2008 ALL-AMERICA CITY AWARD SELECTS ST. LOUIS –
ST. LOUIS ARTWORKS’ BOOMERANG PRESS CHOSEN AS ONE OF THREE TO REPRESENT THE REGION’S PROGRESS
St. Louis Receives National Honor, ArtWorks Teen Apprentices Attend Florida Competition and Awards Ceremony with St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association –
Busch Entertainment Selects Boomerang Press for Future
Art Commission as a Result
ST. LOUIS – (June 9, 2008) On June 4-6, St. Louis ArtWorks and members of its social enterprise venture, Boomerang Press, went to Tampa, Florida to attend the competition for the 2008 All-America City Award, an honor considered the “Oscar” of community recognition for civic progress and improvement. Led by the St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association (RCGA), St. Louis Artworks’ Boomerang Press, was selected as one of three organizations to best represent the region by demonstrating community-wide civic accomplishments, cross-sector cooperation, grassroots participation, and creative approaches to a variety of issues, including at-risk youth.
St. Louis was selected as one of 16 city finalists of more than 100 who entered the competition. The 10 winners of the 2008 All-America City Award were announced on the evening of Friday, June 6. In addition, as a result of its selection by the RCGA to best represent the St. Louis region, Busch Entertainment has commissioned St. Louis ArtWorks’ Boomerang Press to create a holiday card illustrating the new Jungala Village at Busch Gardens .
“St. Louis ArtWorks’ and Boomerang Press’ mission is to provide meaningful work experience and education in the arts for teens in the St. Louis Metropolitan area,” said Priscilla Block, Executive Director, St. Louis ArtWorks. “We’re thrilled to be considered by the RCGA and the 2008 All-America City Award panelists as an organization that represents the best the city has to offer. In addition, having our apprentice’s work recognized by Busch Entertainment is a true honor and testament to the exciting effort of each individual involved.”
St. Louis ArtWorks’ Boomerang Press was selected by the RCGA as one of three organizations to represent the St. Louis region as a nominee for the 2008 All-America City Award, the two other organizations include Downtown Now! (a public/private partnership formed in 1997 to develop a seven-year plan to revitalize downtown St. Louis) and The St. Louis Regional River Ring (a unique, 600-mile web of 45 greenway biking trails that will encircle the St. Louis region along the natural flow of St. Louis rivers and streams). RCGA selected the three organizations based upon the requirement to identify two community challenges and three projects that address those challenges; one being an organization that involved youth, which is why St. Louis ArtWorks’ Boomerang Press was chosen.
Boomerang Press focuses on producing commissioned art for greeting cards, posters and other printed materials that are designed by paid apprentices who are comprised of teenagers residing in the St. Louis metropolitan area. The goal of the Boomerang Press Enterprise, as with St. Louis ArtWorks itself, is to support ArtWorks’ mission of providing paid work experience through apprenticeships in the arts for youth in the St. Louis metropolitan area. Specifically, Boomerang Press uses art and entrepreneurship to generate revenues to sustain its arts and job training programs.
“One of the things that really excited me about Boomerang Press was the combination of art and training young entrepreneurs,” said Linda Leonard, Vice President of Economic Development, St. Louis Regional Chamber & Growth Association. “Coming from the RCGA where one of our primary missions is to attract and retain companies in the St. Louis region, as well as help grow entrepreneurial companies, Boomerang Press was a perfect fit and a great socially-focused organization to highlight for the All-America Award nomination.”
St. Louis ArtWorks’ Executive Director, Priscilla Block and Board President, Susan Glassman, in addition to four apprentices who work in the Boomerang Press program, traveled with the RCGA to Tampa , Florida to attend the three-day awards competition and innovations forum on June 4-6. The apprentices attending the event were 17 year-old, Lakeisha Joyce, 18 year-old, Cedric Curry, 18 year-old, Justin Wilson and 15 year-old Kimmika Warren. Not only was the flight to Florida to be the first plane ride for three of the apprentices, they were also invited guests of Busch Gardens Adventure Park in Tampa Bay .
During the three-day competition, a delegation from each community presented its programs and solutions to a jury of national experts from across the United States . Their presentations addressed the community's social and economic issues, including at least one project that focused on the needs of young people. A jury of national business, government, philanthropic, and nonprofit leaders selected the top 10 communities based on their presentations and applications.
St. Louis ArtWorks is entering its thirteenth season of summer employment in the arts for St. Louis teens and area artists. It will employ more than 150 youth and twelve artists from six top arts teaching organizations, presenting six different artistic disciplines, which will complete corporate, foundation and individual commissions. ArtWorks artists and apprentices will be working on a variety of commissioned works at two locations this summer; The Commerce Bank Science & Education Center at The Missouri Botanical Garden and the Centene Center for Arts and Education located in Grand Center .
St. Louis ArtWorks 2008 Summer Disciplines Include:
Sustainability & Ornament: The exploration of the simple, plastic shopping bag will serve as the basis for this summer discipline. Apprentices will develop a conversation about environmental sustainability while exploring the plastic shopping bag as a metaphor for mass consumerism and its impact on our environment. Bags will be fashioned, treated, and manipulated into wearable, fine art forms.
Teaching Organization: Craft Alliance
Teaching Artists: Tori Kaspareit and Courtney Henson
Commissioning Client: Earthways Center
Site Location: The Commerce Bank Science Education Center
“Books in Motion” Apprentices will explore a multi-disciplinary approach to learning that involves Language Arts, Physical Education, Dance, Music, Theatre, Visual Art and Social Studies. The project begins with the book “On Etruscan Time,” selected by the prestigious Missouri Association of Librarians as a 2007-2008 Mark Twain Award Nominee. MADCO artists will complete the book as a read aloud with Apprentice Artists. Together, MADCO artists and Apprentices will use the book for artistic inspiration, abstract images from it and create original dance, music and visual art all inspired by the book.
Teaching Organization: Modern American Dance Company (MADCO)
Teaching Artists: Gavin Sisson
Site Location: Centene Center for Arts & Education
Bike Rack Prototype Project: Apprentices will design and create two full-scale structural models, one to hold 4-5 bicycles and another 2-3 bicycles, to be later manufactured and installed in several city locations. The work of the summer program involves a developmental process of learning based on art history, science, architecture, fundamentals of design, and color theory.
Teaching Organization: St Louis Community College at Meramec
Teaching Artists: Ruth Reese and Eric Nichols
Commissioning Client: The William A. Kerr Foundation
Site Location: The Commerce Bank Science Education Center
Downtown: Live, Work & Play: Boomerang Press Community Art Cards will focus on illustrating “Downtown: Live, Work & Play” using traditional printmaking and contemporary graphic design to create one of a kind images. Apprentices will reference and draw from the Mexican Muralist and printmakers from the early 20th century. The emphasis will be on the practical aspects of printmaking within graphic design allowing the apprentices to examine a culturally diverse art movement of the 20th century that was set in an urban environment. Formally it will give us a visual style and color palette to work from.
Teaching Organization: St. Louis ArtWorks
Teaching Artists: Byron Rogers and Aaron Lovell
Site Location: Centene Center for Arts & Education
Sculptural Eruption: Cherokee Recreation Center Enhancement
Public Art for Cherokee Recreation Center begins by documenting the area’s needs. Apprentices will be encouraged to sketch and organize ideas about the site and proposed sculptural enhancement. Apprentices will create a series of drawings and maquettes and then collaborate to create a cohesive sculpture for the Cherokee Recreation Center .
Teaching organization Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville
Teaching Artists: Craig Courtney & Deborah Alma Wheeler
Commissioning Client: Incarnate Word Foundation
Site Location: The Commerce Bank Science Education Center
“LIMOTION: Line, Light and Emotion” Painting & Drawing: “Through the use of line, light and emotion, participants will learn to transfer the written word into an engaging and fun two-dimensional work of art. Students will learn to have faith in their current level of artistic ability and how to transfer that into an emotional and personal creation. They will learn life lessons that far surpass the world of art.”
Apprentices will create a series of individual portraits depicting health policies promoted by the Missouri Foundation for Health
Teaching Artists: Cbabi Bayoc and Billy Williams
Commissioning Client: Missouri Foundation for Health
Site Location: The Commerce Bank Science Education Center
In addition to commissioned art, 14 St. Louis ArtWorks’ apprentices recently created and published a book (printing funded by Monsanto) on Democracy. The “Democracy Project” provided the teens with the opportunity to learn to write and illustrate poetry for a book based on issues of democracy. The well- known Woody Guthrie song, “This Land is Your Land,” was used as the genesis of the exploration into how their personal lives reflect democracy in today’s society.
About St. Louis ArtWorks
The St. Louis ArtWorks mission is to provide meaningful work experience and education in the arts for teens in the St. Louis Metropolitan area. Apprentices, mainly from urban neighborhoods, benefit from developing creative thinking and employment skills and discovering and exploring interests and talents that may influence career and educational opportunities.
About Boomerang Press
Created in 2006, as the result of entering and then winning the 2006 Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition (SEIC), (a partnership of The Skandalaris Center for Entrepreneurial Studies and the YouthBridge Association), Boomerang Press has grown exponentially since its inception and continues to employ underserved teens in St. Louis who demonstrate artistic talent, who have an entrepreneurial spirit and overall want to learn.
Additional Stories in the News
Two additional articles have been written about ArtWorks and Boomerang Press. Click on the links below to read the stories.
http://www.myfoxstl.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=6859188&version=2&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.1.1