ArtsPath is the arts-in-education program of the Lively Arts, serving students and communities by presenting artist residencies and educational outreach throughout Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties. For additional information on Julie Bernstein Engelmann and to view more of her artwork, visit her website.

As they read the book Awakening the Heroes Within: Twelve Arhetypes to Help Us Find Ourselves and Transform Our World by Carol Pearson, approximately 20–25 students began writing a variety of essays on the topics “Jungian Archetypes: Who Am I?,” “Life and Death,” “Wild and Tamed,” “Visible and Invisible,” and “Ancient Rites/Modern Faith.” While working on their essays, they also began creating art projects in wood that worked to avoid illustrating the topic, but instead to represent it abstractly.

Each day of the residency, the students worked one-on-one or in small groups with Stadler as their projects progressed from an idea to reality. At specific points during the residency, Stilwell and Stadler also combined forces to lead mini-classroom workshops on “The Ladder of Abstraction,” “Point of View and Interpretation,” and “Metaphor as Heuristic.”

To complete the residency, students had the opportunity to display their work as part of the campuswide Celebration of Learning where all students could present their work for the semester. ArtsPath Associate Director Jeff Wacker joined forces with a staff member from Representative Sam Smith’s office, Debi Meneeley (see photo), as part of a judging panel that awarded the top three students gift certificates for their work.

Artist Mike Stadler completed his graduate studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and with IUP’s Center for Turning and Furniture Design, receiving an MFA in 2009.

He has served as a cabinetmaker and studio furniture maker for the past four years. Mike has taught continuing education courses in wood turning at IUP and the center, as well as teaching as an adjunct instructor with IUP and the Department of Art.

He has studied with many internationally acclaimed artists and was the recipient of a studio assistantship at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. In addition to presenting on his residency work at the 2009 National Arts Education Association Conference in Chicago, he was awarded the Maloof Scholarship from Anderson Ranch Art Center in Aspen, Colorado. His most recent commissions include a 90-foot-long wooden sculpture in a newly constructed atrium by the Butler Health System in Butler, Pennsylvania, and a similar work for the lobby of the IUP Performing Arts Center.

The residency was brought to IUP Punxsutawney by ArtsPath, the arts-in-education program of the Lively Arts in the College of Fine Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. Further significant contributions to the project were made by the Punxsutawney Educational Trust.

Visual artist and ArtsPath rostered teaching artist Julie Bernstein Engelmann will present an exhibit titled “Lily Pads” at the Artists Hand Gallery in downtown Indiana from August 21–September 1, 2012.

Julie is an active local artist whose abstract paintings are defined by vibrant color and rich textures. However, her skill in realism allows her to incorporate imagery into her abstract artwork and teaching. As a ArtsPath rostered teaching artist, Julie works with students of all ages in helping them to recognize and achieve color harmony, enjoy the excitement of paint and its lush tactility, understand how they know when a painting is good and complete, and, most especially, how to express themselves through the personal and universal visual language of color and form.

She is a widely exhibited painter, having won many first place and best of show awards throughout Western Pennsylvania. Her work is included in the Greater Latrobe School District Special Collection and in several corporate collections. Currently, she is represented by LaFond Galleries in Pittsburgh, and she is a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh.

Julie earned a Master of Fine Arts in fiber and painting from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Bachelor of Arts summa cum laude from Barnard College in New York City, where she studied with first-generation abstract expressionist Milton Resnick. Her broad and varied background includes rigorous color training as a textile colorist on Fashion Avenue and working in galleries in New York City, Salt Lake City, and at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. She has served two terms as president of the Indiana Art Association and as vice president of the Indiana Arts Council.

More of her work may be viewed on her website.

ArtsPath is the arts-in-education program of the Lively Arts, serving students and communities by presenting artist residencies and educational outreach throughout Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties.

Following last summer’s residency with painter and muralist Bernie Wilke, ArtsPath interdisciplinary artist Jeff Gordon recently completed a highly successful residency at the MHY Family Services in Mars, Pennsylvania.

Through the art and tradition of clowning, the 44 youths participating in the 10-day residency tackled issues of stage fright, interpersonal communication, and small group organization, and even overcame a tremendous fear of clowns as they developed basic physical comedy skills, skits, their own clown persona, and eventually performed for an audience.

Said MHY Development Manager Amy Smith, “What a thrill it was to watch the process unfold and see firsthand how the youth on campus embraced this discipline and committed themselves to it with enthusiasm.”

When asked what was most useful about the art of clowning for the Mars participants, Gordon said that “the physicality and laughter was a great diversion from the therapy they were undergoing.”

Gordon’s down-to-earth style of guiding the students while still allowing them to explore their own creative playfulness was in no small part a major reason for the residency’s success. Using various exercises, he found that the youth responded well in an environment of playful improvisation. Said one resident, “we need something like this,” while another mentioned that the project created a sense of family amongst a group of youth who are completely lacking in conventional kinships.

A Pittsburgh native, Gordon graduated from Ringling Brothers renowned Clown College in 1979 and joined the Big Apple Circus shortly after in 1981 where he developed “Clown Gordoon,” his own, and most famous clown persona. After an extensive touring career throughout the world, he returned to Pittsburgh where his classes, workshops, and residencies are in great demand as participants find themselves transformed from audience to entertainers as they find their own inner ability and confidence through power of laughter.

This residency was brought to MHY Family Services by ArtsPath, the arts-in-education program of the Lively Arts in the College of Fine Arts at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Additional funding was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit Mars HFY Family Services or call Amy Smith 724-625-3141.

Indiana Area High School senior Daniela Alarcón was named winner of the ArtsPath regional final for the Poetry Out Loud contest held at IUP on Monday, March 5, 2012. Alarcón went on to the state competition where she placed in the top five for Pennsylvania.

The state competition was held at the Governor’s Mansion in Harrisburg on Monday, March 26, and was hosted by Gov. and Mrs. Tom Corbett.

At the ArtsPath regional level, Alarcón was one of three area students to compete in the poetry recitation regional final. She won reciting “The Poet at Seventeen,” by Larry Levis; “A Country Boy in Winter,” by Sarah Orne Jewett, and “Bilingual/Bilingüe,” by Rhina P. Espaillat. The other two regional contestants were first runner up Jamie Houston, a freshman at Dubois Area High School, and second runner up David “DJ” Gress, a junior at the Kiski School in Saltsburg (pictured below with ArtsPath associate director, Jeff Wacker).

Alarcón was presented with a plaque by Senator Don White at the high school on March 20 (pictured above).

She participates in a variety of school activities including the theater program, is treasurer for the senior class and the school's drama club, is a member of A Cappella Choir and Madrigal Singers, and is a member of the marching band drum-line. In addition to the arts, she is interested in mathematics and sciences and plans to attend a university in the Fall in preparation for a career in medicine. She is a student of Gretchen Barbor and the daughter of Katherine Koons and Francisco Alarcón.

At the state level, judges for the competition included Robin Becker, a liberal arts research professor of English and Women’s Studies at the Pennsylvania Sate University; Dr. Carolyn Dumaresq, Deputy Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education in the Pennsylvania Department of Education; Dan Martin, Interim Dean of Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Fine Arts and a professor in the School of Drama; Marilyn Santerelli, executive director of the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in Wilkes Barre; and Kelly Summerford, a Harrisburg City Council member.

Presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation, Poetry Out Loud encourages high school students to learn about significant works of poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. Pennsylvania’s contest structure is presented each year by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and organized through a network of arts-in-education partners across the state, including ArtsPath. The 2012 national finals will be held at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on May 13-15.

The local competition is organized by ArtsPath, a program of the College of Fine Arts and the Lively Arts at IUP, providing arts-in-education services to students in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties. It has provided these services to over 3,000 people each year since 2001. ArtsPath is led by Jeff Wacker, associate director of arts-in-education for the Lively Arts.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency under the Governor’s Office. Its mission is to foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.

On Tuesday, February 7, 2012, the Lively Arts and Indiana County welcomed Cedric Watson and James Rodgers for two separate open workshops.

The day began at 1:00 p.m. as Cedric Watson and fellow band member Desiree Champagne sat down with nearly 85 fourth graders in Cogswell Hall. As sounds soared from the accordion and washboard, the students and teachers were able to experience live and authentic Louisiana Creole and apply it to curriculum lessons focused on New Orleans culture and Mardi Gras.

The students attending were from Horace Mann and Eisenhower elementary schools in Indiana. Also invited to attend were members of the IUP student body. The workshop was coordinated as part of ArtsPath, the Lively Arts arts-in-education outreach program, in conjunction with the Indiana Arts council. It preceded Waton's evening performance of Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole.

At 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s contra-bassoonist, James Rodgers, met with over 20 IUP and local high school students in the Rehearsal Studio of the IUP Performing Arts Center.

The full Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra will present, as part of the Ovations! series, on February 22, 2012, at 8:00 p.m. in Fisher Auditorium.

Pennsylvania State Representative Jeff Pyle visited South Buffalo Elementary School in the Freeport School District on Thursday, November 10, 2011, to see bronze sculptor and state-rostered teaching artist Dave Poulin of Jamestown, N.Y., working with students as they experience the process of creating a life-size bronze statue. The residency is managed and partially funded by IUP's ArtsPath program.

The three-week residency began on Monday, October 31, and will continue through November 18. Rep. Pyle, a strong supporter of the arts in Pennsylvania and of ArtsPath, was instrumental in working with the host coordinator, art teacher Deanna Henry, in helping to find funding for the residency.

Said Ms. Henry, “When I met with Rep. Pyle, he was so helpful in providing a variety of names and businesses he felt would want to contribute to this type of project. As you can imagine, a life-size bronze sculpture is not inexpensive, so his suggestions were instrumental in pointing me the right direction so we could bring this creative experience to the students.”

Several local businesses and individuals have all made donations, including Rosebud Mining Company as well as Snyder Brothers, Inc., Birdsfoot Golf Course, Renshaw Family Farms, Cabin Greens Golf Course, and Judge Gary DeComo. South Buffalo’s Parent Teacher Organization also made a significant contribution.

ArtsPath, the arts-in-education division of the Lively Arts at IUP, partners with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts to support arts education outreach in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties. In addition to artist residencies, ArtsPath provides a variety of workshops and opportunities for students and teachers to interact with touring performing artists, reaching upwards of 5,000 students annually.

The first week of the residency was spent with all of the students in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grades as they went through a variety of exercises and lessons, all designed by Mr. Poulin, to differentiate between right- and left-brain thinking, work on problem solving skills, visualization, and creative writing.

By the end of the first week, each student had created their own “perfect day” adventure story, during which they discover a sculpture. All the stories were then submitted to Poulin, Henry, and the third through sixth grade teachers, with one being chosen as the sculpture for the school. At a school assembly on November 3, Poulin announced that sixth grader Drew Kolek was the winner with her adventure story of flying around the world while holding a large bunch of balloons. The actual sculpture will be of Kolek holding the balloons.

Said Poulin, “It’s such a great experience to see the kids work through a creative process, and when they’re told there isn’t a ‘right or wrong,’ see the great ideas they come up with, all by using their imagination.”

As the residency enters its third week, the students are well on their way to completing the clay sculpture. During this time, the students will learn about all the various aspects of sculpting that go into creating a sculpture that must tell a story without making a sound. Poulin will take the finished clay sculpture back to his studio and foundry at the end of the residency for the bronzing process, and return with it for a dedication ceremony in the spring of 2012.

The school will also be hosting a Meet and Greet with the artist from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, November 16, for students, parents, and community members who are interested in spending time with Poulin.

ArtsPath visual artist and painter Bernie Wilke recently completed a highly successful residency at the Mars Home for Youth in Mars, Pennsylvania. The youth created a mural, which will be unveiled at the first-ever MHY Historical Tour and Open House—free and open to the public—on Saturday, October 1, 2011, from 10:00 a.m. to noon.

The Mars Home for Youth has been serving the greater Pittsburgh region for over 130 years, evolving from the care of orphans by members of the Fourth United Presbyterian Church of Allegheny City, to caring for children from broken homes in the early to mid-1920s, to the current mission of caring for the special needs of troubled and abused children and youth. This setting of providing a sanctuary to help youth ages eleven to eighteen heal and cope with psychological and social traumatic experiences was the perfect setting for ArtsPath artist Bernie Wilke to employ the healing power of art in a ten-day residency.

The thirty-five youths participating in the residency were involved in every aspect of the five-by-sixteen-foot mural, including research on the Mars Home for Youth history, brainstorming and creating the design, and then finishing with painting the mural. Although the initial plan was to tell the history of the home, the students selected a design that shows others their experiences at the MHY, one that highlights their journey as they move from dark to light. In the end, they simply had a desire for others to understand them as important members of the community.

Said Judy Rodgers, the Mars Home for Youth director of Development, “They wanted people to know what the home is there for and what it is like to be here, so we were delighted to let it quickly evolve from our idea on the home’s history to their project and story.”

Through various exercises to help find a theme, identify the emotions they wished to show, decide on color choices, etc., Wilke discovered that “These students really have a lot of ideas and creativity.” When asked about his artistic vision for the mural, Wilke said, “I never go into a project such as this with a preconceived idea of its outcome. It has to come from the kids.”

His relaxed and mentoring style of instruction guided the students, but yet allowed them to think on their own in making creative choices, and was in no small part a major contribution to the success of the residency. Said one resident, “I like him because he explains and gives ideas, but the kids can do their own thing,” while another mentioned that the project showed her a new way to express her emotions.

Artist Bernie Wilke has been an artist on the state directory of teaching artists through ArtsPath for over six years and has established himself as a visual artist who is committed to using his talents in a community setting. After completing his B.A. in visual arts from Antioch College, Bernie received his M.F.A. degree in studio art from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in May 2001.

Since then, Bernie has completed over fifty-five collaborative mural projects in places such as schools, community centers, nursing homes, and churches. Also an active teacher, he has taught painting, drawing, color, 2-D design, and art history at many types of institutions, including two colleges, a correctional institution, and a guidance center.

Bernie spent 2005–2010 in Philadelphia, where, in addition to teaching art classes with several arts organizations, he was an active artist for the Mural Arts Program. Part of his vision is to continue to utilize the power of art to build community and cultivate social healing.

The residency was brought to the Mars Home for Youth by ArtsPath, the arts-in-education arm of the Lively Arts in the College of Fine Arts at IUP and in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Further contributions to the project were made by the Pittsburgh-based law firm of Cohen & Grigsby.

A conference for arts managers, teachers, school administrators, artists, and arts advocates will be held Monday, June 6, 2011, at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

The meetings will begin in the IUP Performing Arts Center from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Presented by the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance and IUP’s ArtsPath, a program of the Lively Arts, the conference is titled “Gain with Less Pain: Surviving the Arts.”

The day includes workshops and discussions that will focus on some of the issues, challenges, and opportunities in the arts today. The goal of the conference is to help those working in the arts to be more productive with greater efficiency, especially when faced with shrinking resources.

Presenters for the conference include Jenny Hershour, executive director of Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania, speaking about the need for extending arts advocacy to our elected officials.

E. Jeanne Gleason (left), newly appointed by Governor Corbett as vice chair of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, will lead a workshop titled “Non-Profit Board Leadership: What’s My Job?”

Other presenters include Arin Sullivan from the Philadelphia-based Pew Charitable Trust’s Cultural Data Project; Michael Powers, IUP’s director of Web Services, speaking on the topic of social media; and Eric Ebeling, managing editor of the Indiana Gazette, who will lead a session on best ways to get your news to the media.

Professional teaching artists Paula Purnell, Sandy Trimble, and Martha Murphy will present two different workshops geared to artist residencies and arts for the challenged student.

There will also be networking opportunities along with a final wrap-up and call to action. For elementary and secondary teachers and administrators, five hours of Act 48 credit, required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, have been approved and will be available.

Cost for the conference is $30 per person and includes all workshops, refreshments, and lunch. Preregistration is required and is available, along with more detail about the conference, online through ArtsPath. The registration form is also available online.

For more information or to have registration materials sent, please e-mail PRAA at praa@francis.edu or call 814-472-3927. Information is also available by calling ArtsPath at 724-357-4565.

DuBois Area High School sophomore Ella Glabicki won the ArtsPath regional final for Poetry Out Loud at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, February 22, 2011.

The award was presented by Myron Tomb, a member of the governor-appointed Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, following recitations given in the IUP Performing Arts Center.

Glabicki, one of five outstanding area students to compete in the poetry recitation regional final, will travel to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg for the Pennsylvania state final on March 14, 2011.

Each of the five participating students recited three poems from memory selected from a Poetry Out Loud anthology. Glabicki won reciting “My Grandmother’s Love Letters” by Hart Crane, “Solitude” by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, and “Sugar Dada” by J. Allyn Rosser. Other students’ choices this year also included “The New Decalogue” by Ambrose Bierce, “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall, “Dover Beach” by Matthew Arnold, and, appropriate to the weather, “Snow Day” by Billy Collins, to name just a few.

Glabicki is a sophomore at DuBois Area High School. Among other school activities, she is a member of the International Thespian Society and was recently named to the Pennsylvania Thespian Student State Board. In addition to participating in plays and musicals both at the high school and with the Reitz Theatre in DuBois, she dances at Van Dyke and Company in Punxsutawney and studies voice and piano. She plans to pursue a career in musical theater, and is a student of Dorothea Hackett.

The first runner up, who must be prepared to step in should the winner not be able to compete at the state level, was Daniela Alarcón, a junior at Indiana Area High School. Other competing students included sophomore Tory Dellafiora from Homer Center High School, senior Sara Good from the Kiski School, and sophomore Julia Snickles from Marion Center Area High School.

The contest is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation to encourage high school students to learn about significant works of poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. The state competition is presented each year by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and organized through a network of arts-in-education partners across the state. The 2011 national finals will be held at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on April 29.

The local competition is organized by ArtsPath, a program of the College of Fine Arts and the Lively Arts at IUP, providing arts-in-education services to students in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties. It has provided these services to over 3,000 people each year since 2001. ArtsPath is headed by Jeff Wacker, associate director of arts-in-education for the Lively Arts.

An outstanding and diverse group of individuals judged this year’s contest including Ed Carvalho, an English instructor at IUP; Laurel Johnson Black, an associate professor of English at IUP; Kate Geiger, director of the Indiana Free Library; Brian Jones, professor and department chair of IUP's Department of Theater and Dance; and Rebecca Catelinet, executive director for the Pennsylvania Rural Arts Alliance. The prompter was Sean Barrett, a senior Theater major at IUP, with solo guitar music was provided by junior Music Education major Nathanial Mack.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency under the Governor’s Office. Its mission is to foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.

ArtPath artist Bernie Wilke has returned to the ArtsPath region and has launched a new website.

For the past few years, Wilke has been working with the Mural Arts Program of Philadelphia, as well as teaching art classes for several other art organizations in the Philadelphia area. ArtsPath is pleased to have Bernie back in the area, and looks forward to working with him once again.

We encourage you to look at Bernie’s new website and see some of the wonderful murals that he has created throughout the Indiana, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia regions. He has established himself as a visual artist who is committed to using his talents in a community setting.

After completing his B.A. in visual arts from Antioch College, Wilke received his Master of Fine Arts degree in studio art from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in May 2001. Since then, hehas completed over thirty-five community mural projects in schools, community centers, nursing homes, and churches. He has also taught painting, drawing, color and two-dimensional design, and art history at many types of institutions, including two colleges, a prison, and a guidance center. In addition, he has completed many other commissioned art projects for individuals and organizations.

Wilke also pursues his personal studio work—a body of paintings and drawings that portray the internal spaces within modern buildings as metaphors for the inner self. His work has been featured in many juried regional and national exhibitions since 1994.

ArtsPath

Inspired by whimsical aspects of life, the exhibit is titled “Wonderful Whimsy” and runs from November 19 through December 31. In addition to Murphy, the exhibit features James Page, Jan and Jonathan Heath, Kate Sewalk, Elli Groniger, and Parice Ferlan. The exhbit includes paintings, sculptures, and book bindings, all of which were inspired by various whimsical aspects of life.

The exhibit is sponsored in part by JRA Development, Glades Pike Winery, and Michelle’s Catering.

Murphy graduated cum laude in 1988 with a degree in English and fine arts from St. Michael’s College in Burlington, Vermont. Although a painter and art enthusiast from the age of seven, it was not until into her thirties that she actively pursued a career in the arts.

She began her artistic life as a painter. When a friend gave her an oxy-acetylene torch sent as a joke, she accepted the challenge by having another friend in the auto body business show her how to light the torch. She began by practicing cutting up old car parts, and a new direction was set. Her teaching and creating in visual art now includes painting, sculpting, metal fabrication, and clay works.

Operating for the past ten years from her own clay and metal studio in Friedens, Pennsylvania (Somerset County), she has worked as a full-time artist with her studio work and teaching. Since 1997, Murphy has served as an artist-in-residence for the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art and since 2001 with ArtsPath. She also teaches for Laurel Arts and gives workshops at various galleries across the United States.

Her sculpting and metalwork have been commissioned by galleries in Naples and Palm Beach, Florida; Corolla, North Carolina; Hancock, Maryland; Ogden, Utah; Carmel, California; and Pittsburgh.

Murphy’s goal is to help open the eyes of others while in turn having the course of her own vision change and strengthen through the teaching and learning process. More on Martha may be found on her website.

This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the exhibition, and, in celebration of this event, they will feature one hundred works of art by their artists. The Associated Artists of Pittsburgh is the largest visual arts organization in the Pittsburgh region and one of the oldest and largest in the nation. The Associated Artists of Pittsburgh’s Exhibition is considered the highlight of this year’s Centennial celebration, which features over seventy exhibits in all.

The exhibition is being held at the Carnegie Museum of Art, 4400 Forbes Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. There will be a free public reception on Friday, July 23, from 7:30 to 10:00 p.m. to celebrated the opening of the exhibit. The exhibition will run through September 19.

Heinrich will have two works of art on display. “Waterfall” is a seven-foot sculpture made of fiberglass and glass, and “Memory (Ted)” is a piece that has been sculpted in wood and then cast in silicone. In addition to having her art work on display, she also won two jurors’ awards for the pieces.

The two jurors for this years show were Al Miner, assistant curator of the Hirshhorn Museum of Art and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C., and Donald Miller, former art critic of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Educated at the Cleveland Institute of Art, Heinrich has been awarded grants from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation. She is represented in the permanent collections of the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, the Heinz Endowments, and the Contemporary Art Museum of Montecatini, Italy.

Exhibiting yearly at galleries in New York City, Washington, D.C., Italy, and throughout Pennsylvania, Heinrich has been an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University and Seton Hill University and has taught at Touchstone Center for Crafts. Her work is represented in over sixty corporate collections and many private collections.

She has been awarded seven jurors’ awards in other Associated Artists of Pittsburgh Exhibitions held at the Carnegie Museum of Art, and has developed a high school student outreach program for the AAP called Visual Arts Career Orientation. In 2002, she was awarded the honor of Pittsburgh Artist of the Year, which included a major exhibition at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts.

ArtsPath artist Michael Stadler recently completed a wood sculpture that was commissioned by the Butler Health Systems for the new atrium at its hospital in Butler, Pa.

The space was officially dedicated and opened to the public on Sunday, July 18, 2010. Stadler was joined by other nationally acclaimed artists who were commissioned to provide artwork for the space.

The theme of the commissioning project was inspired by the community and landscape of Butler. Surrounded by rolling hills, neighborhoods, and the native trees of Western Pennsylvania, the hospital and atrium are now home to a variety of artwork that showcases these outstanding features of the Butler community.

Pittsburgh Filmmakers/Pittsburgh Center for the Arts served as a consultant to the project, with PF/PCA Director Laura Domencic commenting, “A collaboration like this is a great example of how artists and organizations can make a truly positive and profound impact on the community. It is a wonderful opportunity for artists as well as a strong statement by Butler Hospital of the necessity of art in our lives.”

Stadler completed his graduate studies at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and with IUP’s Center for Turning and Furniture Design, receiving an M.F.A. in 2009. He has served as a cabinetmaker and studio furniture maker for the past four years and has been teaching continuing education courses in wood turning at IUP and the Center for Turning and Furniture Design for the past three years. He will continue to serve as an adjunct instructor with IUP and the Department of Art this coming year.

Stadler has studied with many internationally acclaimed artists and was the recipient of a studio assistantship at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in Gatlinburg, Tenn. In addition to presenting on his residency work at the National Arts Education Association Conference in Chicago, he was awarded the Maloof Scholarship from Anderson Ranch Art Center in Aspen, Colo.

ArtsPath recently completed a semester-long residency on the IUP at Punxsutawney campus with a culminating presentation event hosted by the instructor, Leah Chambers, and ArtsPath professional artist Michael Stadler.

Attending the Punxsutawney event, held on May 4, 2010, were Debi Meneely and Donna Lorelli from Representative Sam Smith’s office, and Raymond Beisel, interim dean for the Punxsutawney campus, along with several of the students involved in the project.

The final piece of work created during the semester was an art-infused lounge chair, with each student contributing their own unique portion to the piece along with assisting with the overal design and construction. In addition to the lounge chair, each student experienced turning wood on a lathe in creating another project piece.

The residency is ArtsPath’s third at IUP’s Punxsutawney campus in two years and continues to bring a strong arts component to the campus. In this residency, the professor teaching college writing, Leah Chambers, joined forces with Stadler (pictured at right with the final chair) as the students experienced the discipline of woodworking and writing as complimentary forms of expression. Several goals were achieved throughout the residency, including the encouragement of critical thinking through the artistic woodworking and design processes, introduction of woodworking as a visual means of creative communication, and a better understanding of project collaboration. As part of the process, the students also did extensive journaling as they reflected upon the integration of the arts and college writing.

In addition to his time working with the college writing students, Stadler set up in the commons area of the campus’s main building to allow other students to witness the process of the various components being created. All students were encourage to experiment with the artistic process throughout the semester.

ArtsPath

Also attending the event were state Senator Don White; Michael Hood, dean of the College of Fine Arts; Dr. Mary Ann Rafoth, dean of the College of Education and Educational Technology; Dr. Jennifer Rotigel, chair of the Professional Studies in Education Department; and Myron Tomb, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts council member and local attorney.

Several arts projects were created throughout the semester, and the class joined forces to create a tiled mosaic presented to Dean Rafoth. It will hang in the college’s offices.

The residency is the third hosted by the College of Education. The first of these residencies was held in 2008 and featured fiber artist Sandy Trimble as she worked with Dr. Mary Anne Hannibal’s students in a pre-kindergarten course. Last year’s residency was in the same Pre-K course and featured the ensemble of Stories ’n Motion, a talented storytelling and dance team duo composed of Jan Kinney and Anne Van Kuren. Murphy, Trimble, and Stories ’n Motion are all professional artists included in the ArtsPath and Pennsyvlania Directory of Artists in Education.

This spring’s residency centered on junior-level students in Creative Experiences to Enhance Literacy Acquisition. As with the previous two residencies, the education students were learning why the arts are so critical in learning and how they can be infused into the lesson plans of any curriculum.

The majority of ArtsPath residencies currently occur within the public school system, helping current teachers understand the power the arts can have in all learning. The goal of the higher education residencies at IUP is to present the possibilities the arts hold in learning to future teachers before they begin their careers as educators. These junior students will now have the opportunity to spend the rest of the semester working with cooperating teachers in the Derry-Latrobe School District, presenting lessons that were developed with Murphy.

Comments from the students included: “I think this is a wonderful program and should be continued at IUP,” and, “I always liked art, and now I’m motivated even more to use it in the classroom.” And, from Purnell, “This in-depth experience allowed the students to develop their arts skills and self-efficacy, which will be integral to using the arts in their future classrooms.” 

And, according to Dean Rafoth, as the state requirements change in regard to elementary education certification requirements, integrating the arts into this course at IUP will only continue to grow in the future.

Pictures above include the Tree of Learning mural (top) and the students who created the mural and presented it to the College of Education and Educational Technology. Artist Martha Murphy is pictured to the far right. The back row, left to right, includes Dean Hood, Senator White, Myron Tomb, Dean Rafoth, and Dr. Purnell.

Indiana Area High School junior Tove Johnson won the ArtsPath regional final for Poetry Out Loud at Indiana University of Pennsylvania on Tuesday, February 23, 2010. Johnson, one of five outstanding area students to compete in the poetry recitation regional final, will travel to the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg for the Pennsylvania state final on March 15, 2010.

Each participant recited three poems from memory selected from a Poetry Out Loud anthology. The students’ choices this year also included “The Old Swimmin’ Hole” by James Whitcomb Riley, “A Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” by Sir Walter Ralegh, and “Agoraphobia” by Linda Pastan, to name a few. Johnson had the audience laughing with her final recitation, "Hate Poem," by Julie Sheehan—a sarcastically biting poem about hate.

Johnson is an avid participant in the arts programs at Indiana, a member of the International Thespian Society, and a member of A Cappella Choir and Stage Crew Club. As a dancer, Johnson has studied for fourteen years, currently attends Van Dyke and Company in Punxsutawney, and is in her third year as a member of the Mahoning Valley Ballet Company. Having attended the Long Lake Camp for the Arts and the Broadway Training Center in their Winter Intensive program, she hopes to pursue a career in musical theater. She is the daughter of Tom and Gretchen Johnson and a student of Gretchen Barbor.

Debbie Brenner, a junior at Marion Center High School, was first runner-up; and Pennsylvania’s 2009 state winner, Molly Stoltz, a senior at DuBois Area High School, was second runner-up. Tyler Baum, Homer Center Area High School senior, and Ryan Rebel, a senior at Kiski School in Saltzburg, also recited.

The contest is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation to encourage high school students to learn about significant works of poetry through memorization, performance, and competition. The state competition is presented each year by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and organized through a network of arts-in-education partners across the state. The 2010 national finals which will be held at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on April 27, 2010.

The local competition is organized by ArtsPath, a program of the College of Fine Arts providing arts-in-education services to students in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties. It has provided these services to over 3,000 people each year since 2001.

An outstanding and diverse group of individuals judged this year’s contest, including Leah Chambers, adjunct IUP faculty member in English at IUP’s Punxsutawney campus; Matthew Ferrence, adjunct IUP faculty member in English in Indiana; Kate Geiger, director of the Indiana Free Library; Lynn Shelly, IUP assistant professor of English and director of the Writing Center at the Punxsutawney campus; and Rebecca Slak, executive director for the Indiana Arts Council. The prompter, which was not needed for the first time in the ArtsPath Regionals history, was Andrew Horner, a senior English and Philosophy major at IUP.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency under the Governor’s Office. Its mission is to foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.

With the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form—as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of hip-hop music—Poetry Out Loud is building on that momentum by inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English classes of high school students across the country.

The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have partnered with state arts agencies to support the expansion of Poetry Out Loud, which encourages the nation’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance. The program helps students master public speaking skills, build self-confidence, and learn about their literary heritage.

After successful pilot programs in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, the second phase of Poetry Out Loud was launched in high schools across America in the spring of 2006 with tens of thousands of students participating. Last year, over 300,000 students competed, with William Farley from Virginia being named National Champion on April 28, 2009.

Pennsylvania’s 2009 winner and representative for the national contest was Molly Stoltz (pictured here with Gov. Rendell), a junior at DuBois Area High School in Clearfield County and the regional champion for ArtsPath. Poetry Out Loud has continued to grow during the 2009–2010 school year. Pennsylvania alone went from 7,000 participating students to over 9,000. This process will culminate in the 2010 National Finals in Washington, D.C., on April 27, 2010.

The 2010 regional contest for ArtsPath features five outstanding students. They are Tyler Baum from Homer Center Area High School, Debbie Brenner from Marion Center High School, Tove Johnson from Indiana Area High School, Ryan Rebel from the Kiski School, and, returning for one more year, Molly Stoltz from DuBois Area High School. Each will recite three poems from memory, selected from a Poetry Out Loud anthology. The student’s choices this year include “The Old Swimmin’ Hole” by James Whitcomb Riley, “A Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd” by Sir Walter Ralegh, “Hate Poem” by Julie Sheehan, and “Agoraphobia” by Linda Pastan, to name a few.

An outstanding and diverse group of individuals have agreed to be judges for this year’s contest and include Leah Chambers, adjunct IUP faculty member in English at IUP’s Punxsutawney campus; Matthew Ferrence, adjunct IUP faculty member in English in Indiana; Kate Geiger, director of the Indiana Free Library; Lynn Shelly, IUP assistant professor of English and director of the Writing Center at the Punxsutawney campus; and Rebecca Slak, executive director for the Indiana Arts Council. Serving as the prompter will be Andrew Horner, a senior English and Philosophy major at IUP.

Act 48 hours are provided, and partial reimbursement for substitute teachers is available on a limited basis.

Keynote Speaker: Sarah Tambucci

Currently in her eighth year as director of the Arts Education Collaborative in Pittsburgh, Sarah Tambucci draws upon her extensive educational experience as a visual arts teacher, department chair, and principal in leading this dynamic arts organization that, in part, trains teachers on incorporating the arts into their curriculums.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Arts Education from Edinboro University and master’s and doctoral degrees in Education and Education Administration from the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to twenty-three years as an art teacher and ten years as principal at Chartiers Valley Intermediate School, Dr. Tambucci has been an adjunct faculty member at Carlow University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Carnegie Mellon University. Her most noteworthy leadership positions include past president of the National Art Education Association (NAEA) and past president of the Pennsylvania Art Education Association (PAEA). She is the author of numerous articles on issues related to leadership and influence policy.

Dr. Tambucci also serves on numerous advisory boards and committees that support arts and education throughout the region, state, and nation, including Gateway to the Arts Education Advisory Panel, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Teachers’ Advisory Council, Carnegie Museum of Art Program Committee, Charles Gray Awards Committee, Allegheny Intermediate Unit Strategic Planning Committee, Greater Pittsburgh Arts Alliance Board Member, Focus on Renewal Father Ryan Arts Center Planning Committee, and the Arts Learning Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts. Among many tributes, she is the 2006 recipient of the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Leadership in Arts Education. She is a passionate advocate for the role of the arts as part of a comprehensive education and speaks with regularity as a keynote and as a panelist.

As evidenced in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article, it is obvious that her passion for the arts and education became intertwined, resulting in a belief that education in all the arts should be emphasized as much as math and reading and would enrich and enhance the standard curriculum. Without the arts, Dr. Tambucci states, “we are missing the opportunity to influence the quality of life of future generations. The skills learned in the arts lead to higher-ordered thinking skills... many of the things you do in life track back to the arts.”

Schedule

• 9:00–9:30 a.m.—Registration, coffee, networking
• 9:30–10:00 a.m.—Meet ArtsPath and Its Artists: A Welcome and Introduction of Attendees and ArtsPath Artists
• 10:00–11:00 a.m.—Keynote address, Sarah Tambucci, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Arts Education Collaborative: “Integrated Thinking and Learning: Core Modalities as a Standard to Determine If Quality Integrated Thinking and Learning Is Occurring” 
• 11:00–Noon—Breakout session: A hands-on application of keynote concepts
• Noon–12:45 p.m.—Catered lunch and networking
• 12:45–2:30 p.m.—Brainstorming session: Roundtables to meet a variety of artists, discuss your needs, share ideas
• 2:30–3:00 p.m.—Bringing it all together: An artist residency—a fit for everyone
• 3:00 p.m.—Drawings: Performance tickets and other prizes!!!
• 3:00–4:00 p.m.—Mechanics 101: A chance to talk one-on-one with ArtsPath artists and staff

Dress is casual; the learning is not; and we invite you to share this with your colleagues.

To register or for more information, call 724-357-4565 or e-mail Jeff Wacker at jwacker@iup.edu.

A regional arts-in-education program in partnership with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, ArtsPath places highly qualified and professionally active artists of all disciplines in educational settings for extended, in-depth residency activities covering a geographic region that includes Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties.

Over the next eight months, literally hundreds of students at all levels will have lessons creatively enhanced through the power of the arts. Students in the public schools will discover a deeper level of learning while simultaneously enjoying a new sense of creativity as a specific art discipline is integrated with their subject of study.

The first residency for this year began Wednesday, March 20, 2010. A class of juniors at IUP will be learning how to integrate the arts into their K-5 lesson plans. This residency builds upon two previous residencies held in the Spring 2008 and Spring 2009 semesters. They were hosted by Dr. Mary Anne Hannibal, with each focused on teaching sophomores in the Early Childhood program how art could be integrated into a Pre-K curriculum. The first incorporated the felting of artist Sandy Trimble, and the second the exciting combination of storytelling and dance through Stories 'n Motion, a group created by storyteller Jan Kinney and dancer Ann Van Kuren.

This year’s junior-level course, ECED 314: Creative Experiences to Enhance Literacy Acquisition, is taught by Dr. Paula Purnell, a former teaching artist with ArtsPath, and uses the hands and experience of veteran teaching artist and sculptor Martha McKinley Murphy (at left). It should prove to be an exciting learning experience for all, including the cooperating teachers in the Derry/Latrobe school districts who have the opportunity to learn from the IUP students. Murphy will maintain a blog throughout the residency, which everyone is invited to visit.

This year, ArtsPath is implementing one of its most diverse groups of residencies in its nine-year history. Other residencies for the year include elementary, junior, and senior high schools, as well as an alternative school and state correctional facility.

The contest is presented by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation to encourage high school students to learn about significant works of poetry through memorization, performance, and competition.

The state competition is presented each year by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Over 7,000 students in ninety Pennsylvania high schools across the state participated at the classroom level in this year’s competition.

Stoltz was selected from among thirteen regional finalists by a panel of judges in a day-long competition at the Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg held Thursday, March 12. Second place went to Luka Glinsky from Erie County and third place went to Christian Aponte of Luzerne County.

“The Commonwealth can be very proud of the outstanding performances delivered by today’s contestants, and especially our new state champion Molly Stoltz,” said Pennsylvania Council on the Arts chairperson Diane Dalto. “Seeing the talent, self-confidence, emotional intelligence, and dedication to excellence exemplified by Stoltz and the other regional winners offers a boost in turbulent times and instills optimism for a better future.”

Each competitor memorized and prepared three poems for recitation selected from print and on-line poetry anthologies. Evaluation criteria included voice and articulation, physical presence, appropriateness of dramatization, evidence of understanding, level of difficulty, overall performance, and accuracy.

The panel of judges for the Harrisburg event included Pennsylvania cultural leaders, writers, and poets: Clyde McGeary, artist and author; Francesca Fiore, last year’s Pennsylvania Poetry Out Loud state champion; Kendria Perry, Miss Pennsylvania 2008; Marjorie Maddox Hafer, poet and professor of English at Lock Haven University; and Jeffrey Gabel, founder and executive director of the Majestic Theater at Gettysburg. JoBeth McKee and Jamie Kasper of the Department of Education served as accuracy judges.

As state champion, Stoltz will receive $200 from the Poetry Foundation and an expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to compete for the national championship April 28. The Foundation will award a total of $50,000 in scholarships and school stipends at the national finals, with at least one $20,000 college scholarship for the Poetry Out Loud national champion.

Stoltz was selected to represent the ArtsPath region in a semifinal competition held in the Indiana University of Pennsylvania Performing Arts Center on February 23. ArtsPath, a program managed by the IUP College of Fine Arts and The Lively Arts and funded by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, provides arts-in-education services for a region that includes Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Jefferson, and Indiana counties and the DuBois area of Clearfield County. ArtsPath is one of eleven such partners—along with the state Parent Teachers Association—across the state that were responsible for organizing and presenting thirteen regional competitions.

Stoltz is the daughter of Harry and Mary Beth Stoltz of DuBois. She is an active member of the school’s theater program and is currently cast as Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof. She serves as vice president of the Dynamics, the school’s show choir. She is also a member of the drama club, a returning delegate to the International Thespian Society State Conference, and one of eight students in Pennsylvania to serve on its board of directors. Stoltz is also a member of Big Brothers/Big Sisters with future plans that include participation in Invisible Children missionary work in Africa.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency under the Governor’s Office. Its mission is to foster the excellence, diversity, and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.

Photos: The first photo shows Gov. Edward G. Rendell congratulating Ms. Stoltz on her partication in the Poetry Out Loud contest held at the Governor’s Residence March 12. The next photo shows Stoltz receiving the regional ArtsPath first place award on February 23 from ArtsPath assistant director Jeff Wacker. The other photo shows her reciting one of her poems during the ArtsPath competition held in the IUP Performing Arts Center.

For more information:

• IUP College of Fine Arts/The Lively Arts/ArtsPath
• Pennsylvania Council on the Arts
• Poetry Out Loud

• Educators
• School administrators
• Community and organization leaders
• Parent/teacher groups
• Working across all curricula
• All grades and all ages

Brainstormer

A hands-on exploration of how to develop and fund arts-in-education residencies for your school, center, business, or organization

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Hadley Union Building, IUP Campus

It's IUP's Spring Break: plenty of free parking!

Limited reimbursement for subsitute teachers available.

This program is presented by ArtsPath. Register now by calling 724-357-4565 or e-mailing Jeff Wacker, jwacker@iup.edu.

Keynote Speaker

Jamie Kasper joined the Pennsylvania Department of Education as the Fine Arts and Humanities advisor in October of 2007. In this role, she provides professional development for teachers, attends conferences, and works to strengthen arts education through standards and curriculum development. Additional work includes dissemination of information to the education field about the arts and policy.

A 1999 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in music education, she began her career teaching K-6 general and instrumental music in an urban elementary school in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She followed that with a position in Fairfax County, Virginia, teaching K-5 general and choral music. While in Maryland and Virginia, Jamie remained an active performer with the Woodbridge Flute Choir, giving performances at the White House, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and the Mormon Temple as well as other Washington, D.C.-area venues.

In 2002, she returned home to Pennsylvania to take a position in Adams County at Bermudian Springs Elementary School teaching K-4 general and choral music. Her interest in the arts and curriculum project work was stimulated after attending the Pennsylvania Governor’s Institute for Arts Educators in 2005, which led to her current position with the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

In November of 2008, she was one of six recipients chosen for IUP’s Young Alumni Achievement Award. A self-proclaimed technology “geek,” she lives in Harrisburg with her husband, Josh, and their three highly pampered felines.

Schedule

• 9:30–10:00 a.m.: Registration, Coffee, Networking
• 10:00–10:30 a.m.: Meet ArtsPath and Its Artists: A Welcome and Introduction of Attendees and ArtsPath Artists
• 10:30–11:30 a.m.: Keynote Address, Jamie Kasper, Fine Arts and Humanities Advisor, Pennsylvania Department of Education
  The Role of Arts in Education
  Education through and in the arts is essential to preparing students to live and work in a century when innovation, imagination, creativity are key.
• 11:30–12:45 p.m.: Catered Lunch and Networking
• 1:00–2:30 p.m.: Brainstorming Session: Roundtables to meet a variety of artists, discuss your needs, share ideas
• 2:30–3:00 p.m.: Bringing It All Together: A Call to Action
• 3:00 p.m.: Drawings: performance tickets and other prizes!
• 3:00–4:00 p.m.: Mechanics 101: A chance to talk one-on-one with ArtsPath artists and staff

To register or for more information, call 724-357-4565 or e-mail Jeff Wacker, jwacker@iup.edu.

• Please dress casually.
• Please inform and invite your colleagues!