Ever dream of being the next Picasso, Pollock, or Banksy? Learn to express your inner voice with professional artists who will guide your creation of a series of projects for your personal portfolio. Collaborate and explore new mediums with your fellow artists using a variety of art materials to create original artworks. Your work will be prominently displayed throughout the week and highlighted in an exhibit at the JCC Maccabi® Final ArtsFest Showcase for other specialty groups and your peers playing sports to see.
Introducing our 2019 Visual Arts AIR – Ellen Alt (Returning)
Returning for her third year with JCC Maccabi ArtsFest we are excited to welcome back Ellen.
“There are many ways to be a Jewish artist,” asserts Ellen Alt, and the pieces she’s created over the past 30 years have reflected the different places she’s been – and where she may be headed on her Jewish journey. Born and raised in Buffalo, NY, she has lived in Jerusalem, Ashkelon and Tel Aviv and now lives in New York City.
She is the Artist–in–Resident at the Park Avenue Synagogue and the art coordinator for the Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan. Following the commandment to improve the world, she brings people together to create sculpture and mural projects for their neighborhoods. These communal endeavors have involved her in conflict resolution with Jewish-Arab groups in the Middle East, Catholic-Protestant groups in Northern Ireland and multicultural groups throughout the United States.
Ellen received an M.A. in studio art from New York University and a B.F.A. in art education from the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. Her primary artistic focus is mixed media and her current subject matter focuses on climate change. She has exhibited extensively in the U.S, Israel, Germany, Russia, China, and England. One of her pieces was presented to Hillary Clinton in Jerusalem on the historic occasion of the signing of the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan in 1994. It remains in the collection of the White House.
Ellen Alt is an artist, art teacher, and community art facilitator. Born and raised in Buffalo, New York, she has an MA in studio art from New York University and a BFA in art education from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. She lives in New York City with her husband Carlos Narvaez who is a photographer from Peru.
Ellen Alt’s work is inspired by languages, alphabets, and symbols. Starting with a calligraphy class in college, this interest has led from Canaanite pictograms, through the history of writing, to messages embedded in ice and floating in water as part of her recent work about climate change. Her mixed media work has been exhibited in the U.S, Germany, Russia, China, England, and the Middle East. One of her pieces was presented to Hillary Clinton on the occasion of the peace treaty between Israel and Jordan and is in the collection of the White House. Ms. Alt also organizes community sculpture and mural projects throughout the world. She holds an MA in studio art from New York University and a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Ms. Alt lives in New York City with her husband, Carlos Narvaez, a photographer from Peru; and maintains a studio in Long Island City.
https://www.instagram.com/ellen_alt_artist
http://www.ellenaltcommunity.com/
http://www.ellenaltjudaic.com/
Audition Requirements – Visual Arts 2019
What are we looking for?
- Strong interest in visual arts with a desire and a passion to create
- Experience or confidence in drawing, painting, photography or another visual medium
- The ability to take work from conception to completion
- Open to new experiences, such as taking your favorite form of art and learning a new concept to incorporate into a new and exciting masterpiece
- Appreciation for collaborative efforts in art
In addition to answering the questions below, you must submit samples of your work. Please record a video of yourself presenting two pieces from your portfolio and casually discussing each one, including an explanation of why the certain medium was used and if there was a specific thought or inspiration that motivated the work.
Once you have recorded the video, please upload it to a site such as YouTube or Vimeo and copy and paste the link into your audition form.
Please answer the following questions in the text boxes provided on the application.
- Tell us briefly your experiences in visual arts at school, home, and in workshops/classes.
- How do you wish to further your work/skills in visual arts while at ArtsFest?
- Why do you want to participate in JCC Maccabi ArtsFest?
- Anything else you would like us to know about you and your visual arts skills?
- Please provide the link to your video audition.
* For basic instructions to upload a video to YouTube, please click here
The program will culminate in the creation and sharing of a new work that will be part of the week’s final presentation and will be prominently displayed.
