fresh art blog: April 2009

fresh art and St. Margaret’s House presents...

WE ASK TO BE SEEN
An Artist Talk and One-Day Senior Citizen Collage Workshop

Tuesday, May 26, 2009 from 2-4 p.m.
St. Margaret’s House, 49 Fulton St. at Pearl St., 1st floor Wing

NYFA artist Jayne Holsinger will give a 15-minute artist talk and slide show on her painting series, "A Visual Offering." Seniors will then make collages based on their own stories. The theme is identity, and the goal is to let others see a visual piece of yourself.

Attendees are asked to please bring at least five (5) magazines to the workshop to use for their collage. The magazines should include images that relate to the attendee's life and interests.

Enrollment is limited to 20 students, so please sign up early. To register, call (212) 255-5847 and leave a message giving your full name and phone number. Registration closes on May 19.

This presentation is co-sponsored by Artists & Audiences Exchange, a public program of NYFA.

Jayne Holsinger is a 2008 Artists’ Fellowship recipient
of the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA).

volunteer spotlight

April is Volunteer Awareness Month, and Monday, April 20 is National Volunteer Day. In honor of these occasions, fresh art would like to say thank you to all our volunteers. Read on to find out more about two of fresh art's longtime contributors.

Happy volunteer awareness month, everyone!

name: Saumya Rachakonda
lives in: Manhattan
originally from: New Jersey
profession: NYU student majoring in psychology and pre-med
fresh art volunteer since: January, 2006
volunteer activities: Sews sock monkeys at fresh art's biweekly sewing circle, volunteers to help run sock monkey workshops with artists, helps sell sock monkeys at various street and craft fairs.
favorite thing about volunteering with fresh art: I enjoy helping at the workshops because I like watching the artists begin a sock monkey and realize that they enjoy it more than they thought they would.
other volunteer work: Right now I'm doing an independent study for school credit at the NYU Child Study Center.
hobbies: I like to play tennis.
one interesting thing about you that few people know: Very few of my friends know that I make sock monkeys!

name: Molly Gahagan
lives in: Astoria, Queens
originally from: Ohio
profession: Fashion designer
fresh art volunteer since: August, 2001
volunteer activities: Currently the volunteer coordinator for fresh art's biweekly sock monkey sewing circle, volunteers to help run sock monkey workshops with artists, helps sell sock monkeys at various street and craft fairs.
favorite thing about volunteering with fresh art: The people I volunteer with. I enjoy helping other people while having fun and expressing my creativity.
hobbies: Sewing, crafting, and reading.
favorite ice cream flavor: Chocolate chip cookie dough.
one interesting thing about you that few people know: I met my husband at a talent show after he balanced a mountain bike on his chin and won first prize.

st. margaret's house exhibition

On Thursday, February 19, St. Margaret's House hosted an opening reception for an exhibition of artworks created in fresh art's fine arts workshops at the residence. St. Margaret's House is a senior residence located at 49 Fulton Street in Lower Manhattan. Many friends of the artists and of fresh art came to admire their paintings and works on paper. The exhibition is open to the public daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., so please feel free to stop by! Below, some of the artists proudly pose with their art works.