Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA Honors Two New Jersey Schools with AIE Arts Champion Governor’s Award

[PRINCETON, NJ – SEPTEMBER 2024] — As last school year was coming to a close, Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA (YA) recognized two New Jersey schools with the AIE Arts Champion Governor’s Award. This prestigious award was presented to Farmingdale School in Farmingdale, NJ, and Washington Avenue School in Pleasantville, NJ, in recognition of their exceptional dedication to arts education through the AIE Program.

Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA (YA) awarding Washington Avenue School with the AIE Arts Champion Governor’s Award. From left to right: Michael Roberson Reid, Liz Winter, Michele Russo, Priscilla Hopkins-Smith, Dr. Cynthia Ruiz-Cooper, Tara Bach, Gail Scuderi, Molly Gaston Johnson. Photo courtesy of Werner Colmon and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA (YA) awarding Farmingdale School with the AIE Arts Champion Governor’s Award. From Left to right: Laura Carroll, Mary Ann St. Jacques, Dr. Edith Conroy, Michele Russo, Monifa Kincaid, Michael Roberson Reid, Samantha Clarke, Sophia Bedore, Tara Dyevoich, Jaclyn Gass. Photo courtesy of Werner Colmon and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

Both schools were honored for their steadfast commitment over three years to long-term residencies with teaching artists, fostering creative collaboration between students and the school community

Over three years of long-term residencies these schools have built a sustainable arts culture, benefiting students, faculty, administration, and the broader community.

Both schools implemented various strategies to enhance their arts programming, such as professional development for teachers, increased investment in residency programs, establishment of school-wide arts initiatives, and engagement with local community partners.

The three-year residency at Farmingdale School enabled students to engage in a variety of visual art forms, including photography, printmaking, and set design.  Students at Washington Avenue School, over a three-year period, created collages, murals, and mosaic tile displays.

The AIE Program was made possible by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. The New Jersey Governor’s Awards in Arts Education, co-sponsored by Arts Ed NJ, the New Jersey Department of Education, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, have celebrated outstanding artistic achievements among students, educators, teaching artists, and community partners since 1980.

For more information about Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA and its programs, please visit www.yanjep.org

Contact:

Michael Roberson Reid

Arts Education Manager

Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ and Eastern PA

609-243-9000, ext. 219

[email protected]

About Young Audiences Arts for Learning

Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA, established in 1973, is the leading arts-in-education resource in the region, offering teaching artist-led performances, workshops, residencies, and professional learning programs to schools across New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. With an extensive roster of professional artists spanning various art forms, Young Audiences has impacted over 15 million children in its 50-year history. Committed to inspiring young minds and fostering inclusive learning environments, Young Audiences strives to ensure that every child receives rich and meaningful arts experiences. Through diverse and accessible programs, the organization aims to strengthen arts education, meet curriculum standards, and enrich cultural life in communities throughout New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

About the Governor’s Awards

The Governor’s Awards event is a partnership of the Arts Ed NJ, the Department of Education, Art Pride New Jersey Foundation, the Department of State and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Additional support is provided by: the Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics; Art Educators of New Jersey; Art Administrators of New Jersey; Dance New Jersey; New Jersey Council of Teachers of English; New Jersey Speech and Debate League; New Jersey Music Educators Association; New Jersey Performing Arts Center; Writer’s Theatre of New Jersey; Speech and Theatre Association of New Jersey; New Jersey Thespians and Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.