SUNY SEEKS ART SUPERHEROES (from NYC High Schools)
New York, NY – The concept of being recruited for a superhero team is not exclusive to big-budget summer action movies. This summer, the State University of New York (SUNY) is partnering with a team of extraordinary college students to recruit rising seniors (class of 2019) interested in the arts. The program also serves to recruit art heroes to the Art Force 5 summer program located on NYC’s Governors Island. The three standalone events will be hosted at SUNY Global Center (July 19), Brooklyn’s Urban Glass studios (August 1), and Governors Island (August 11) and will serve to both inspire and educate high school students regarding college programs in the creative arts.
The Art Force 5 program features students from a multitude of SUNY schools and various academic programs. The heroes include the Bronx’s Michael Perez (SUNY Morrisville) and Alison Garcia (University of Buffalo) and Brooklynites Zaire Anderson (Purchase) and Imani Graves (New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University). Rounding out the team is Marvin Brown from Tompkins Cortland Community College. The students’ diverse majors include Fine Arts, Education, Film Studies, History, and Pre-Med.
July 19: “Art Force 5: Secret Identities Revealed” will introduce high school students to real SUNY students with stories from their respective colleges. Find out what it takes to find a program that develops your creative muscles. (6pm-8pm at SUNY Welcome Center at 33W 42nd Street, Manhattan). Contact Meylin.Andares@suny.edu to rsvp.
August 1: Art Force 5 Visits Urban Glass! A hot way to end the summer at an amazing Brooklyn Glass Center with live demos, tour, and reception. Join the Art Force 5 and find out about how to go to college for glass or other mediums! (7pm-9pm at Urban Glass 647 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217) Contact Meylin.Andares@suny.edu to rsvp.
August 10: Artbuilders and Ghostbusters! Take the ferry over to Governors Island and visit the Art Force 5’s headquarters. Schedule time to talk about developing your senior portfolio for submissions to colleges. Stay late for the 8:30pm outdoor screening of Ghostbusters on the Parade Field starting around 8:30pm. Art Force 5 will provide refreshments for those pre-registered to join us. (7pm meet at house / 8:30pm meet at movie, Governors Island Ferry terminal leaves from Manhattan right next to Staten Island Ferry Terminal, or check Brooklyn Ferry from Red Hook) Contact Meylin.Andares@suny.edu to rsvp.
Founded at Alfred University, the Art Force 5 has received national recognition for their efforts to use art to address difficult topics. In 2016, the program partnered with the Rochester Police Department to design mosaic-making sessions for officers and youth to discuss relevant city issues. The team has trained over 200 heroes but often travels in teams of five, leading projects for the University of Notre Dame, University of Oklahoma, New York ComicCon, Strong National Museum of Play and the New York State Museum in Albany. For the first time, the program has partnered with the State University of New York (SUNY) to build a statewide team of heroes from numerous SUNY institutions.