ArtWell Celebrates 10 Years with an Evening of Music and Inspiration
Philadelphia, PA –On November 10, ArtWell will celebrate ten years, 200 community partners, and 25,000 young lives changed with An Evening of Music and Inspirationat Moore College of Art & Design, 6-9 pm. Based in West Philadelphia, ArtWell (formerly the Arts & Spirituality Center) is a non-profit organization that aims to awaken dreams and inspire creativity in young people facing discrimination, poverty, violence, and the everyday challenges of growing up.
“ArtWell is an exceptional organization which provides invaluable programming for Philadelphia’s youth,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “ArtWell’s success can be seen every day on the streets of our city and in our children. ArtWell programs provide creative outlets aimed at reducing violence, preparing kids for college, and building bridges in diverse communities throughout the City.”
The evening of celebration on November 10 will offer a glimpse of ArtWell’s programs, featuring performances by young poets and artists, a guest appearance by the Spoken Hand Percussion Orchestra, and honors to visionary leaders who have brought ArtWell to life.
Honorees for the evening will be:
- The Rev. Dr. Eugene C. Bay is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church U.S.A who has demonstrated an inspiring commitment to social justice and transformation. Upon Dr. Bay’s retirement as Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church Senior Pastor, the church established a fund to honor, in an ongoing way, his powerful commitment to urban ministry. In 2008, ArtWell was honored to be a recipient of the Eugene C. Bay Fund and was awarded $60,000 that allowed the organization to launch HeartSpeak, a citywide anti-violence initiative that reached over 6,000 youth in the first two years.
- Cathleen Cohen, Ph.D. is a poet, painter, and maker of artists’ books. She is also the Founder and Program Director of “We the Poets,” a project of ArtWell, which has brought poetryworkshops to children of diverse cultures and faiths in over 70 schools and programs in the Philadelphia area. Over the past several years, she has also led poetry workshops for hundreds of children and adults in Israel. Cathy received the Interfaith Relations Award from the Montgomery County Advisory Board to the PA Human Rights Commission in 2003, and in 2004 she received the Public Service Award from the National Association of Poetry Therapy.
- Ms. Adab Ibrahim is a member of Al-Aqsa Islamic Society in Kensington South. Her extraordinary leadership invited ArtWell into her community and helped unite the entire neighborhood across former cultural divides in the “Doorways to Peace” Community Mural. Her efforts and this project laid the groundwork for years of positive interfaith projects, creating beauty and strong relationships in her community and beyond.
“What began as a few artists reaching out to several community partners, turned into a program that has worked with more than 200 community partners and helped over 25,000 kids draw on their own beliefs, cultures, and talents to create positive change in their lives and communities,”said ArtWell Founder and Executive Director, Rev. Susan Teegen-Case. “In our work over the next ten years,we will continue to awaken the creativity and spirit in our youth to support their personal strengths and to create thriving communities.”
Rev. Teegen-Case notes that as ArtWell charts our next decade, they decided to take on the new name, ArtWell, which more accurately reflects the depth and power of the organization’s mission and work.
Samuel Felli, now 22 and a nursing student at Drexel University, participated in ArtWell’s “We the Poets” his senior year of high school at University City High School, having never written poetry before. “ArtWell prepared me mentally for college,” he says.“I thought I was prepared for college, but that wasn’t really the case. The program put things in perspective. It taught me to be patient.”
To RSVP for press seating, email cari@reliefcomm.com or call 215-386-7705.
Sponsors for An Evening of Music and Inspiration are Glenmede, 1934 Group, Morgan, Lewis &Bockius LLP, and Stevens & Lee.
ABOUT ARTWELL
Over the past 10 years, ArtWell’s programs have transformed the lives of more than 25,000 young people facing discrimination, poverty, violence, and the everyday challenges of growing up. ArtWell, formerly The Arts & Spirituality Center, is a local nonprofit organization that engages young people in reflection and creative expression to discover and honor their strengths and those of others. Through partnerships with local artists and young people, ArtWell fosters thriving, just, and peaceful communities throughout the Philadelphia area. For more information, go to www.theArtWell.org or call 215-386-7705.
Press Contact:
Cari Feiler Bender
Relief Communications, LLC
(610) 416-1216 or cari@reliefcomm.com