Contact: Brittany Colatrella, Communications Coordinator
412-322-1773 x378
bcolatrella@mcg-btc.org

Pearl Jam Rocks MCG
June 29, 2006

Prior to Pearl Jam’s June 23 concert at the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Seattle’s quintessential grunge rock band honored Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild’s Youth & Arts programs with a gift from their Vitalogy Foundation –an arm of the band's efforts to support community based initiatives related to the arts, education, youth and the environment.

MCG Youth came to the band's attention in large part through the efforts of dedicated fan, and former MCG student and instructor, Marko Biddle. After seeing the band perform near Philadelphia earlier this spring Biddle, now an art teacher in the Butler School District, e-mailed a letter to the Activism section of the Pearl Jam website. Aware of the band’s penchant for supporting worthwhile organizations in concert cities Biddle chronicled his life-changing experiences as a high school student attending after-school arts programs at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild. While finding strength and solace in Pearl Jam’s music Biddle explained that as a struggling adolescent he also found desparately needed guidance and inspiration at the Guild and was determined to give back to the place that had given him so much.

Biddle, along with MCG Director of Arts & Education Strategies, Josh Green, and Vice President of Operations, Joanna Papada, were back stage guests of Pearl Jam at the June 23 concert. “Having Pearl Jam respond to my email with this gift and getting to meet the band after the concert is like a dream that I still can’t believe happened, ” said Biddle.

While known for their music, Pearl Jam’s members embrace the potential that notoriety brings to their efforts to affect attitudes about social, political and environmental concerns. The Vitalogy Foundation donation to MCG represents $1 from each concert ticket sold in Pittsburgh and will be used to help fund arts programs which educate and inspire thousands of youth annually.

For more information on Pearl Jam please go to http://www.pearljam.com.

Newsletter Volume 3.02.6

2002 Pittsburgh Public High School All City Arts Showcase

20 02 Twentieth Annual Accomplishment

MCG Instructors Make Their Mark

Frick Middle School: Café Olé

MCG Around Town

Riding Through History: Maine

MCG Metros

2002 Pittsburgh Public High School All City Arts Showcase

April 12 - May 17
Reception: Thursday, May 9, 6-8 pm
This exhibition highlights the creative achievements of young artists who attend the Pittsburgh Public High Schools and provides post-secondary education opportunities through scholarships and awards. Through a partnership with the Eleanor Friedberg Foundation, Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh, and Manchester Craftsmen's Guild more than $70,000 in scholarships and cash awards will be made to high school seniors and juniors. Over 400 works of art, in a wide variety of media, were submitted for consideration for inclusion in the exhibition. A panel of jurors, made up of professional artists and art instructors, chose the award winners. Special thanks to jurors - Karen Antonelli, Mark Bender, Adrienne Heinrich, Joe Sendek, Tenanche, and Linda Wallen.

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20 02 Twentieth Annual Accomplishment

May 24 - June 21
Reception: Friday, June 7 from 6-8 pm
Accomplishment 20: This exhibition of art, design, poetry, and performances celebrates the artistic accomplishments of Manchester Craftsmen's Guild students.

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MCG Instructors Make Their Mark

The following are just a few examples of the talents of MCG Youth instructors being recognized. If you are a student interested in learning and being inspired by some of Pittsburgh's most talented and committed artists come check out MCG.

The 2002 Three Rivers Arts Festival will be a showcase for the talents of MCG Youth photography instructors Bethany Mitchell, Kamila Sych, and Germaine Watkins, all of whom had work accepted into the juried exhibition.

Silver Eye Center for Photography is hosting the exhibition Assignment: Six Pittsburgh Photographers. Highlighting exacting standards and imaginative approaches to every click of the shutter, the exhibit runs through June 1 and features, among others, MCG Youth photography instructor Ed Barbour.

Makitaara Studios , described as a shade tree growing in Pittsburgh's Uptown neighborhood, recently celebrated its grand opening. Located at 1505 Fifth Avenue, Makitaara Studios, featuring an eclectic mix of hand-crafted art and culture, is a joint venture between Saihou Njie, Ibou N'Diaye, and MCG Youth Digital Imaging Lab Coordinator Charles Kyobe.

A Bunton Waller Fellowship to study art education in Penn State University's PhD program was recently awarded to MCG Ceramics Studio Coordinator Sharif Bey who will head to PSU this fall. Sharif is also currently exhibiting in "Shades of Clay", an exhibition of African American ceramic artists at The American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, Missouri.

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Frick Middle School will host an unveiling ceremony on Wednesday, May 22 of Café Olé - an international inspired café decorated with reclaimed tables and chairs painted with images representing cultural aspects of five different languages; Spanish, French, German, Japanese, and English. The café is a collaboration between Frick teachers Ms. Smith and Mr. Lovejoy and MCG's Laura McManus and was created by 8th grade students to celebrate the multi-lingual curriculum taught at Frick. Café Olé, located within the school, will be used for extra curricular activities.

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MCG Around Town

Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater was one stop on a Spring Break camping trip taken by MCG photography and ceramics students. Led by MCG instructors Germaine Watkins, Becky Peifer, and Nicole Dezelon the students also learned team-building skills while completing a ropes course at Laurelville in the Laurel Highlands. The Blair Witch of Pennsylvania was reported to have visited the campsite late one evening without incident.

Store Fronts , an art exhibit displayed in Squirrel Hill businesses on Forbes and Murray Avenues, featured paintings created by students from Allderdice High School. The project was a collaboration between Allderdice High School, led by teacher Cheryl Weisband, and Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, led by MCG Youth instructor Laura McManus.

Langley High School horticulture students recently helped to develop a logo for their Green Spaces - Great Places program. A brainstorming session with the students created the original concepts for the logo and the students stayed involved in the design process down to the final stages of picking their preferred version with color variations.

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Riding Through History: Maine

Maine is the destination for this summer's MCG Youth creative ride through history. The exciting 18 day trip includes stops at: Niagara Falls, Rochester (Eastman Kodak, RIT, Alfred Univ.), Syracuse, Lake Placid, Burlington VT (Ben & Jerry's), Bar Harbor ME, Boston, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod and New York. Road dates are July 8-25. Students will exhibit their impressions of the trip, in the form of photography and drawings, at MCG July 29 - August 2.

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MCG Metros

The Manchester Bidwell Corporation Metros are looking for opponents for casual games of co-ed softball. We promise to have fun and not take anything too seriously. Interested teams should call 412-322-1773 x108.

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