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"These are the type of artists I anticipate working with in the future, and I believe I'm now one step closer to fulfilling my goal of having a professional career doing something I love."
- Chris Rogerson |
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 ALUMNI ASTRAL AWARD
The YoungArts Alumni Astral Award is part of our commitment to explore and develop programs that enhance the opportunities available to promising artists.
This Award provides financial assistance for a specific project that will enhance an individual’s artistic and professional growth. YoungArts awards two Alumni
Astral Awards up to $2500 each during the given award period
(awards are not rewarded for living expenses, travel, or further studies).
We look forward to receiving 2010 Alumni Astral Awards applications in September of next year! Stay tuned for details on how to apply.
Congratulations to the 2009 Alumni Astral Award Winners, Jill Penney and Michael McElroy!
Read below to find out about their Astral Award projects and where they are now.
Michael McElroy, 1985 winner in Musical Theater
Michael has spent the last 19 years successfully establishing himself as an actor and music composer. He has played roles in 8 Broadway shows, various off Broadway shows and national tours.
Furthermore, he has been nominated for several awards including a Tony award for best supporting actor in a musical and a Grammy award for best orchestrations with a choir. Michael is currently developing
a musical with book, lyrics and music called The Light. The Astral Award will fund the creation of a CD of all the music from the production. The unique mix of jazz and gospel tonalities is a combination
of sounds that Broadway has not experienced since the late 80’s.
“Being a part of that experience [Young Arts Week] opened my eyes to the talent and opportunities available in the arts. I came into contact with students from around the country and had workshops with amazing artists. My ARTS experience was a great part of my decision to pursue a career in the arts.” - Michael McElroy
Jill Penney, 2001 winner in Visual Arts and Presidential Scholar in the Arts
Jill is an accomplished visual artist who specializes in contemporary doll art. Ms. Penney works with a range of media including clay, fabric, yarn and various found objects. Her passion for doll art
evolved into a focus on puppetry and stop motion animation and her work has been shown all over the world, including Washington D.C., Spain, Australia, and Sweden. The Astral Award will fund her project,
Bailey and The Bats, an original poem written by Penney that she will transform into a stop motion animated film that conveys a wonderful message that we must all learn show respect for one another and
embrace our differences in order to peacefully coexist.
“My YoungArts experience was a unique opportunity for growth and inspiration where art and its creators were not only valued but also supported. In that fostering environment I felt appreciated, felt the value of my artistic contributions to the world and was able to see potential and possibility in myself and the world around me that I had not seen before.” – Jill Penney
View Jill Penny’s Astral Award winning submission Bailey and the Bats
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