Two hundred participants will be Dancing and Drumming May 17th-19th with the DJUNKENDAFALA DANCE COMPANY whose Mission is to promote social change, growth and traditional cultural awareness with people of all diversities through the preservation, education, presentation and representation of traditional folkloric dances of the AFRICAN DIASPORA.  Join them for a weekend of  discussions, performances, dance and drum workshops that will explore the cultural traditions of the Caribbean, Senegal, Mali and Guinea.  This dance extravaganza weekend places an emphasis on educating and teaching the importance of tradition.  Djunkedafala means "Preservation Warrior" in the Djola culture that Aminata family history is connected to, and as a Preservation Warrior she is committed to preserving  and educating the community on the Traditional West African Dance Culture.  The group's dedication to using arts as an outreach complements Puffin West's Mission and we were glad to be able  to provide them with a Grant Award for this project.  Find out more at Djunkendafaladanceco1.com

Unfortunately, we have been in an era where funding dollars for arts education in our schools have become increasingly scarce.  The Wexner Center for the Arts has taken the initiative in these times to bring three dynamic programs to the Center that will reach out and bring High School Teachers and Students from diverse socio-economic districts together. The Program is entitled ART IN ACTION. The teachers will receive profession development skills setting the foundation for school-driven, transdisciplinary lesson planning that will demonstrate how art can be used as a catalyst for change.  Through this program, students and their teachers will become aware of the conceptual and communicative nature of contemporary art.  Students will be engaged in project/issue research, utilizing resources found in Columbus, which will give them "ownership" in   the development of the overall project and to see how the work that they are doing is applicable in their real world.  The collaborative, project-based, and communicative nature of Art in Action complements elements of the Common Core Standards, a national education initiative that was formally adopted by the State of Ohio in 2010, and is not meant to create more "work" but is designed to complement/augment regular classroom activities.  Art in Action will also utilize the Wexner Center as a major resource, and classes will be brought to the center repeatedly throughout the partnership.  Clearly, this program will provide resources for teachers, and  give them greater freedom to do their jobs as the lessons will not just start and end in the classroom.  The creativity that this program  brings will empower and inspire. Puffin Foundation West  has provided a Grant Award in support of this fine project.

Teachers networking at the WEX during training session.

The Puffin Foundation, Ltd. and since Puffin Foundation West, Ltd. was approved to be its own stand-alone NFP Private Foundation have both been  dedicated  supporters and  sponsors of programming at the Wexner Center for the Arts.   Beginning with  artist, Mark Dion, who was given the keys to all manners of closets and rooms on the Ohio State Univeristy  campus so that he could create an installation entitled Cabinet of Curiosities for the Wexner Center in 1995-1996 to most recently Puffin West's major support of SING YOUR SONG: AN EVENING WITH HARRY BELAFONTE - that was attended by more than 1200 people.  We have been honored to help, in a small way, to bring world-class programming to Columbus, Ohio.  

Puffin West is giving  the Wexner Center for the Arts Grant  support in 2013 to three inspirational arts educatonal programs that will outreach to many underserved communities in Columbus, Ohio that will help students recognize the vital connections that exist between the arts and their own lives.  READ  ALL ABOUT IT UNDER  GRANTS AWARDED IN 2013!!!

Ohio Citizens for the Arts Foundation, as part of Ohio's Annual Arts Day, brings High School Students from around the State to lobby their Representative(s) in the legislature on May 15th.   The Student Advocacy Program allows young people (and future voters) to engage elected officials about the need for and the value of arts and arts education!  The students are each brought to Columbus having first received training in public speaking from Mr. David Leist, a retired theatre educator who will help them hone  their messaging and confidence as they  tell why learning about art impacts their lives and how the arts create jobs and stimulate economic activity.   Art in schools stimulates creative and critical thinking.  Advocacy (and finding your voice) is a life-long tool and encourages young people to be part of the conversation.  This  can translate into action.

As part of this program, the legislators are also invited to visit the high school of the Student Advocate to discuss their roles and to answer tough questions students have about government in their lives and whether or not, for instance, legislators  support arts and arts education funding.

(Students pictured with Seanator Tavares, Lobby Day 2012)

Norman J. Brown, whose work in the near eastside of Columbus for decades has been based upon the notion that by EMPOWERING LIVES TO LIVE AGAIN that we can save our at risk youth, has put together a remarkable coalition.  A Puffin West grant has been given for a flesh and blood/brick and mortar project that will set up an after school music program in Fairwood Alternative Elementary School.  Mr. Brown  enlisted those masters of Jazz in the Urban Jazz Coalition to be the dynamic musical force behind this Musicentric After School Program beginning in February 2013 for students in Grades 4-6. Thanks, too, are given to Principal Dewayne Davis for his support.  The curriculum targets beginners in a variety of instruments including Saxophone, Trumpet, Bass Guitar, Keyboards and Drums.  At the end of the school year, Urban Jazz will be in concert at the school and their burgeoning students will have the opportunity to perform with the group.  This after school haven will provide a safe place for up to 36 students.  Food security will be part of the program. The children will have positive interaction with caring adult role models who will encourage and help them develop life skills and respect for others.  This opportunity to engage these young people in a positive, potentially life-long musical pursuit will help to engage these young minds.  They will also be able to complete homework during these after school hours, read, or receive assistance/tutoring in their academics subjects. After school programming such as this provides one of the most important safety nets for our children as statistics state that 35% of all 12 year olds, nationwide, are home alone after school.   Latch-Key Kids are more likely to engage in high-risk behavior and unfortunately resources for after school programs are  critically needed.

If you have any musical instruments/equipment you would like to donate, contact: norman.brown@juno.com

(Photo of the Urban Jazz Coaltion  Members)

Thirteen members of The Capital Pride Band of Columbus (CAP PRIDE) will join  175 other  musicians from other national marching bands associated with the  Lesbian and Gay Band Association (which promotes LGBT musicians)  and  they will all be  marching down Pennsylvania Avenue as part of the  2013 Inaugural Parade in Washington D.C.  CAP PRIDE musicians, including Tim O'Neill, have had about two weeks  to learn the four songs that have been chosen with specificity to represent the gay community in America and honor the work  that the Obama Administration has done  promoting equal rights.  The playlist includes: "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", Pitbull's  "Give me Everything (Tonight)", "Simple Gifts", and Lady GaGa's "Edge of Glory."  There will be an Honor Guard carrying  Rainbow Flags, and individual musicians will be carrying the flag of their  own State.

2013 marks the  Sixth Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Art Exhibit.  Twenty-five students in grades 6-12 have been chosen for this juried competition entitled: Celebrating the Legacy, Rediscovering the Spirit".  This program is being presented by the City of Columbus Community Relations Committee.  The art will  first be on display on Monday, January 21, 2013, from 4 PM to 6 PM   at Veteran's Memorial's front entrance at 300 East Broad Street prior to the program  "Guided by Faith” which starts at 6 PM and is free and open to the public.  So, come and meet the artists, see their work and then  join our  County Commissioners, City Officials and the CRC  in celebrating Dr. King and the wondrous Civil Rights Movement he lived and died for.   The exhibit  will then be taken down  and reinstalled in City Hall for the remainder of January and for February. The winners will be announced shortly. 

I sat in the back of the Fritche Theatre this morning and watched, smiling, as the seats filled up with elementary students so excited to be on this fabulous class  trip to see  Columbus Dance Theatre's  13th Annual presentation of MATCHGIRL. Meanwhile just 550 miles away Ryan Lanza was killing 20 children point blank.  The story of the Little Matchgirl is a poignant tale of a child struggling to survive in a world that offers her little hope.  Tim Veach's comment that "Art can stop us in our tracks" has indeed resonated today and we must all cherish our children, we must protect them, feed them, keep them warm and housed, and love them. We must again say "Never, never again."

PUFFIN FOUNDATION WEST LTD. GRANT WINNER  ROGER WILLIAM'S  beginning drawing (46x53)  will become a traveling  10 foot x 8 foot public art mural entitled OZONE MAN.  Multiples will be printed.    Thank you Roger for all those Puffins! What a Great GREEN MACHINE!!!

“Drivers cruising down US 395 in California have company on their journey, although they may not know it: endangered Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, whose mountainous migration through the Eastern Sierras roughly parallels the highway route.

The bighorn is the first subject in what artist Jane Kim hopes will eventually be a countrywide network of large public murals following the paths of migrating species to raise awareness about wildlife and conservation.” © Cody Tuttle.  From an article by  Cody Tuttle http://www.treehugger.com/culture/migrating-mural-connects-human-animal-travelers.html.

Puffin West gave a grant to Ms. Kim and we will continue to give you updates.  The next mural n the bighorn's path will be painted in April 2013. 

Perry Rosenstein, President of the Puffin Foundation Ltd.,  speaking at the Puffin/Nation Institute Dinner in NYC on Dec 3.  The President of the NAACP, Mr. Benjamin Jealous, was the recipient of the $100,000 prize for 2012.  MSNBC's Chris Hayes was the Master of Ceremonies and Senator Bernie Sanders gave the keynote  speech  to  an exuberant audiance of 535.  It was a rousing night dedicated to the work and service that still MUST be done. 

CITY YEAR-Columbus is an education focused, nonprofit organization that unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service to keep students in school and on track to graduation.  City Year has partnered with the HarmonyProject to present South High Harmonyas a multi-component after school arts program where students have the opportunity to sing in a choir, create murals, provided much needed community service and film a documentary about their community and their school. The program culminates in their participation at the Harmony Choir Winter Concert: Voices of Hope, which takes place on December 19, and 20 at the Southern Theatre.  The students will also have a concert at South High School for teachers, parents and the Southside Columbus Community. Students will work with the Creative Director, David Brown, of the HarmonyProject and these teens will help with the arrangements, harmonies and movement. It has been found that by increasing students’ engagement in after school arts programs including performing service in their community, that there is dramatic increase in self-esteem and self-efficacy.  By giving back, feelings of disenfranchisement often disappear. Teens are enthusiastic about making a difference especially when they are able to choose their community project by identifying a need or a void in their own neighborhood. That fact that the students will film their after school and service activities gives them a record of  the changes they created and gives them credence. Puffin West is proud to support these South High Students, as they become contributing members to their community.

2012 PUFFIN/NATION INSTITUTE PRIZE ANNOUNCMENT

The Nation Institute and The Puffin Foundation announced today that Benjamin Todd Jealous, President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) will receive the annual $100,000 Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship. This prestigious award will be presented to President Jealous on Monday, December 3, 2012 at The Nation Institute’s Annual Dinner Gala in New York City.

Jealous is the 13th winner of the award. Previous winners are playwright Tony Kushner; Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards; environmental activists and authors Van Jones and Bill McKibben; former Texas State agriculture commissioner Jim Hightower; human rights lawyer Michael Ratner; Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman; educator and author Jonathan Kozol; journalist and author Barbara Ehrenreich; professor and anti-death penalty advocate David Protess; labor activist Dolores Huerta; and civil rights pioneer Robert Parris Moses.

The Puffin Foundation and The Nation Institute co-sponsor this annual award, given to an individual who has challenged the status quo through distinctive, courageous, imaginative, and socially responsible work of significance. Recipients are drawn from a broad range of occupations and pursuits, including academia, journalism, public health, literature, art, the environmental sciences, labor, and the humanities. The prize is intended to encourage the recipients to continue their work, and to inspire others to challenge the prevailing orthodoxies they face in their careers.

Jealous is receiving the award for his unwavering dedication to civil and human rights. As the youngest person to lead the NAACP, Jealous has invigorated civil rights by building new alliances across progressive communities. Under his leadership, the NAACP has taken on an array of the most pressing issues of our time: inequity in opportunity and education, climate change, supporting marriage equality, fighting to save the life of Troy Davis, and ending the death penalty. The NAACP has worked tirelessly to expand and protect the franchise, registering thousands upon thousands of voters while fighting voter suppression efforts at every turn.
Perry Rosenstein, President of The Puffin Foundation Ltd., the co-sponsor of the Creative Citizenship award, had this to say:

Puffin Foundation West, Ltd. (PFW) will help sponsor the City of Columbus' Community Relations Commission’s  (CRC) Sixth Annual juried art exhibit for Franklin County Middle and High School students (grades 6-12) which will feature 50 pieces of art celebrating Reverend Dr. Martin Luther's King's legacy.  In these times we are once more called upon to save the troubled soul of America by reapplying Dr. King's mission and spirit to the issues of today.    We are very supportive of the CRC’s efforts to engage our City's youth in this project and believe that exposing  them  to MLK's "DREAM” will inspire them to work for change and to stand up and speak out for what they believe in.  This open invitation to our County’s youth to produce art that deals with issues of immigration, same-sex marriage, GLBT rights, privacy, child labor, human trafficking, worker's rights, economic rights and civil rights will help stimulate a dialogue and provide our City’s young people with a meaningful insight into their own lives and communities.  We are certain  that those who are able to see the Exhibit at City Hall 15Jan-26Feb13 will gain strength in their conviction that they can peaceably transform our society through the language of ART by channeling the courage and accomplishments of MLK.  For all the information please go to www.CRC.Columbus.gov

Puffin Foundation West, Ltd. (PFW) will help sponsor the City of Columbus' Community Relations Commission’s  (CRC) Sixth Annual juried art exhibit for Franklin County Middle and High School students (grades 6-12) which will feature 50 pieces of art celebrating Reverend Dr. Martin Luther's King's legacy.   Read about this Call for Artists under the Tab 'This Year's Grants'.

PhotoVoice is a global photo essay project used to promote social change. In keeping with its Mission, COVA has empowered eight participants by giving them a camera, a little bit of guidance, and a great deal of freedom. These new photographers share their journey through mental health recovery and their return to work with photography and writing. In doing so, they invite us to take a peek into their lives, to learn about their struggles and triumphs, and to take another step toward breaking down the stigma of mental illness. 

IMPERFECTION  (Beauty)

I am drawn to imperfection, or what goes unnoticed. It reminds me how we are all marked by our experiences that might be invisible to others. Mine includes stigma for my mental difference. My mood swings fluctuate, but I embrace each one — up and down and in between. I see them as a part of me rather than as negative experiences. Each mark of depression, mania, medication, and hospitalization is a revelation of how I learn about my body, mind, and soul. 

The Columbus Metropolitan Club's Mission is to Connect People and Ideas Through Community Conversation and, the lunch-time Forum on November 7th at the Athletic Club of Columbus (136 E. Broad Street) is a conversation that Puffin Foundation West is supporting and asks that you come and participate.  Battelle for Kids has studied five highly rated school districts around the world and the results of that research will be presented at this luncheon.  Jim Mahoney, Battelle for Kids' Executive Director, will offer an overview of the findings from this Global Education Study and his guest will be the Counsellor of Education at the Finnish National Board of Education, Mr. Leo Pahkin. The components that contributed to the successes that were found studying these school systems and a discussion about strategies that can be adopted in local schools to provide all students with the best education possible will be identified.   Beginning November 5th, Columbus will be the host city for the Global Educational Summit for education leaders.  Counsellor Pahkin is here to participate in that Summit and will on November 7th speak at the Forum and share how Finland has been able to make 'NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND’ a reality.

For information or to register for this forum go to: www.ColumbusMetroClub.org

K-12 International Best Practices: 

THE FINLAND STORY 

Wednesday November 28th at the Arena Grand

5:30 Doors Open, 6:00 screening Roundtable discussion to follow

$10 Suggested Donation  to the Women's Fund, but Seating will NOT  be denied anyone providing there is availability