The Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation will pay tribute to the internationally renowned Louisiana artist and creator of the infamous Blue Dog series, George Rodrigue. Hosted by the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, this one-of-a-kind evening is part of a national tour for the 1913 Rodrigue Steinway "Blue Dog Piano," which has been painted by the honoree himself.
The live concert will feature five acclaimed pianists performing on Steinway Grand as it celebrates its 100th birthday in 2013. Performing artists include:
Sean Dietrich (Jazz)
John Ripley (Rock 'n Roll)
David Seering (Broadway)
Donnie Sundal (Hip Hip & Funk)
Bobby Van Duesen (Ragtime)
Visit www.rodriguesteinway.com for the history, restoration process and unveiling of bringing together the great works of both George Rodrigue and the Hall Piano Company of New Orleans.
Menu
Chef John Carey has prepared a gourmet menu for this special event with numerous culinary stations to allow guests to comfortably meander through the Emerald Ballroom with complimentary wine served tableside. Pastry Chef Yasha Becker has created a themed specialty dessert with his Signature Baby Grand Piano in Dark Chocolate filled with Grand Marnier Cream and Assorted Blue Dog Miniature Pastries.
Wine Pull
Wine enthusiasts can re-stock their wine cellars while supporting MKAF and GRF charitable education missions. We are inviting private wine collectors and restaurants to donate to the Wine Pull. Call MKAF at (860) 650-2226 to make a wine donation to benefit this fundraiser. Bottles will be wrapped and tagged. Patrons will purchase numbered corks matching the mystery wine bottles.
Live Auction
The live auction will feature private wine dinners in patron homes or restaurants with one of the featured Rodrigue Tribute pianists, a Louisiana Duck Hunting Trip, a New Orleans Getaway Package, a Rodrigue Print, a CBS PGA Tour Package to name a few.
In honor of National Arts in Education week from September 8-14, Jacques Rodrigue, Executive Director of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts, submitted the following letter to news editors across Louisiana. Pictured throughout are teachers learning Louisiana A+ Schools methods and the importance of the arts to unlock the potential of their students at our first LAA+ Summer Institute and students embracing the arts.
To the Editor;
This week as we celebrate National Arts in Education Week, imagine for a moment a school where science classes are interpreting photosynthesis through dance; high-school language arts students are analyzing Georgia O’Keefe paintings in relation to great works of literature; and math is taught through learning to compose music. These types of schools exist in Louisiana through a new program spearheaded by The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts called “Louisiana A+ Schools.”
Louisiana A+ Schools is grounded in hundreds of studies proving the effectiveness of integrating the arts into classroom instruction. In arts integrated schools, rather than teach math or science from a textbook, teachers use visual art, music, dance or theatre. The result is increased standardized test scores, improved student attendance, decreased disciplinary issues, and greater teacher engagement.
In Louisiana, the effectiveness of arts integration can be seen in seven Louisiana A+ Schools in Shreveport, Monroe, New Iberia, Reserve, Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
These schools have chosen to integrate the arts on a daily basis. In all of these schools you will find students learning differently and more effectively as a result of the arts. This is because the arts are the only academic subjects that teach all of the 21st Century Learning skills such as critical problem solving, analysis, creativity, and teamwork. For Louisiana students to be college-ready and competitive for the workforce, they must have an education rich with a learning environment that makes them successful. The arts are the solution.
Over ten years ago, No Child Left Behind established accountability measures in math and science that caused schools to decrease or eliminate arts instruction in exchange for increasing more time during the day to drill students in math and science. Yet last month, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan reported that only one quarter of American students scored high enough on college entrance exams in math, science, and reading to be considered ready for college or a career.
Clearly, cutting the arts in favor of more math and science is not working for our youth. We need a generation of great minds and creative thinkers to become our future business owners, community leaders, and neighbors. We can accomplish this together by embracing the endless possibilities the arts bring to learning.
For more information on how The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts is working to advance arts education, please visit www.aplusla.org.
Jacques Rodrigue
Executive Director
George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts
In July of 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives passed House Resolution #275 designating the second week of September as National Arts in Education Week. The resolution expressed congressional support for arts education:
Whereas arts education, comprising a rich array of disciplines including dance, music, theatre, media arts, literature, design, and visual arts, is a core academic subject and an essential element of a complete and balanced education for all students.
In honor of this week, we wanted to share with you a great article from a student (pictured below) at Riverside Academy, our A+ School in Reserve, Louisiana. Louisiana A+ Schools is a program of GRFA that trains teachers and schools how to teach students through arts-integration methods. We think she really sums up exactly what this week is all about!
Sarah Peytavin submitted her article to the Times-Picayune in New Orleans and you can see it online here. However, we loved it so much that we have reproduced it below (pictured throughout, teachers from Riverside receiving professional development training at our Summer Institute):
Riverside Academy in Reserve recently became one of seven Louisiana A+ schools. The program is designed to bring art to all classrooms through dance, music, theater and other art mediums . . .
On the first day of school, the teachers delightfully cheered, danced, and sang about the changes that A+ would bring to Riverside.
One simply has to enter the building to see the difference.The front hallway is decorated with expressions and pictures that students feel represent Riverside.
In high school, Angie Roussel’s math classes are learning to graph the volume of songs rather than learning through a traditional lecture. Mary Graci’s AP government and politics class has been making life-size models of the Founding Fathers while her AP human geography class has been studying cartography by making maps of the school and to their homes. Graci’s classes have also been putting on history-related silent plays.
Elementary and preschool students also are enjoying the new art curriculum. Kendra Glider preschool class served as authors and illustrators for the class ABC book and learned about sentences by singing the Sentence Buddy song. The kindergarteners recently went on a Blue Dog hunt around the school. The students in Molly Duhe’s kindergarten class are frequently seen creating letters with their bodies. The third graders can be found creating arrays on the floor using tiles and creating their very own maps of the United States.
Elementary students have also been reading the short story, “Why is the Blue Dog Blue?” to serve as inspiration for their very own blue dog drawings and stories.
The new curriculum is being welcomed by many open minded students and teachers at Riverside Academy.
Thank you so much Sarah for the great early report! Students like you are the reason why we do all that we can to keep the arts in school. Happy arts in education week!
Congratulation to our Executive Director, Jacques Rodrigue! On August 9, 2013, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced Jacques' appointment to the Louisiana State Arts Council.
Thank you to both Governor Jindal and Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne for acknowledging the work of Jacques and GRFA. Learn more about Jacques' role in arts in education in Louisiana and our Louisiana A+ Schools by watching his recent TEDx Talk.
Below is the press release from the Governor's office:
Governor Bobby Jindal Announces Appointments to the Louisiana State Arts Council
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 9, 2013
BATON ROUGE – Today, Governor Bobby Jindal announced appointments to the Louisiana State Arts Council.
The Louisiana State Arts Council serves to address significant arts related issues of importance to Louisiana and approve grants awarded by the Louisiana Division of the Arts.
According to statute, the council is comprised of 24 members, including the secretary of the Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, and the assistant secretary of the Office of Cultural Development. The remaining 22 members are the following gubernatorial appointments, subject to senate confirmation:
Three members selected from nominations submitted by the lieutenant governor; One member selected from nominations submitted by the president of the Louisiana Senate; One member selected from nominations submitted by the speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives; One member selected from nominations submitted by the Louisiana Tourism Commission; One member selected from nominations submitted by the Louisiana Alliance for Arts Education or its successor; and Fifteen members selected from nominations submitted by organizations representing artists and arts organizations including, but not limited to, the Louisiana Partnership for the Arts.
Appointments to the Louisiana State Arts Council:
Dr. Ralph Lupin, of New Orleans, is a practicing OB/GYN at Oschner, attorney, and retired general in the National Guard. Lupin will be appointed to serve as a nominee of the president of the Louisiana Senate, as required by statute.
Jacques Rodrigue, of New Orleans, is an attorney and currently serves as the Executive Director of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts. Rodrigue will be appointed to serve as a member nominated by the Lieutenant Governor, as required by statute.
Martha “Missy” Crews Howard, of Baton Rouge, is the Director of Communications at the Louisiana International Film Festival and Mentorship Program. Howard will be appointed to serve as a member nominated by the Lieutenant Governor, as required by statute.
On Saturday, August 3, 2013, the New Orleans Arts District will once again host the annual White Linen Night. From 6:00 to 9:00 galleries open their doors to thousands of patrons encouraged to wear outfits featuring white linen.
This year, we are happy to be participating again! We will be open at our Education Center at 747 Magazine Street (just a half block off of Julia Street).
On view will be all of our 2013 Art Contest winning artwork (winning artwork above)! Fifteen Louisiana high school juniors and seniors (below) beat out 600 students in order to share in $45,000 in college scholarships.
As a special treat this year, we teamed up with the Louisiana Restaurant Association and all of the artwork will illustrate an October 2013 cookbook (cover below) with 100 recipes from Louisiana's greatest restaurants and chefs and with a foreword by Emeril Lagasse.
Additionally, the Rodrigue Steinway Blue Dog piano will be showcased! George Rodrigue painted this 100 year old Steinway and Sons Piano in partnership with the LSU School of Music and Hall Piano Company. The piano has even been signed and played by Billy Joel (pictured below)! Come by and request your favorite song from its internal 600 song library!
We hope you will not miss this unique opportuninity to see some of the great young talent from our state and to see and hear such a special musical instrument.
We have had some great News stories about our Summer Camp!
Art of the Family Table
July 8-12
The visual and culinary arts inspire a feast for the senses! The Ogden Museum of Southern Art partners with the George Rodrigue Foundation to offer a one-time opportunity for students ages 10-13. Participants experienced a week of art and food inspired by George Rodrigue's iconic painting, The Aioli Dinner, now on view at the Ogden Museum.
Daily sessions created collaboratively by the Ogden and GRFA staff took place at either the Ogden Museum of Southern Art or the George Rodrigue Foundation.
In our first clip via WGNO, the Creole Creamery makes ice cream with our campers!
In our second clip via WWL, Brian Landry of Borgne shows our campers how to make a roux!
Wow! Our first annual Louisiana A+ Schools Summer Institute could not have gone better!
It was the first professional development training for teachers of its size, structure and duration ever in Louisiana! Twenty-five (25) facilitators from Oklahoma A+ joined fifteen (15) facilitators from Louisiana to train nearly 100% of 7 school faculties (200+ teachers) for an entire week on arts-integration, A+ methods and our Eight Essentials in order to impact over 3,000 Louisiana students!
Member schools are every type (urban, rural, suburban, pre K - 12, public, private, charter) and are in Shreveport, Monroe, New Iberia, Baton Rouge, Reserve and New Orleans.
The institute was held in partnership with LSU on LSU's campus during the week of June 24th.
Participants live tweeted to @AplusLA using the hashtag #AplusLA and their photos are displayed throughout this blog entry.
At the end of every day, we asked participants to share with us their reactions to that day's training. Overwhelmingly, nearly all teachers and principals gave us positive reactions! We of course don't have room here to display them all. However, here are some of our favorites:
I think….this has been the best workshop I have attended in 17 years! (11th Chemistry II AP teacher)
I discovered today that….common core, core knowledge, and Louisiana A+ 8 Essentials really work perfectly together. (Kindergarten teacher)
If I could change one thing I would….change the amount of time at this workshop. Would love to have more time with you. (1st grade teacher)
If I could change one thing I would….not change a thing about today. It was beautiful. (Principal)
I understand better how….LAA+ evolved and why it is so important to integrate art across the curriculum. (Art teacher)
I understand better how….to set up my students to succeed in the most creative ways while building their self esteem. (Kindergarten teacher)
I rediscovered….the joy of teaching and seeing the learning process in action. (5th grade teacher)
I feel….much better about the A+ school model because it is not just another thing I have to incorporate in my class but rather an important piece of a puzzle that was missing. (Kindergarten teacher)
I will be able to use….everything I’ve learned. (6th grade English language arts teacher)
I was surprised that….there are so many ideas I could actually put into a math class. (7th grade math teacher)
I am proud of the way….I am able to visualize how to integrate both art and music with my English classes. (11th grade English teacher)
It would be helpful if….I knew all of this when I was first started teaching 25 years ago. (Kindergarten teacher)
I discovered today that….art education is an excellent mechanism for helping students move past their perceived limitations to explore new possibilities. (Principal)
I was surprised that….the process of creating and sharing art is the same as the Scientific Method and sharing results. (5th grade science teacher)
I discovered today that….there is no longer a reason to say, “It is time for math. Now it is time for spelling.” EVERYTHING needs to be taught together – integration throughout the curriculum. (1st grade teacher)
Over 200 teachers from
seven Louisiana schools learn arts-integration teaching method
THIS IS THE FIRST PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE FOR TEACHERS OF ITS SIZE, DURATION AND STRUCTURE EVER IN LOUISIANA!
(Pictures throughout, photos from the first two days of our training by our participants using the @AplusLA Twitter hashtag "#aplusla")
The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA) is excited to host the first annual Louisiana A+ Schools (LAA+) Summer Institute for the 2013/2014 school year. Under the direction of Oklahoma A+ Schools, LAA+ will give the first seven LAA+ Schools accepted into the network staff professional development in arts-integration June 24-28 in Baton Rouge at the LSU School of Music & Dramatic Arts.
“I am so excited to see that these schools in Louisiana are willing to embrace the arts as a vehicle for transformation,” says Bethany France, Director of LAA+ Schools, “because Louisiana is so well known for arts and culture.”
Started in North Carolina in 1995, A + Schools is a research-based whole school network with a mission of nurturing creativity in every learner through an arts-integrated school network. The network provides teachers with the essentials to think more creatively about how students can apply learning to the real world, and how they can present curricula to students in ways they learn best.
Arts integration is achieved through continuous practitioner-led professional development, statewide support networks for teachers and administrators, and partnerships with parents, community resources, media and universities. LAA+ is available to any Louisiana school (public, private charter, birth through 12) through an application process. LAA+ will add 5-10 schools every year.
WHO: 20 facilitators from Louisiana A+ Schools (LAA+), 35 facilitators from Oklahoma A+ Schools (OKA+) and over 200 teachers representing the following seven schools from across Louisiana:
1. South Highlands Elementary Magnet, Shreveport, Public, Pre-K - 8
6. Homer A. Plessy Community School, New Orleans, Charter, K - 2
7. Martin Behrman Academy of Creative Arts and Sciences, New Orleans, Charter – Pre-K – 8
WHY: Extensive university research in A+ Schools reveals dramatic improvements including:
oElevated student achievement
oBetter student and teacher attendance
oDecreased discipline problems
oStronger parental and community involvement
oA more creative and enjoyable educational environment
"We believe LAA+, the first whole-school, arts-integrated reform initiative of its kind for our state, has the potential to influence the way that all Louisiana students are taught." says Jacques Rodrigue, Executive Director of GRFA.
“I have seen what the arts have done to transform the seventy schools in our Oklahoma network,” says Jean Hendrickson, Director of OKA+ Schools, “and I am so excited to be here in Louisiana to share our success with the members of LAA+”
In addition to North Carolina, A + Schools has been successfully implemented in Oklahoma and Arkansas and currently has over 120 schools in the National A+ Schools Consortium Network. The program’s success in other states has prompted GRFA to team up with Oklahoma A+ Schools to bring A+ methods to Louisiana.
For more information visit www.aplusla.org or contact the LAA+ Baton Rouge office located in the Shaw Center for the Arts at 225-388-5521 or bethany@georgerodriguefoundation.org.
Louisiana A+ Schools is a program of the George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts.
GRFA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization advocating the importance of the arts in the development of our youth through a variety of art educational programs.
The George Rodrigue Foundation of the Arts (GRFA) advocates the importance of the visual arts in the development of our youth.GRFA encourages the use of art within all curriculums and supports a variety of art educational programs.
