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We’re Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts (ARCA), a not-for-profit organization in Foxburg, PA, and we've launched this internet crowdfunding FundRazr site to get public support for our arts education program in the Allegheny-Clarion Valley Schools.

Thematically "Dancing off the Canvas”  is all about giving A-C Valley students an opportunity to explore the universal language of dance... how art has inspired dance and how dance has inspired the visual arts.  

This Spring, ARCA has showcased A-C Valley students' art inspired by the dance in an exhibit in The Red Brick Gallery in Foxburg from April 11 to 19.

ARCA began the arts education sequence bringing the innovative dance company Attack Theatre to Allegheny-Clarion Valley School to conduct three learning-through-the-arts workshops and perform an assembly dance concert for students in grades 5-12 on March 24.  Attack Theatre returned to perform a public dance concert of "Leap Into Action" on March 26 at 7 PM in the A-C Valley High School Auditorium.

We invite you to support ARCA's arts education program in the AC Valley Schools.

Consider making a gift of any size on this website - by clicking on the organge CONTRIBUTE BUTTON above or exploring the wonderful Perks we offer:  We invite you to VIEW THE MOVIE, read our whole story below, make a contribution of any size and then share this with your friends and on social media. There are wonderful thank you gifts for donations, which also entitle you to ARCA Membership.

If you live locally, join us to view the inspiring exhibit of A-C Valley Student Art work at The Red Brick Gallery on Main Street in Foxburg from Friday, April 11 to April 19. 

Help ARCA bring its arts education program to the A-C Valley Schools and support existing arts instruction and arts clubs at the A-C Valley Schools that are changing lives with music, dance and art.

Your gift will make all the difference. VIEW THE MOVIE and See the Whole Story

The impulse to move and respond to rhythm is deeply imbedded in our cultural DNA. Utilizing the universal language of the dance, so popular in the media today, Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts is bringing a sequential arts education program Dancing Off the Canvas to enrich arts education in the Allegheny-Clarion Valley Schools this Spring, featuring the nationally acclaimed dance company Attack Theatre from March 24 - 26, 2015.  It is ARCA's intent with this program to inspire students, enhance learning through the arts and celebrate student artwork in an exhibit in The Red Brick Gallery in Foxburg from April 11 - 19. 

Student Art Exhibit at the Red Brick Gallery:  Ninety A-C Valley students in Anita Allen’s art classes have created more than 100 works of art inspired by the dance which are a part of the Student Art Exhibit on the second floor of Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Art's Red Brick Gallery.In their educational process, students have employed the long-standing practice, dating back to the masters of western art, of doing copies of works of art as a study in composition and craftsmanship. From ballet and tango dancers to dancing cartoon figures, beach party dancers and dancing bears, the student art work is delightfully diverse and excellent in its reproduction of a wide spectrum of images inspired by the dance.The public is invited to a "Meet the Student Artists" Exhibit Opening and Reception which will take place from 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM, Saturday, April 11, on the second floor of the Red Brick Gallery, located at 17 Main Street, in Foxburg.

“Students have been working on their art for this exhibit since January,” said Anita Allen, A-C Valley art instructor and Art club faculty advisor. “ It's amazing to witness their creative process. The Dancing off the Canvas theme has certainly sparked their imagination and has led them to some truly inspired interpretations of dance as they see it. Our community will, without a doubt, get a true idea of the artistic skills our kids have when they see the quality and creativity of this art exhibit.”

"I am excited that other people will see our work. It's not just hanging in the hallways at school," said Junior Lauren McNany. Her picture is titled Spiderman Dancing and is created in watercolor and - surely the most modern medium represented – Sharpie! “I painted this picture of Spiderman dancing because my nine-year-old brother is really into superheroes and loves Spiderman."

Senior Keirdyn Bailey, shown below, has two works of ballerinas in the exhibit.The art works of these students will be celebrated in a student art exhibit in the second floor gallery at The Red Brick Gallery in Foxburg from April 11 to 19.  Senior Dakota Keefer show his Spanish dancer that he created in Anita Allen's art class.

A-C Valley students also have taken shifts to be on hand throughout the exhibit serving as docents, talking with the public about their art works and the Exhibit. Senior Winter Hall, photographed beside her charcoal works of a jockey and horse, greeted guests during the Opening Reception on Saturday, April 11.  During the second weekend of the exhibit students will be painting and creating new works of art on the sidewalk outside the Red Brick Gallery.  After the Exhibit selected student art works will be displayed in Foxburg businesses.  

Donna Edmonds, a botanical artist herself and Director of the Red Brick Gallery, said, “Not only will the students create the pieces that will be displayed, they will also learn the fundamentals of framing and preparing artworks for display.  We are so pleased to be able to provide this rare chance for them to get a comprehensive perspective on the care and commitment it takes to build an exhibit from start to finish.

Edmonds added, "Perhaps this will provide the inspiration that some student will need to pursue a life-long love for creating art.”

Students above delivered the art works to the Red Brick Gallery: (from left to right) Donna Edmonds, Red Brick Gallery Director; Anita Allen, A-C Valley art teacher; Colt Christo; Chayanne Christo; John Anderson; and Lauren McNany.  Colt Christo is shown with his clay sculpture below."This beautiful exhibit is a physical manifestation of the continually evolving partnership between ARCA and the A-C Valley Schools. We are empowering arts education by celebrating student artists in Anita Allen’s classes. I’ve admired their work for years and we’re so pleased ARCA can mount this special exhibit that we hope everyone will come to see and support with this FundRazr project," states John Soroka, Executive Director of ARCA.

Senior Samantha Brison said, "I really love the dancing picture I painted this year.  It was a challenge for me and I love how I captured the couple's special moment together on canvas."

An opening reception at the Red Brick Gallery hosted by the student artists and ARCA will take place on Saturday, April 11 from 12 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.  The artists will be on hand to discuss and answer questions about their work. The exhibit will run from Saturday, April 11 through Sunday, April 19. Gallery hours for the exhibit will be Fridays, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts has a proven track record of robust and innovative arts education enrichment programs in the AC Valley Schools over the past six years.  ARCA is grateful to the administration and faculty of the AC Valley School District for their partnership in bringing music, dance and drama performances and arts education workshops sponsored by ARCA to their students.

 

In 2013 Cello Fury’s classical-rock music delighted students in workshops, assembly concerts and an evening concert for the public - with opportunities to try the cello.  

In 2014-15 dance was chosen to extend the artistic genres brought to A-C Valley students both because some of the most joyous, uplifting and effecting music ever written has been created for the dance and because dance is considered the universal language of mankind.

In “The Music that Makes us Dance”during the Fall semester, teaching artist and early childhood specialist Laurie Tarter led creative movement classes for enthusiastic elementary students. 

In small workshops Musicians Susanne Ortner and John Marcinizn taught dance rhythms of four dances and taught students body percussion for the song Happy Pharrell Wiliams .Dancers Renee Smith and Joe Nickel previewed the dances in the workshops for pre-K to 6th grade students in the A-C Valley Elementary School and performed the waltz, tango, polka and contemporary dance to Happy in assembly concerts for elementary and high school students.

An evening concert for the whole family had toes tapping, bodies swaying and spirits soaring to the Music That Makes Us Dance.

Numerous concerts in ARCA’s fall concert season featured music written for the dance.  Even the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra joined the fun, performing Aaron Copland’s ballet music to Appalachian Spring in the A-C Valley High School Auditorium in November.

ATTACK THEATRE in residency at AC Valley:  Nationally acclaimed for their innovative arts education residencies in dance and the visul arts, ATTACK THEATRE is THE quintessential partner in presenting ARCA’s “Dancing Off the Canvas” arts education residency program at A-C Valley Schools – and they are based right here in western Pennsylvania.  See the Whole Story

ATTACK THEATRE has a long history of blurring the lines between visual art, performance art, and traditional dance.   Working in museums, galleries, installations and site-specific public works of art, Attack Theatre also has developed a method of involving students and audiences in the creation of new work that complements existing sculpture, paintings and installations. 

 

Attack Theatre’s arts in education and arts integration programs in schools utilize movement and dance as an engaging tool for: enhancing problem solving and critical analysis skills, building interdisciplinary connections, developing communication and cooperation skills, exploring abstract thinking, developing self-­confidence, promoting healthy habits, exploring the creative process; and creating a deeper understanding of dance as an art form.

In “Dancing Off the Canvas”, ATTACK THEATRE conducted workshops on Tuesday, March 24 that explored the relationship between dance and visual art to engage AC Valley students in learning through the arts.

Small Workshops:  Attack Theatre’s experienced, professional teaching artists worked with A-C Valley students from grades 5 to 12 and Gifted and Talented students from neighboring school districts exploring the universal language of dance on March 24, 2015.

Known for their audacious athleticism and “they make it look so easy” dance moves, teaching artists from Attack Theatre led workshops at the high school giving the students opportunities to stretch their imaginations, creativity and problem-solving skills.

Ideas were flashing like technicolor fireworks as A-C Valley students from 5th to 12th grades stretched their imaginations, creativity and problem-solving skills. Validating observations and exploring possibilities were the plays of the day, with creative scrimmages of self-expression the game plan. The three workshops Attack Theatre presented were:

Leading and Listening: Cooperation Through Movement – Attack Theatre is known for its athletic and momentum-based partnering. In this workshop, students investigated concepts of counterbalance, momentum, center of gravity and lever-based movements. Students practiced non-verbal tactics to develop trust, empathy and clarity in communication.

A-C Valley students Allison Sherman and Casey Borland (pictured below) with fellow students explored non-verbal communication with a goal of developing trust, empathy, and clarity of communication through a series of leading and following activities in the Leading and Listening: Cooperation through Movement Workshop.

Dancing off the Canvas Workshop – In this workshop, Teaching Artists engaged the students in a dialogue in which they analyzed and described a visual work of art shown. The students created movements that illustrated the descriptive phrases they used for the painting. Eventually, students choreographed short dances that represented the emotion, subject and narrative of the painting. Students took abstract concepts – the movement narrative and feelings evoked by the painting and turned them into something tangible – a short performed dance.

Every Body Moves – Students developed a greater understanding of how to use physicality to tell a story’s narrative. They were asked the question “what does a story look like?” Also, they became acquainted with directing others in choreography using the elements of spacial relationship, body language, facial expression and tempo. Students used these tools to tell a story through movement.

Reflective Literacy Session:  After a pizza party for students, Lori Marron Sherman, A-C Valley English and Gifted and Talented Teacher, led a reflective session in which students wrote flash fiction in response to AC-Valley student paintings. Here Lauren McNany reads the fiction written by her group in response to a painting by A-C Valley student Madison Stump.

Assembly Dance Concert: The day concluded with a high-energy, interactive school-wide assembly performance for 5th to 12th grade A-C Valley students showing the different forms of inspiration that provide the impetus for modern dance. In “Leap Into Action” Attack Theatre’s athletic dancers created exciting lifts and leaps using weight, balance, momentum, and even a ladder in some truly fun and whimsical and awe-inspiring dance pieces. 

Additionally, students the had the unique opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with Attack’s Artistic Director and Teaching Artists.  

Asked about their training, Co-Founder and Attack Theatre Artistic Director Peter Kope shared that he had played football, basketball and wrestled before becoming a dancer – and that he loved to ride motorcyle! Immediately after the assembly several of A-C Valley's star male athletes came up to have a photo taken with Peter and the dancers... the best validation of the experience's impact for them.  Dancer Ashley Williams shared that she went to school for a “serious career” earning a BS in Aerospace Engineering (CU-Boulder) and an MS in Electrical Engineering (MIT), and to her parents’ chagrin, has been dancing happily ever since . . . however, she does still spend her free time investigating the biochemical properties of cartilage using magnetic resonance imaging.  Both are great role models for creating professions by working hard, developing one's talent and following one's dreams.

Public performance of Leap Into Action: “Dancing Off the Canvas” also provided adults and families an opportunity to experience ATTACK THEATRE’s performance of Leap Into Action: A Look Behind the Curtain. Co-founder and Artistic Director Peter Kope and company dancers extended their camaraderie on stage and gave audience members an inside view of the artistic creative process in a public performance at the A-C Valley High School Auditorium on Thursday, March 26, at 7:00 PM. 

Talent flourishes wherever it’s born in this country – as long as it’s nurtured and developed... as evidenced by A-C Valley's annual musical theatre production directed by Jennifer Lowrey and choreographed by Julie Findlan Powell and the school bands directed by Scott DiTullio.The A-C Valley Schools have inspiring arts teachers who do wonderful work with their students in band, chorus, art class, drama club, art club and the school musical.  

But our beautiful Foxburg is in a rural area... we're in "the country". Many A-C Valley students otherwise wouldn't have the opportunity to experience the innovative, creative and thought inspiring excellence of Attack Theatre.  Attack Theatre's residency and public performance exposed all A-C Valley students from 7th to 12 grades and arts students in grades 5-6 - as well as parents and adults - to the stimulation and wonder of their innovative, cutting edge modern dance performance, not normally possible outside of larger city settings.

Also, arts education is always struggling for attention and funding in the midst of the rigors of standardized testing, even though research shows that the arts “make kids smarter” and help them perform better academically.

When faced with problems to solve, students in the arts produce more possible and creative solutions.  Imagination plus creativity equals innovation, and innovation is what 21st century employers and corporations are seeking.  And that’s not considering that jobs in the ‘creative sector’ comprise one-third of the US Economy.

That’s why ARCA is excited to have created an opportunity for A-C Valley High School and Gifted and Talented students from neighboring school districts to experience one of the most innovative professional dance companies in the world - Attack Theatre. This was "A FIRST" in the Allegheny River Valley region  - presenting a company of this artistic and educational excellence.

ARCA’s larger goal isn’t to get a bunch of kids to dance or paint pictures or even to turn them into professional artists.  Its goal is for students to take this enriching experience into their lives, as nurses, teachers, business people and leaders in their community - each pursuing their own dream.

Attack Theatre is the BEST OF THE BEST  - as artists and educators - and they require a fee that matches their 20 years of innovation. 

ARCA is going above and beyond its normal arts education budget to invest in the future of A-C Valley students with the innovative excellence of Attack Theatre.  The school residency was completely underwritten by ARCA – and ticket prices for the public concert were extremely affordable to encourage family attendance.

We’ve set a FundRazr goal of $6,500 for the project - to help ARCA pay for the cost of artistic fees for Attack Theatre’s in-school workshops, assembly concert and the public dance concert, and for miscellaneous costs of the student art exhibit at the Red Brick Gallery.

AND, Yes, there's more....  your gift  also will help ARCA accomplish its Stretch Goal to give funds to the Allegheny-Clarion Valley School for their art clubs.

ARCA has a STRETCH GOAL!  When ARCA has covered ATTACK THEATRE’s residency fee and art exhibit project costs, ARCA will give additional funds raised in this FundRazr project to the A-C Valley Schools to support student arts activities in the drama and art clubs, chorus, band and school musical.

Think of ARCA as an arts booster club for the A-C Valley Schools with this stretch goal.

Additional money raised above and beyond Dancing Off the Canvas project fees will be given to the A-C Valley Schools to support the work of students who sing in the chorus, play in the band, create art and perform in the school musical.

Finally, when ARCA secures underwriting for Attack Theatre's artistic fees, ARCA will be able to allocate budget for a fall 2015 arts education program bringing an exciting brass ensemble to perform workshops and assembly concerts and conduct student coaching sessions in the A-C Valley Schools.

SO you see - Your gift in support of this project serves three purposes: Directly supporting the Attack Theatre residency and student art exhibit and the student arts clubs at the School and indirectly supporting ARCA's ongoing arts education program to bring learning-through-the-arts to the A-C Valley Schools.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts has seen the value and supported the project as part of ARCA's year long arts education focus on dance in the A-C Valley Schools, but we need MORE… a LOT MORE – and that’s where YOU come in.

We'd love for you to  Partner with us in this effort.

We invite you to INVEST IN THE FUTURE and Empower the Arts in the A-C Valley Schools.

Consider lending your support and backing this project with a pledge.

Make a small gift – make a large gift…

Make a Donation and enjoy tax deductible benefits.  ARCA will send you a formal acknowledgement of your charitable contribution for tax purposes.

Then send this to a few friends and consider sharing it on social media

We invite you to partner with us and empower arts education in the A-C Valley Schools.

Your donation will make a difference in the lives of students in the Allegheny-Clarion Valley Schools.

HOW TO DONATE:   

• You may donate online by clicking on the ORANGE CONTRIBUTE BOX in the banner at the top of the page -  OR
• You may click on one of the perks to the right at the level you wish to contribute - OR
• You may send a check payable to ARCA (Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts), P.O. Box 215, 42 South Palmer Street, Foxburg, PA  16036-0215 - OR
• You may call (724) 659-3153 to make a contribution over the phone.

All contributions are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME – AND FOR YOUR SUPPORT.

You will receive wonderful goods and gifts as a THANK YOU... AND you will become a Member of Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts with all its benefits.

These perks for your contribution are sure to please.  Have a look at all our thank yous and choose one for yourself - from exhibit postcards and posters AND prints of student artists' work from the Red Brick Gallery,  free concert tickets to an ARCA concert in Foxburg and a "Donor Day" at a Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra concert...

AND Opportunities to experience the charm and magic of our historic and scenic spot in the beautiful Allegheny River Valley with a “Taste of Foxburg” -  with Foxburg Wine Cellars wine, a box of handmade chocolates and specialty coffees from Divani Chocolatier and Barrista, a pizza party for five from Foxburg Pizza, an invitation to a Donor Dinner at the stately RiverStone mansion AND the ultimate indulgence -  a FREE NIGHT AT THE FOXBURG INN with dinner at The Allegheny Grille.

We invite you to partner with Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts, bringing the world-class artistry of ATTACK THEATRE to students and adult audiences in the A-C Valley Schools.

That is what Allegheny RIverStone Center for the Arts is all about - presenting inspiring professional music, dance and art in the beautiful Allegheny-Clarion River Valley in an annual series of concerts and events in Foxburg and Emlenton.  http://www.alleghenyriverstone.org

ARCA’s performance home is the charming and historic Lincoln Hall in Foxburg - located atop the Foxburg Free Library.  From solo piano concerts and chamber music performed by Chatham Baroque and the Concertmaster, Principals and members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra - 

To Celtic music at St. Patrick’s Day, The Allegheny City Ragtime Orchestra and romantic Cabaret evenings and other popular music events including a jazz festival and Poetry and Jazz concerts...

Performances by stirring virtuosic keyboard artists on the McKissick Mighty Wurlitzer Theatre Organ...

(Photo credit:  McKissick Mighty Wurlitzer Organ - Denniskeyesphotography.com)

And Community Halloween Silent Movie Costume Events. 

Christmas favorites are the Madrigal Dinner, Pittsburgh Symphony Brass concert in the Memorial Church of our Father and The Three Rivers Ringers in Emlenton’s First Methodist Church.

(Photo credit: Denniskeyesphotography.com)

AND for the first time in 2014 two concerts in Emlenton - The River City Brass and Beatles Tribute concerts performing in Emlenton’s Crawford Center. 

AND the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra performed at the A-C Valley High School as part of THE MUSIC THAT MAKES US DANCE - performing the a flute concerto performed by Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra flutist, Lorna McGhee, Tchaikovsky's rousing Fourth Symphony AND ballet music suited to the Educational ArtReach theme from Aaron Copland's Appalchian Spring.

The scenically beautiful and stately RiverStone Farm is the location of outdoor summer concerts, from the celebrated Scottish Rock Band Big Country to blue grass fiddling at its best with the DePue Brothers Band’s classical Blue grass concert in 2014.

The Red Brick Gallery and Gift Shop is a charming and historic 135 year-old building at 17 Main Street which was once the business office of the Fox family from Philadelphia and the namesake of the Foxburg village. 

The Red Brick Gallery nurtures artistic creativity by providing a venue for local artisans, artists and photographers to exhibit fine art paintings, textiles and photography in the second floor gallery.

On the first floor, Red Brick Cooperative Artists sell their limited editions and collectibles in a gift shop.  The Cooperative Artists also volunteer their time to have the space open to the public.  A-C Valley Students were introduced to the Red Brick Gallery cooperative by Donna Edmonds, Director of the Red Brick, who presented a seminar for A-C Valley art students about how to prepare works for an exhibit and how galleries operate.   

“Not only will the students create the pieces that will be displayed, they will also learn the fundamentals of framing, preparing artworks for display and actually installing the show themselves,” says Edmonds. “We are so pleased to be able to provide this rare chance for them to get a comprehensive perspective on the care and commitment it takes to build an exhibit from start to finish.

Perhaps it will provide the inspiration that some student will need to pursue a life-long love for creating art.”

The Red Brick Gallery will host the special exhibit of A-C Valley students’ artwork from April 11 to 19, 2015 as part of "Dancing Off The Canvas".  Students have been involved in creating the poster and postcard for the event and a website to showcase A-C Valley artists' work.  They also will be "volunteering" their time - in the spirit of the Red Brick Gallery Cooperative - serving as docents for their Exhibit.  Donors to our project will be invited to the Opening Reception on Saturday April 11 at 12:00 noon. 

The student art exhibit will run from Saturday, April 11 through Sunday, April 19. Gallery hours for the exhibit will be Fridays, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturdays, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Attack Theatre has been making personal, accessible and collaborative dance-based performances with “ninja-like intensity” for 20 years that combine contemporary dance, live music and multimedia.

They have choreographed and performed internationally, on Broadway, in two-dozen operas and symphonies worldwide and produced over 150 original works in theatrical and site specific settings.

Known for their ‘audacious athleticism,’ (Dance Magazine), Attack Theatre has brought their arts education programs to schools and community environments nationally and internationally, conducting hundreds of residencies, workshops and master classes in contemporary dance, creative movement, and aesthetic education. The company’s outreach programs focus on demystifying the artistic process and building community – a mission ideal for its partnership with ARCA in “Dancing Off the Canvas”.

Attack Theatre combines modern dance, original live music, multimedia and interdisciplinary art forms to present works in traditional and nontraditional spaces both nationally and internationally.

They have collaborated with major regional theaters (Quantum Theatre), NYC Broadway productions (Squonk), museums (Carnegie Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Museum, Frick Art Museum, Mattress Factory), symphonies (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), operas (Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, Spoleto USA) and international dance companies (Japan's Nibroll Collective, Belgium's Compagnie Matteo ), thereby presenting nearly 100 original works in theatrical and site specific settings.  While maintaining a loyal audience in Pittsburgh, their accessible, athletic and highly theatrical works have toured the US, Europe, and Asia. They have toured nationally in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, South Carolina, D.C., Texas, Washington, New York and Massachusetts; and internationally, throughout France, Monaco, Germany, Switzerland, Indonesia, Turkey and Japan.

The Board of Directors of Allegheny RiverStone Center for the Arts is grateful to the following organizations and people for their special contributions to make this arts education program and FundRazr public funding website possible:

The PA Council on the Arts

The Allegheny-Clarion Valley School Board

• Superintendent David McDeavitt
• Principals Bill Jordan and John Giancola
• A-C Valley Faculty and Students
• Lori Marron Sherman
• Anita Allen
• Jennifer Lowrey
• Scott DiTullio
• R. J. Feicht
• Julie Findlan Powell

Donna Edmonds

The Red Brick Gallery

Elisabeth Regester

Susanne Ortner & John Marcinizyn (music sound track-movie)

Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra

Mike Vereb & The Foxburg Inn

Blaine Duffee & The Foxburg Inn

Alicia Dittman & The Foxburg Inn

The Allegheny Grille

Foxburg Wine Cellars

Foxburg Pizza

Divani Chocolatier & Barrista

Foxburg Tours