YoungArts Florida Winners Collaborate for Performance

For the first time ever, this year's YoungArts winners from across the state of Florida joined alumna Yara Travieso, 2005 YoungArts Winner in Dance, to share the stage for our YoungArts Florida Celebration at the New World Center in Miami Beach.

Almost every seat was taken to watch the performance, which showcased how collaboration across artistic disciplines can strengthen an artist's work.

Read more and view performance photographs.

YoungArts Partners with Hirshhorn

YoungArts is pleased to announce a long-range collaboration with the Hirshhorn, the Smithsonian's museum of international modern and contemporary art in Washington, D.C. Among the wide variety of initiatives and activities to be offered are a series of moderated discussions eliciting young people's perspectives on the evolving role of museums in society; mentorship opportunities in the Hirshhorn's programs for teens; master classes at the Museum; and participation in events in the Seasonal Inflatable Structure beginning with the inaugural season in fall 2012.

Regular updates on this exciting partnership will appear in future issues of Endeavor.

YoungArts appreciates the generous support of Northern Trust in launching these activities.

Read more about the Hirshhorn.

A Dedication to My Craft

In a world plagued with problems day in, day out, we need agents to hope against hope, declares Adam Larson, 2009 YoungArts Winner in Jazz. And there are no better candidates than artists. They give us reasons to overcome the pessimism and despair we sometimes experience. But why do they do what they do?

“Celebrities choose to be celebrities in the world of fame and glamour; artists strive to maintain their integrity and passion. But are they just driven by an incessant urge to simply create beauty out of nothing? Or is the drive to create undergirded by deeper and more profound motives?”

Read more.

The Artist's
Love and Drive

In this blog post, 2006 YoungArts Winner and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts Grace Weber writes that drive may be one of the most important assets an artist needs, especially in today's world.

“As I sit here typing this blog, I am in the midst of promoting an album, booking a summer tour, and trying to do whatever I can to take my music career to the next level. I've been pursuing a serious career in the music industry for around four years now and drive has been the constant life force pushing me to keeping climbing up that ladder. I think one thing must be clear though: an artist's drive has to be rooted in and come out of a true and honest love for their art form.”

Read more.

Behind the Scenes

YoungArts’ newest class of winners partnered with other alumni to create the YoungArts Florida Celebration, which was presented May 15 at the New World Center in Miami Beach.

As part of this celebration, alumni Yara Travieso, 2005 YoungArts Winner in Dance, partnered with Fabiola Arias, 2005 YoungArts Winner in Visual Arts, and other talented artists to create SET. The video, created by James Duarte, 2010 YoungArts Winner in Cinematic Arts, outlines the work they did to prepare for the event and highlights how YoungArts helped them in their artistic journey.

View the video.

Alumni Spotlight

Elizabeth Kostova, 1983 YoungArts Winner in Writing and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts

It goes without saying that the place and time of your upbringing influences your tastes, preferences and outlook in life. So for Elizabeth Kostova, the author of bestselling novels The Historian and The Swan Thieves, her interest in the Dracula legend stems from the stories her father told her while living in Eastern Europe in Ljubljana, Slovenia as a child.

In 2007, she created the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation in Bulgaria, which provides competitive opportunities for both Bulgarian and native English writers. She teaches annually in Bulgaria and at the University of Michigan's Bear River Conference, and resides in New London, Connecticut.

Read more.

	+Erik Lieberman, 1994 YoungArts Winner in Theater, will appear in Paper Dolls, a new play for the Sundance Theatre Lab in New York, directed by Mark Brokaw. He will also appear in For Elise, a new play by David Zellnik, at Ensemble Studio Theatre. Read more here.
Three YoungArts alumni have been nominated for a 2011 Tony Award:
	+Santino Fontana, 2000 YoungArts Winner in Theater and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, is a cast member of the Broadway play The Importance of Being Earnest, nominated for Best Revival of a Play.

+Rory O'Malley, 1999 YoungArts Winner in Theater, has been nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical, for The Book of Mormon.

+Andrew Rannells, 1997 YoungArts Winner in Theater, has been nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, for The Book of Mormon.

Since 1981, YoungArts, the core program of the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (NFAA), has honored over 16,000 artists with more than $6 million in monetary awards and nearly $84 million in college scholarship opportunities.

In honor of the 30th anniversary of our founding by the late Ted Arison, and his wife Lin, we will pay tribute here monthly to alumni from every class who have embraced the Arison's mission to identify emerging artists and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development:

1994 – Jenny.8.Lee, YoungArts Winner in Writing, is a writer and journalist whose work has been featured in The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Her book, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, reached the #26 spot on The New York Times Best Sellers list.

1995 – Corinne Botz, YoungArts Winner in Photography and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, an award-winning photographer and author of four books, including The Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, and most recently, Haunted Houses.

1996 – Rick Montalbano, YoungArts Winner in Jazz, has been the drummer for the vocalist Jane Monheit since 2000, touring the globe in support of a series of acclaimed albums. He has also recorded with tenor saxophonist Ari Ambrose, of Steely Dan.

1997 – Amelia Bauer, YoungArts Winner in Photography and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts, is a photographer whose exhibitions have been showcased around the country, from New York to Seattle to Santa Fe. She is a winner of Cooper Union's Pietro and Alfeida Montana Prize for Excellence in Art.

YoungArts 2012 registration now open. Learn how you can benefit from our program.

See our 2011 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts perform June 20 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts! For tickets, call (202) 401-0961 or email here.

Help us continue to invest in a future rich in culture…by investing in the future generation of talented young artists. Learn how.

Have a question about our program or events? Call (305) 377-1140 or email us at communication@youngarts.org

// JUNE 19, 2011, starts at 5 p.m.
U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. An Exhibition of Works, artworks and readings by the 2011 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Eighth and G Streets, NW, Washington, D.C. On exhibition through July 4, 2011. No RSVP or tickets required.

// JUNE 20, 2011, at 8 p.m.
U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. A Salute to the 2011 U.S. Presidential Scholars, with performances by the U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. Event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Call (202) 401-0961 or email presidential.scholars@ed.gov

Watch our video live-streamed on the YoungArts website or PBS Facebook page!

// THROUGH OCTOBER 15, 2011
YoungArts 2012 Registration

The Arts Matter

Dear Friends,

As we celebrate NFAA's 30th anniversary this year, I ask that you take a moment to consider the significance of this remarkable foundation. NFAA and our YoungArts program were founded to foster the dreams of young artists at the critical juncture in their lives – when they needed validation, confirmation, and the courage to be an artist. I have been privileged to observe their creative energy, relentless curiosity, brilliant talent, poetic individuality, and mostly, their unbridled passion.

I like to say that these young people come to our program when they are “half built and unfinished." Since my arrival three years ago, my goal for these outstanding artists was to provide them with a plethora of experiences that initiate new ways of thinking – experiences that transform, provoke, challenge and inspire the creative genius in each of them as they embark on designing their "unfinished" half.

I have dedicated most of my career of 27 years to working with young creatives, and my work with this organization truly has been the pinnacle at this particular stage of my professional life. As an artist, educator and mother of a 21-year old artist, it indeed has been an honor to serve as the President & CEO of a foundation that cares so deeply about the development of young artists' lives. It is with very mixed emotions that I have decided to pursue the next phase of my professional and creative life, as well as to be closer to my family, and I will be leaving the organization at the end of this month.

This is an exciting and promising time for NFAA. Each of you – as supporters, arts advocates, parents, educators, alumni, and countless others – plays a critical role in helping us continue to demonstrate why NFAA stands alone among America's arts organizations, and why I ask that each of you consider its significance. In essence, we are all contributing to the dynamic impact that these individuals can have on the future culture of this nation.

Please join me in welcoming Paul T. Lehr, who will lead the organization as Executive Director. Additionally, the Board of Trustees is undergoing a search for an Artistic Director to create a new leadership structure.

I hope you will join us in Washington, D.C. later this month to celebrate the excellence of our 20 U.S. Presidential Scholars in the Arts – or watch live at www.youngarts.org.

And finally, a heartfelt farewell with deepest gratitude to each of you. I thank you for contributing to my "experience" and for your ongoing support of America's young artists as they begin to shape our promising future. Thank you for continuing to share your feedback and ideas at communication@youngarts.org

Sincerely,
Christina DePaul
President & CEO

Thank You for Your Support

Each April, we provide the Gold and Silver winners a unique experience during our In the Studio/Out of the Studio program. This year we were proud to showcase our 2011 awardees before a select audience of parents and young adults invited by J.P. Morgan Private Bank at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York City. This special performance was followed by candid conversations that gave participants an inside look at the challenges and opportunities that young artists – and their families – experience today. Well-known abstract artist (and YoungArts Master Teacher) James Rosenquist also participated in the evening, offering his unique insights and personal perspective.

We are grateful for the generous support of J.P. Morgan, whose longstanding support of the arts is on display through the JPMorgan Chase Art Collection. We look forward to a continuing partnership with them that helps provide a forum for diverse arts experiences, reinforcing the key role of the arts in our communities across the country.

What's on Your Summer
Reading List?

We are excited to announce that Feast for the Senses: A Musical Odyssey in Umbria, written by our own Lin Arison, NFAA co-founder and Trustee, is one of the ten books named to the highly-anticipated annual J.P. Morgan Summer Reading List. Part memoir, part travelogue, the lushly illustrated multi-media book showcases Miami's New World Symphony musicians performing in the most beautiful and rare Italian locations, and features all the sites, foods, crafts and festivals that give the Italian region of Umbria its unique character.

Read more about Lin's book and the list.

Lin and her book also will be featured June 9 at 9 p.m. on “ArtStreet,” a program of WLRN-TV, a PBS station in South Florida.

Read more.