We Are All The Same Inside - The Blog

Contact: Gwendolyn Black 212/665-5313 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE HARLEM BASED ARTS EDUCATOR AND JAZZ ENTHUSIAST TO HOST THE 1ST ANNUAL VISUAL ART AND JAZZ DAY! VISUAL ARTS AND JAZZFEST 2012—10TH ANNUAL Harlem, New York, June 6, 2012 –Artist and curator Gwendolyn Black will once again present her highly anticipated cultural event: Visual Arts and Jazzfest 2012. This year marks the 10th Anniversary and the celebrations will kick off with a pre-festival event on Friday, June 15th 2012 for the 1st ANNUAL VISUAL ART AND JAZZ DAY at the Harlem Branch Library, 9 West 124h Street, between and 5th Avenue and Lenox Avenue, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. The event will present and celebrate the visual arts through Jazz and give the public an opportunity to connect with the visual artists, gain further insight about jazz, its history and its important legacy. Gwendolyn Black, who carved out a decades-long career as a painter, arts mentor and jazz enthusiast has teamed up with the New York City Public Library in Harlem, NY for what will be an annual Visual Art and Jazz Day for all ages. The event will feature, We Are All The Same Inside®, the book and accompanying Sage doll, created by the award winning author / illustrator Timothy D. Bellavia. The special arts workshop will celebrate a message of peace and harmony among all peoples while also embracing each other’s differences. Bellavia himself has toured over a hundred schools for well over a decade, and will be using his props to share with participants of the rich and diverse Jazz singers of our times. The Visual Arts and Jazz Day, was developed to give audiences of all ages, particularly those who have not been exposed to the music, an opportunity to gain appreciation of jazz music and learn about the connection between the two art forms. “Fusing the arts through music is my favorite way to encourage children to do research outside of what they are exposed to … workshop after workshop I see participants become so eager to learn and I am so proud of them for that” said Black. “I am thrilled to be working with Gwendolyn again and I am excited that the participants will get a chance to honor a Jazz legend of the past or even of our own time through the We Are all the Same Inside – Sage doll-making workshop” added Bellavia. The Visual Arts and Jazz Festival, now celebrating its 10th Anniversary, will run during the months of June - August 2012. The festival was developed to further bring to the public’s eye visual artists and their works dedicated to jazz and “bring together diversified audiences in diversified spaces.”™ The festival is highlighted with special events in Manhattan and Brooklyn and will include an outdoor fair on Saturday, July 14th at the Jackie Robinson Park at Bradhurst Avenue and 145th Street. For further information contact Gwendolyn Black, Curator/Producer at 212/665-5313 or via e-mail at blackgwendolyn@hotmail.com or visit www.facebook/artsandjazzfestnyc.com. ###

... calling all Jazz lovers. Mark your calendars for Gwendolyn's Black's "Visual Arts and Jazz Day" on June 15, 2012. FOR ALL AGES @ 11 AM to 4 PM in Harlem, NY. WAATSI - Sage doll-making to be featured. Just wait til you see the Bessie Smith Sage doll!