Exec Dir Dreams

I was speaking to my executive coach the other day who instructed me to surround myself with dream builders rather than dream killers! There are certainly some dream killers in the world, aren't there?

I find that working with big bureaucracies makes my dreams seem small and dim...barely legible....kinda foggy.

I like having dreams though and they keep that flame sparked and at least vaguely kindled inside and despite the closing doors, I am reminded that anyone who ever did anything cool did so after many doors closed, rejections and stupid mistakes. Well, I have done the research in those areas but am gratified by the successes and by the opening doors too.

Had lunch with a banker today. Not sure how someone like that sees someone like me but have to be sure that it was an experience worth having. Good can come of it (though the "dream" that included a big check with ARTPEACE written on it did not come true quite yet! Doh!!)

To be certain, those are on there way...flowing in.

Ciao, All. Sure would love to hear from you.

Kristin

To Blog or Not to Blog...

Caught the blog bug for a bit, but now I wonder. Who reads the blogs of others? Do we write them mostly for ourselves? Is this my new journal? I have heard it is important to read blogs before you write one. I have read a few...

Here's a little update on ArtPeace. We are in negotiations with our contract with the Rochester City School District. Always a tricky thing. The ArtPeace@East program is doubling this year and we are going with the flow... 160 students in all. 1 new administrator. 10 teachers. 3-4 artists... teaching in arts and technology integrated ways.

The Young Entrepreneur Program had its 4th successful year! It was a wonderful showcase. Bittersweet as we honored Jessica Avilas - young culinary arts apprentice who was killed this summer and Tiny Glover, storyteller and ArtPeace teaching artist, who passed away this April.

We were joined at the showcase of entrepreneurial work by lots of friends, including Mayor Bob Duffy, Supt Jean-Claude Brizard, Jean Howard (Mayor's Chief of Staff), Hon. Elaine Spaull, Hon. Carolee Conklin, City Council members, RCSD representatives, East High representatives, ArtPeace Board Chair, Steven Schwab, Board members Nancy Zawacki, Sara Huges, Angela Johnson, Shane Dale, etc. Also Channel 13, our new friends this summer.

We are working to continue the Young Entrepreneur Program going all year long at the beautiful, historic landmark building, the Jonathan Child House at 35 South Washington Street, across from the Rochester City School District Central Office. It's our home. We want to stay.

All support is appreciated!!

Check us out at www.artpeace.org - throw us a bone.

G'Night All.

Kristin

Celino and Barnes

Oh why oh why can't I get the Celino & Barnes theme song out of my head??
Should be in bed. If I don't go soon, I will feel like I am dead.

Hi,

It is with heavy heart and bowed head that I write this blog tonight. Tomorrow I am facing letting the culinary arts team from this summer's Young Entrepreneur Program know that their co-worker and friend was killed on Friday morning. It is such a sad story.

Jessica Avilas, age 15, was a young lady in our culinary arts team at this summer’s Young Entrepreneur Program. She was tragically killed Friday morning by her stepfather, who killed her mother, her and then himself on Warsaw Street in the city. You may have seen this on the news or on the front page of the D&C yesterday.

http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=c89d26ed-18be-4a25-af62-0ca1cd0d03d5

Jessica was head chef for the team making empanada’s for Hispanic themed food week last week. All the teams knew her when she took orders everyday for the café. She was a quiet, respectful young lady who had straight A’s in school and always wore long skirts due to her family’s strict religious beliefs. She was just starting to come out of her shell, was friendly and well-liked by her co-workers. When she didn’t show up for work on Friday, her managers, Sarah Gullo and Farai Ashton, were very surprised because she was always early for work and there every day.

Tomorrow at ArtPeace we will be talking with all the kids, starting with her culinary team, to share the news and to do debrief. Sarah Gullo’s mom, a trained grief counselor and psychiatric nurse, will be in attendance to support us.

Calling hours for Jessica Avilas and Robert and Sandra Camacho will be Tuesday from 6 to 9 p.m. at Falvo Funeral Home, 1395 N. Goodman St. The funeral will be Wednesday at 10 a.m. at the funeral home, with a burial immediately following.

Donations to help the family pay for funeral costs can be sent to the First Pentecostal Church, 116 Campbell St. in Rochester, 14611.

ArtPeace would like to do something for this family. We are open to suggestions.

Prayers are always welcome...

Kristin

Hello ArtPeace Fans!

This is my first post. Yipppeeeee.... I'm an official blogger!

The Young Entrepreneur Program (Year 4): Flavors from The ROC is fully underway! It is the best yet. Things are flowing along, kids are productive and they are learning how to be effective business people. It's the most fun job I have and the fine artists and people surrounding us bring a really cool energy to the place.

This year's business teams consist of:

• VMD - Digital Studio
  with Twilight Design Graphics (creating a cook book and t-shirt designs) & LCAT (Lights, Camera, Action Team) Film Makers
  
• Fuego Caliente - Music & Movement Team - they are writing and recording multicultural music and moving to the rhythm
  
• The Mixture - Multicultural world cafe / culinary arts
  
• The Creation - mural painters and mask makers
• Phresh Art - visual arts / product creators

Please join us for the showcase event on Thursday, August 15 at 6:30pm at 35 South Washington Street in Rochester where the young entrepreneurs will present their businesses publicly and show off their work. It always proves to be an enlightening and fun evening with a few surprises.

In other news, ArtPeace has completed YEAR 1 of our pilot arts and technology integrated school at East High, ArtPeace@East! Students had a 96% attendance rate, 11% less behavioral incidents and reported a more positive school experience. Teachers reported more job satisfaction, a strong team and collaboration. Our promotion rate exceeded that of the rest of the 7th grade. All encouraging results and kids are more actively engaged in project-based, expeditionary learning. In the Fall, 80 more 7th graders join the 80 8th graders. We are excited but in need of supporting funds to make this happen!

Our team recently returned from a state-wide week-long arts integration partnership seminar and heard news from the state level funders (New York State Council on the Arts and their funding panel) and others that the work we are doing in arts-in-ed is truly innovative in its interdiscplinary scope. We are proud of this work and look forward to advancing it this coming year.

Soon, I will blog again...

Please send me a note at kris@artpeace.org or check out our site at www.artpeace.org.

Ciao!

Kristin