Gallery New World Stages Presents Touring Art Exhibition from the Smithsonian and the Kennedy Center, Now thru 8/25

Gallery New World Stages, located at 343 West 49th Street, presents the summer opening of SUSTAINING / CREATING. This exhibition presents a national juried exhibition of works by 15 young emerging artists with disabilities. The show will be on view from today, July 2, 2013 through August 25, 2013, with an Opening Reception on July 12 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Curator Bernard Stote manages the group show.

In their 11th year of collaboration, VSA and Volkswagen Group of America, teamed up to recognize emerging artists with disabilities who demonstrate promise in the visual arts. The 15 award recipients will share in a grant of $60,000 and have their work on display in the prestigious Smithsonian Institution. This collaboration supports these artists at a critical time when many are deciding whether to pursue the arts as a career. The program validates and helps finance that life-defining choice.

"We are delighted to acknowledge and support this diverse group of talented young artists," said Betty Siegel, Director of VSA and Accessibility at the Kennedy Center. "These types of programs are an important tool for encouraging the next generation to pursue careers in the arts."

Jonathan Browning, President and CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, said: "The theme of this year's VSA exhibition 'Sustaining/Creating' corresponds with Volkswagen's Think Blue. initiative of environmentally friendly personal mobility. We applaud this year's talented and deserving awardees, and are proud to partner with VSA to promote inclusion and accessibility."

The following artists are featured in the touring exhibition:

• Jacob Brown, Mars, Pennsylvania
• Colin Budd, Wexford, Pennsylvania
• Rachel Chansler, Lolo, Montana
• Alice Chen, Campbell, California
• Leland Foster, Portland, Maine
• Dylan Guest, Baltimore, Maryland
• Ned Dibner, Henderson, North Carolina
• Taylor Gray, Burlington, Connecticut
• Kevin Hosseini, Carpinteria, California
• Naima Kazmi, Hackensack, New Jersey
• Stephen Proski, Kansas City, Missouri
• Sam Sadtler, Concord, Massachusetts
• Kara Stokowski, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
• Qingyun Wang, San Francisco, California
• Annie York, Denver, Colorado

The work chosen for the exhibition was selected by a jury of noted regional art professionals, including Jason Bowman, Director of Fountain Gallery, New York City; William Newman, Carolyn S. Alper Professor of Contemporary Arts, Corcoran College of Art + Design; and Sarah Tanguy, Curator, Art in Embassies, U.S. Department of State.

FUNDING CREDITS:
Sustaining/Creating is sponsored by Volkswagen Group of America.

About VSA
VSA, the international organization on arts and disability, was founded more than 35 years ago by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to provide arts and education opportunities for people with disabilities and increase access to the arts for all. VSA is an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, www.vsarts.org.

Education at the Kennedy Center
As the national center for the performing arts, The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is committed to increasing opportunities for all people to participate in and understand the arts. To fulfill that mission, the Kennedy Center strives to commission, create, design, produce, and/or present performances and programs of the highest standard of excellence and of a diversity that reflects the world in which we live-and to make those performances and programs accessible and inclusive.

Education at the Kennedy Center includes resources from its presentations and productions and those of its affiliates: the National Symphony Orchestra, VSA (the international arts and disability organization), and Washington National Opera. The focus, locally and nationally, is on producing and presenting age appropriate performances and educational events for young people and their families; school- and community-based programs that directly impact teachers, students, artists, and school and arts administrators through professional development; systemic and school improvement through arts integrated curricula, inclusive classrooms, and universal design in facilities and learning; creating partnerships around the issues of arts education and arts integrated education; creating and providing educational materials via print and the Internet; developing careers in the arts for young people and aspiring professionals; and strengthening the management of arts organizations.

The education programs of the Kennedy Center have become models for communities across the country and have unlocked the door to learning for millions of young people. This has been accomplished by fostering creativity, teaching discipline, improving self-esteem, and challenging students to think in new ways, as well as offering them experiences in the pure enjoyment and excitement of the performing arts. For more information, visit the Center's website at www.kennedy-center.org/education.

About Volkswagen Group of America, Inc.
Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, the largest carmaker in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It houses the U.S. operations of a worldwide family of distinguished and exciting brands including Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Volkswagen, as well as VW Credit, Inc. Founded in 1955, the company's headquarters are in Herndon, Va.

Volkswagen Group of America brings to the U.S. vehicles that marry the science of engineering and the art of styling, with the goal of offering attractive, safe, and environmentally sound automobiles that are competitive and set world standards in their respective classes.

The company has approximately 4,000 employees in the United States and sells its vehicles through an 800-strong dealer network. www.volkswagengroupamerica.com.

About Gallery New World Stages
Gallery New World Stages is a 150 linear foot exhibition space on two floors of the renowned performing arts complex New World Stages, located on the site of Worldwide Plaza in the heart of the
theatre district. New World Stages houses five theatres ranging in size from 199 to 499 seats, complemented by thousands of square feet dedicated to audience and artist services. Bernard Stote
and Hanging Art Organization manage the gallery space. www.hangingart.org

Gallery New World Stages, 343 West 49th Street, New York NY 10019 Gallery Hours: MON-SUN 10-6

http://www.newworldstages.com