Month: December 2014
Pause/Play: Join us this Saturday, December 13th!
Did you make it to Pause/Play: Saturday Afternoons at the 14th Street Y last month?
If not, there’s another opportunity this Saturday, December 13th, 2:00-6:00PM. Though each Saturday has a different menu of items, each experience is designed to help you connect, play and refresh, depending on what you, or any member of your group or family most want to do. All ages! Keep in mind that though the 14th Street Y always has great programs for kids and families, this month we’ve got some specialty items especially for adults! Included this Saturday will be Acro Yoga with Thai Massage, Community Discussions, Meditation, and “Why do Jews Love Whiskey?” A tasting by Dan Friedman–though as with all Y programs you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy it! (Remember, Babysitting is available all afternoon if you need it.)
See our full schedule for this Saturday here.
Pause/Play is FREE for Members. Tickets for General Public are available here!
Below, check out a few highlights from last month. Hope to see you on Saturday!
Photo Credit- Bridget Badore
Joining with Voices of Faith
JOIN WITH OTHER VOICES OF FAITH FOR A VIGIL ON DECEMBER 7
World leaders will come together in Lima, Peru this December for the UN Climate Change Conference to work to establish the fundamentals of a strong, global agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – an agreement that hopefully will then be finalized in Paris in 2015.
As humanity finally begins to grapple with this existential crisis, we must ensure that our actions are grounded in the values held by all faiths – respect for the natural environment, a passion for justice for the vulnerable, and a deep love for one another. With our lights we can guide the way.
Candlelight interfaith vigil of prayer, witness, song, and meditation
Sunday, December 7 at 4pm
Union Square
At the vigil, representatives of different faith communities will offer one- or two-sentence prayers while lighting their candles (or solar lanterns). These lights will be symbols of our hope that the negotiations in Lima will be carried out in a spirit of love, compassion, and caring.
The 14th Street Y will be participating. If you would like to join us, please contact Wendy_Seligson@14StreetY.org
Sponsored by the #LightForLima NYC Interfaith Coalition
part of the #LightForLima project of OurVoices.net – “bringing faith to the Climate Talks”
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For more information, search #LightForLima interfaith vigil NYC on Facebook
LABA at the 14th Street Y Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant
New York City—National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu announced today that the 14th Street Y’s LABA is one of 919 nonprofit organizations nationwide to receive an NEA Art Works Grant. LABA is recommended for a $10,000 grant to support the LABAlive series, which showcases original art from a selected group of artist fellows four to six times per year.
Each year, the 14th Street Y’s LABA fellows study together in a non-religious house of study, or Beit Midrash, using classic Jewish texts to inspire the creation of new art and thought. These artists are selected from a large pool of applicants, all professional artists, and are in residence with LABA for a full year. Recent themes, which serve as an organizing principle for the selection of text and programming for the year, have included The Body, Pardes (Paradise), Eros, Blueprint, Eat, and Mother. This year’s theme is Time.
The artistic directors of LABA meet with the artists weekly to provide mentorship and guidance, as well as to develop and produce each show.
Each LABAlive show features two to three works in progress from different disciplines, accompanied by a lecture to give context to program, and followed by a post-show reception. One show may feature music, dance and visual art, while another may showcase theater, poetry and multimedia. LABA groups artists according to how their works correlate to one another, their project’s development and how their works speak to one another.
Announcing the grant recommendations, NEA Chairman Jane Chu said, “I’m pleased to be able to share the news of our support through Art Works including the award to the 14th Street Y’s LABA. The arts foster value, connection, creativity and innovation for the American people and these recommended grants demonstrate those attributes and affirm that the arts are part of our everyday lives.”
“It is an honor for the 14th Street Y to join the ranks of NEA grant recipients, along with other arts organizations like the Apollo Theater, Lincoln Center, and the Public-Shakespeare Festival. In downtown Manhattan, artists are hungry for space and support—and the National Endowment for the Arts allows LABA at the 14th Street Y to provide those, as well as community and the inspiration of Jewish text.” says Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein, Executive Director of the 14th Street Y, a program of the Educational Alliance. “We have always been proud that LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture is such a unique incubator for artists and culture makers, and we are thrilled to have our program recognized and supported in this way.
Art Works grants support the creation of art, public engagement with art, lifelong learning in the arts, and enhancement of the livability of communities through the arts. The NEA received 1,474 eligible applications under the Art Works category, requesting more than $75 million in funding. Of those applications, 919 are recommended for grants for a total of 26.6 million.
For a complete listing of projects recommended for Art Works grant support, please visit the NEA website at arts.gov. Follow the conversation about this and other NEA-funded projects on Twitter at #NEAFall2014.
Thoughts + Happenings 