National YoungArts Foundation Second Annual YoungArts Awareness Day Thursday, September 24, 2015

MIAMI, Sept. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National YoungArts Foundation (YoungArts) presents the second annual YoungArts Awareness Day, a national campaign recognizing the organization's impact on thousands of emerging artists with a call-to-action for future generations. Slated for Thursday, September 24, YoungArts Awareness Day will be celebrated through a series of public events in New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. The initiative aims to show that #becauseofyoungarts, emerging artists are able to take the next steps toward achieving their goals and building a strong professional network. Emerging artists (ages 15 to 18 or in high school grades 10-12) are encouraged to apply to become part of the 35^th Anniversary Class of YoungArts Winners at youngarts.org/apply through October 16, 2015.

"Through YoungArts Awareness Day we hope to activate the public to reach young artists in every corner of this country and make sure they know that we are here to support their dreams," said Lisa Leone, Vice President of Artistic Programs for YoungArts.

Events in New York City will feature Andrew Rannells (1997 Winner in Theater), Zuzanna Szadkowski (1997 Winner in Theater and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), Tony Yazbeck (1997 Winner in Theater), Alysha Deslorieux (2008 Winner in Theater), and Grace Weber (2006 Winner in Voice and U.S. residential Scholar in the Arts) in a dynamic Broadway showcase. In Los Angeles, Black Gatsby (D'Angelo Lacy) (2005 Winner in Theater) will direct a disco/pop concert starring India Carney (2011 Winner in Theater, Voice and U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts), Fiona Grey (2013 Winner in Voice), Nicole Ishimaru (2015 Winner in Dance), Jay Jackson (2007 Winner in Dance), and Michelle May (2014 Winner in Dance); and in Miami, a selection of Daniel Arsham's (1999 Winner in Visual Arts) work—curated by newly appointed Pérez Art Museum Miami director Franklin Sirmans—will open in conjunction with a YoungArts Salon featuring Arsham and Sirmans in conversation. 

The YoungArts network, including thousands of professional artists, master teachers, and aspiring artists, will take to social media to share their personal YoungArts stories and discuss why the arts are important using the hashtags #becauseofyoungarts and #keepartsalive. Josh Groban (1999 Winner in Theater) will host a live Q&A about arts education and his own Find Your Light Foundation on the YoungArts Facebook page at 3pm.

For more information, visit youngarts.org/youngarts-awareness-day.
For YoungArts Awareness Day artist images, click here.
For general photography, visit youngarts.org/press-photos.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL YOUNGARTS FOUNDATION
The National YoungArts Foundation was established in 1981 by Lin and Ted Arison to identify and support the next generation of artists in the visual, literary, design and performing arts, and assist them at critical junctures in their educational and professional development. Each year, there are approximately 11,000 applications to YoungArts from 15-18 year old (or grades 10-12) artists, and from these, approximately 800 winners are selected.

YoungArts Winners have the chance to work with renowned mentors, such as Mikhail Baryshnikov, Plácido Domingo, Frank Gehry, Jeff Koons, Wynton Marsalis, Robert Redford, Rebecca Walker and Bruce Weber; receive cash awards of up to $10,000; gain access to significant scholarships; be recognized as a U.S. Presidential Scholar in the Arts (YoungArts is the nominating agency for this high honor for artistically talented graduating high school seniors); and perform and exhibit their work at some of the nation's leading cultural institutions.

For more information, visit youngarts.org, facebook.com/YoungArtsFoundation or twitter.com/YoungArts. To watch a brief video about YoungArts, click here.

Media Contacts:

Dejha Carrington, National YoungArts Foundation
[email protected] / 305-377-1140

Julia An, Polskin Arts & Communications Counselors
[email protected] / 212-715-1694

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150923/269750

SOURCE National YoungArts Foundation

Related Links

http://www.youngarts.org