|
 Pleasantville, NY - The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) has received two grants from the Westchester Community Foundation.
The first is a $17,000 grant from the Emily & Harold Valentine and Evelyn Gable Clark Scholarship Fund (Valentine & Clark Emerging Artist Fellowship) to establish an Emerging Artist Fellowship. The other is a $15,000 grant from the Arnold E. & Olga C. Feldman Fund (Feldman Fund) to be used for students and teachers from the W.L. Morse Elementary School, Sleepy Hollow Middle School and Sleepy Hollow High School for the 2008-2009 school year.
For a period of three to six months, the Valentine & Clark Emerging Artist Fellow will be able to strengthen his or her artistic skills and knowledge while benefiting from the support of JBFC faculty, visiting artists, and resident filmmakers. The fellow will have access to state-of-the-art technology at the new Media and Education Center which is scheduled to open to the public in January 2009, as well as extensive opportunity to work on projects with local filmmakers and help teach students enrolled in education programs. A financial stipend is also included in the fellowship. Applicants must be under the age of 30 with a college degree and a background in film or visual arts. The Fellowship will begin in January, 2009. Applications, which must be postmarked by November 1, 2008, are available on the JBFC website under the “Jobs” section.
The Emerging Artist Fellowship will be the second of its kind established by the JBFC. The first is an international filmmaker-in-residence program, which is part of the Project for International Understanding through Film. The JBFC expects to welcome its first international fellow by March, 2009.
The Feldman Fund grant will be used to further the Film Center’s education programs within the public schools of the Tarrytowns. Over the past six years, more than 1600 students have engaged in the Film Center’s programs at no cost to the Sleepy Hollow families or the schools. The grant will enable approximately 485 additional students and teachers to participate in SEE ● HEAR ● FEEL ● FILM, a third grade writing-based program that introduces students to the tools of a filmmaker; CINEMANIA, an after school program for seventh and eighth graders to explore the vision, craft, and language of film; CLASSROOM TO SCREENING ROOM, a program for high school students to watch films that enhance their study of literature, social studies, science, foreign languages, and the visual and performing arts; and Professional Development courses, namely the annual SUMMER TEACHERS INSTITUTE.
THE WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY FOUNDATION (WCF) is a non-profit community endowment for the benefit of Westchester County. Its mission is to develop and manage philanthropic resources, and to distribute them in a way that is responsive to donor interests and community needs. The Foundation actively promotes charitable giving on behalf on the area’s non-profit organizations. WCF is a division of The New York Community Trust, one of the largest community foundations in the country with assets of over $2 billion.
The Jacob Burns Film Center is a not-for-profit cultural arts organization in Pleasantville, New York dedicated to: presenting the best of independent, documentary and world cinema; promoting visual literacy and making film a vibrant part of the community. The programs are inspired by the power of film to challenge, educated and inspire; to transport us to worlds beyond our own; and to create community through shared dialogue and cultural experience. Since the opening in 2001, over 1,000,000 people have seen over 3,000 films from more than 40 countries. From students learning critical viewing skills and discussing films with the filmmakers, to creating their own animated shorts, the Film Center uses the visual imagery of film as a catalyst for learning. Each year, over 15,000 students participate in the six programs that the Film Center teaches. To learn more about the Jacob Burns Film Center, visit www.burnsfilmcenter.org. To view a selection of work in various JBFC education programs visit www.youtube.com/user/burnsfilmcenter.
 |
