Statik Vsion album releaase at The Point, Hunts Point, Bronx courtesy of The New York Times

So many exciting things have been going on in the world of Art for Progress’ Arts and Music Education Program. We have been helping young people throughout the city to cultivate their artistic expression and proudly watching that effort bear fruit. Our continuing school and after school programs provide opportunities for students to learn skills and form friendships and alliances while our community efforts give those students and others real life experience through performing, showing work, and recording music. We are honored to have received two grants this spring, as well, which will help our ongoing mission to make sure arts stay in public schools despite consistent budget cuts.

This has been a landmark year for Art for Progress’ Arts and Music Education Programs. Our music programs at Humanities Preparatory Academy, The James Baldwin School, and Hudson High School for Learning Technologies have been developing astonishing talent; and our visual arts programs at Forsyth Satellite Academy and Essex Street Academy continue to expose students to new perspectives on fine arts and design.

We’re especially proud of the work we’ve done developing the bands in the AFP Young Adult Music Enrichment and Recording Program. Statik Vision is now a staple on the NYC rmusic scene, and their album release was featured in a photo essay in the New York Times’ Lens section showcasing the Bronx punk art scene. Big Sweater and Bad Faces got to play alongside musical heavyweights Nels Cline (Wilco), Billy Martin (Medeski, Martin & Wood), Marc Ribot (TomWaits) and bassist Chris Lightcap at NYC’s famed venue, (le) Poisson Rouge for AFP’s Once In A Lifrtime concert event. The event was a huge success and helped raise money to support our school programs. We also finished mixing Big Sweater’s much-anticipated album, which sounds like an instant classic; and their previously released single, Platform Stare already has over 37,000 plays on Spotify. For our next recording project, we have begun tracking an album with powerhouse singer/songwriter Celeste Pasian and her band Daizeez. This album will incorporate the best elements of organic performance and production magic to showcase Celeste’s uniquely emotive style.

Thanks to a grant we are thrilled to have received from the Matisse Foundation, we are currently hosting a Summer Arts and Music Program. The program is designed as an introduction for young people interested in careers in the arts, and has been a fantastic opportunity for kids to learn about what the real life of an artist or musician is like. In each session we address many of facets and considerations of being a working artist. Each week, we host an arts professional to give a short talk and answer questions, which has spawned spirited discussions and debates about the current state of the arts culturally and commercially. Guests have included fine artist Artem Mirolevich, trumpeter and music producer Albert Leusink, and fashion designer Cathy Chuang.

Another grant from the Sansom Foundation, our longtime source of support, has made it possible for us to continue our music recording and production program through the summer, as well, and will enable AFP to supplement after school programs in the Fall and throughout the school year.

Unfortunately, in addition to all the success we’ve been having, there are still challenges we’re working to overcome. We are facing a huge budget cut at Humanities Prep, where we host our flagship music program. We already have over-enrollment and every semester students have to be denied music because we don’t have room. In an effort to make up the difference and save the program, we’re launching a fundraiser on Facebook with the hope that our friends and supporters can help us serve as many kids as possible.