To those of you who attended- RE:FORM SCHOOL in NYC, a REDU call to action event to rethink our US education through visual arts and creative workshops- thank you for the support!
The numbers below testify to the energy and enthusiasm that everybody brought. The event was a unique convergence of education, art, and community. Through people like you we were able to draw awareness to the critical issues facing our schools while celebrating great teaching, innovative learning approaches and all the unsung heroes working hard to improve the lives of kids.
Here’s a quick snapshot of the event:
- Over 10,000 people explored the gallery over 3 days.
- 140 kids participated in workshop activities including mobile making with Urban Arts Partnership, screen-printing with FAILE, paper mural collaging with WK Interact, breakdancing with Ken Swift of Beat Breakers and hip-hop collaborations with Lupe Fiasco and World Up.
- At last count, art sales generated over $16,000 towards Urban Arts Partnership, a non-profit organization bringing arts-integrated education programs to underserved public schools in New York.
- REDU and DonorsChoose teamed up to hand out $5 cards which were redeemed to help 2,990 students across 115 classrooms with their projects.
What’s captured above is just a sample of the exciting activities and inspiring moments that took place. For detailed coverage with photos and videos, be sure to check out the RE:FORM SCHOOL site.
For those who couldn’t attend in person, you can experience all the incredible education-inspired art work from our nation’s top contemporary artists by virtually strolling through the gallery using Photosynth technology: http://photosynth.net/search.aspx?q=reformschool
Based on the level of engagement and the feedback we received on the ground, the message was clear – education is an issue warranting urgent attention and immediate action. While REDU doesn’t have all the answers to this enormous challenge, our goal is to give everyone who cares a way to participate. REDU provides a place to learn more about the issues, connect with like-minded people and provide options on how to take action, no matter how big or small.
Over the next few weeks and months, we will be introducing more initiatives like RE:FORM SCHOOL and key improvements to the site to help you learn, connect, and do more. Be first to hear about these by signing up to join the REDU community at www.bing.com/redu.
Aya Zook – REDU
Photos by Felix Swensson www.felixswensson.com; Jonathan Sager
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