Category: ARAD Events and News

Student Advocates for the Arts: Valentine’s Day Fundraiser

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On Tuesday, February 14, ARAD’s student-run organization, Student Advocates for the Arts (SAA) hosted a Valentine’s Day Fundraiser in support of the International Brazilian Opera Company. Scroll down to see comments from attendees, performers, and organizers.

“The event showcased students from the Arts Administration program who performed on the “piano corner” of the hall. Among them, Arnell Nur Karina, Hannah Cleveland, Hayley Rothman, Helena Wang, Hugo Vaz, Sheng Gao, and Vivian Stolt delivered a beautiful set of musical pieces from classic to folk, to tango. The goal was to raise funds for the International Brazilian Opera Company (IBOC), a Harlem-based non-profit arts organization that produces contemporary works of opera and supports immigrants who wish to establish themselves as musicians in the United States. To date, IBOC has helped 64 immigrants obtain their legal status as distinguished artists in the USA, and the company has developed 7 full operas. As the closing act, a few artists from IBOC presented four musical pieces, featuring Brazilian-American singer Alex Scott, Brazilian guitarist Gabriel Gorski and the Chinese tenor Yunxuan Zhu. The SAA is the student association of the Arts Administration program and is run by volunteer ARAD students of both the ’23 and ’24 cohorts.” – Hugo Vaz (ARAD ’24)

“Overall, I thought that the event went very well. There were a variety of performers, and lots of TC students who were eating in the dining hall at the time of the performance, so they got to enjoy the live music without having to stray from their usual routine. We had microphones to help carry the sound throughout the dining hall, and decorations to make the space feel a bit more festive and special for the event, especially given that it was held on Valentine’s Day. It was fun to have students performing, especially from the ARAD program, since I hadn’t heard many of my classmates perform before. We also had musicians from the International Brazilian Opera Company come and perform, which made the event really special. Having the fundraising component as a part of the event made it feel very intentional and added a sense of purpose beyond providing live music. It was a very fun event to put together, and I hope that Student Advocates for the Arts can continue to hold performances as a way to advocate for the arts!” – Hannah Cleveland (ARAD ’23)


“The SAA’s Valentine’s Day Fundraiser was a success, and allowed the many skillful artists of the ARAD program to use and exhibit their talents for the benefit of the International Brasil Opera in New York. The program included song, piano and violin performances, with love songs such Elvis’ Can’t Help Falling in Love and Por Una Cabeza, famous from the Al Pacino movie “Scent of a Woman”. The program ended with performances by the artists of the International Brazilian Opera Company. Overall the experience was lovely, and allowed ARADers to build a community together through music!”  – Vivian Stolt (ARAD ’24)

“As a member of the Student Advocates for the Arts, I assisted in the planning and execution of the SAA Valentine’s Day Concert, a fundraiser supporting the local arts organization the International Brazilian Opera Company. Every individual in the Arts Administration Program is so creative and talented, so I thought this was the perfect event for SAA. It was absolutely heartwarming and inspiring to see my peers perform together as well as the guest musicians from the International Brazilian Opera Company. I hope we can do another event like this again soon!” – Joanna Calhoun (ARAD ’23)

ARAD Holiday Service Project 2021

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Since 2015, the Arts Administration Program (ARAD) at Teachers College, Columbia University has organized an annual Holiday Service Project for its faculty, students, staff, and alumni to contribute time, goods, and cheer to those in need during the winter holidays. This year, we had the pleasure of continuing our partnership with local arts organization, Art Start, providing 50 toy packages and holiday cards to over 170 children in NYC.

Aside from ARAD’s long-standing and continued support of Art Start, a non-profit organization that brings arts programming to at-risk youth living in city shelters, on the streets, or surviving with parents in crisis, we are excited to announce our efforts will also benefit the People’s Theatre Project.

Rooted in Washington Heights, People’s Theatre Project (PTP) creates ensemble-based theatre with Latinx, Black, and immigrant communities to strengthen the movement for social justice. Core programming includes: the PTP Academy, a multi-year theatre and social justice leadership program dedicated to the holistic development of immigrant youth (grades K-12); the PTP Partnerships, in-school theatre residencies focused on celebrating culture and identity; and the PTP Company, a touring company composed entirely of immigrant artists of color. Through these programs, PTP participants, artists, and audiences deepen their sense of power and strengthen their connection to community, reimagining a more equitable world.

This winter, PTP is raising full scholarships for the young artists in the PTP Academy.

  • Your gift of $25 sponsors the cost of a K-5 young artist’s tuition for one day.
  • Your gift of $50 sponsors the cost of admission for a family to see their young artist perform.
  • Your gift of $100 sponsors the cost of art supplies for a whole ensemble.
  • Your gift of $500 sponsors half the cost of a K-5 child’s tuition for a semester.
  • Your gift of $1000 sponsors the cost of a middle school/high school young artist’s tuition for a semester.

All contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law, and will be accepted through Monday, January 3, 2022. You can donate using the form on this page. Sign up for the People’s Theater Project mailing list by texting PTPSIGNUP to 41444!

Donations made by check should be mailed to Teachers College, Columbia University, Attention: ARAD Alumni Programming Fund, Box 306, 525 West 120th Street, New York, NY 10027-9988. Checks should be made payable to Teachers College, Columbia University, and in the memo field, please include “Alumni programming: ARAD.”

Thank you for helping us make the holidays brighter by providing the tools and access to creative self-expression through the arts! Please contact Grace J. Choi at artsadmin@tc.columbia.edu with any questions.

Student Advocates for the Arts, Covid-19 and the National Arts Action Summit 

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For the past five years, Student Advocates for the Arts has attended the nation’s largest arts advocacy event: the National Arts Action Summit and Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. This year, one of the largest SAA groups, composed of eleven members from across the Arts and Humanities department, was due to attend the summit from March 28-31.

To support our participation, we received an ARAD microgrant for our registration fees and accomodation in Washington D.C. We are grateful for the program’s support of our members, many of whom would not have been able to participate in the planned summit without these funds. Early in March, however, the COVID-19 crisis changed our plans. 

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TC ARAD Alumni Stay Connected!

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On February 25th, ARAD was delighted to welcome alumni from across the years to its annual mixer. This year it was held in midtown NYC, and hosted by Dr. Gemma Mangione, the ARAD Program Director and the Alumni Relations Office. We caught up over drinks and apps in the evening of camaraderie – sharing in each other’s careers, lives, and memories of the program.
Thank you to all who joined us. We hope to see you and more of our alumni next year! In the meantime, we hope you enjoy this slide show of photos taken from the event.
A warm thank you goes out to Alyssa Yuen (ARAD ’16), the assistant director of Alumni Relations, and to the ARAD staff for organizing this event.

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ARAD Holiday Project Spreads Cheer to Two Arts Organizations

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Last fall, the students in the Arts Administration Program’s Service Corp worked diligently to make our annual Holiday Service Project a success.

This year, the ARAD Service Corps included Sabrina Chen, Christine Chuang, Cornelia Clay, Lulu Feng, Richard Mayer, Isabella Rivera, and Monika Xu, who, with support from ARAD staff, Jessie Young and Katarina Wong, spearheaded a bake sale fundraiser. In addition, they organized the December Holiday Service Event, which brought students, staff, and faculty together for an evening of camaraderie as we assembled 45 gift bags for Art Start students and their families.

Through the ARAD Service Corps efforts, we received in-kind donations from Dunkin’ Donuts and Joe Coffee for a bake sale that raised $300, and a generous gift card from Fairway. The proceeds will support two non-profit arts organization: Art Start brings arts programming to at-risk youth. Art Start kids live in city shelters, on the streets, are involved in court cases, or surviving with parents in crisis; and Every Voice Choirs, which is housed here at TC and helps young people ages 7-16 discover their voices and share them with pride.

This was the second year that our Holiday Service Project was led by ARAD students. Through the Service Corps, students have the opportunity to manage a multi-faceted project, apply what they learned academically, and build their professional skills.

As first-year ARAD student Cornelia Clay noted, “By soliciting donations for the holiday service project, I was able to implement a concept from our Support Structures class, namely that it becomes simple to ask for support for a project when you can demonstrate the project’s impact, value, and importance—and even more so when you believe in those things yourself! Asking Fairway for a donation was a good start, because they had donated before. Their participation gave me more confidence to approach Joe Coffee for a donation of in-kinds goods to our bake sale. Expressing not only why the project was worthy of support but also my own enthusiasm for the potential impact of the proposed donations was effective, and we were delighted they decided to participate.”

ARAD extends its gratitude to our Service Corps members and acknowledges the hard work and creativity that made our project another success! For those who attended the event, donated, and/or supported our bake sale, thank you for helping us bring some holiday cheer to those in our community in need.

Check out some of the photos from the ARAD Holiday Service Event below.

 

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Microgrant Recipient: Student Advocates for the Arts and their contribution to the exhibition: “Where We’re From.”

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Student Advocates for the Arts, in collaboration with the ARAD program, Gottesman Libraries, the Office of Diversity and Community Affairs, the Chinese Calligraphy Club, Nayion Design, and Dorsey Photos, hosted the opening reception of the Offit Gallery exhibition: “Where We’re From.”

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Quanice Floyd, guest speaker for the ARAD Fall 2019 Internship Fair, shares her professional experience with students

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By Kamra Hakim, ARAD Professional Development Coordinator

On Monday, October 28, the Arts Administration program was pleased to host Quanice Floyd, founder of the Arts Administrator of Color Network, as the keynote speaker before the 2019 Annual ARAD Internship fair.

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“We Are Citizens of the World:” Dael Orlandersmith on Racial Profiling in Theater

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By Carolina Ide (ARAD ‘20)

Co-sponsored by the Arts Administration program at Teachers College and the School of the Arts Theatre Program at Columbia University, actress, playwright and poet Dael Orlandersmith recently presented new work. This was followed by a Q&A moderated by Lynn Nottage, Pulitzer-winner (Sweet, Ruined) and Associate Professor of Playwriting in the School of the Arts.

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An Interview with Professor Jennifer Lena on her new book, Entitled

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Earlier this month, TC ARAD Associate Professor Jennifer C. Lena released her new book Entitled: Discriminating Tastes and the Expansion of the Arts. She answered a few questions about the work, with which we are thankful to share.

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