A letter from our President:

As Founder and National Director, I want to invite you to learn more about our nonprofit organization: The Foundation for New American Art.

The Foundation for New American Art is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit New York State charity that provides free after-school programs for children who have little or no art or music in their public schools.WE BELIEVE WE CAN PREVENT DRUG ADDICTION and VIOLENCE through providing skills and a safe place for children to create. Traumatized children from vulnerable communities need to tell their stories in paint, music, film, dance and performance.

Our program is interdisciplinary. Art and Music are made of math and science. We teach children how to look at art deeply, and how to listen to music deeply. We hire the best Teaching Artists from all over the world and we pay them a respectful wage. We teach African, Latin and Hip Hop dance and we also teach modern dance in the creative traditions of people like Martha Graham and Isadora Duncan. We teach music theory and color theory simultaneously using our Steinway grand piano. Every child is a genius. Screens and outmoded pedagogies do a great disservice to the magic and brilliance of the young imagination.

Our new Headquarters is a beacon of creativity and possibility.

>The Foundation for New American Art was formed in response to a dire situation. Art and music education are disappearing from our schools. The State of the Arts Report (2014) from the office of the New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer states:

419 schools in New York City lack even one full-time, certified arts teacher.
A majority of schools without certified arts teachers – 182 – are elementary schools. In addition, 34 middle schools and 53 high schools have neither part-time nor full-time certified arts teachers.
While schools in neighborhoods across the five boroughs lack certified art teachers, schools in the South Bronx and Central Brooklyn are disproportionately affected.

It is clear that reductions in arts education have fallen disproportionately on low income neighborhoods. Facts reinforce the critical importance of integrating Arts into the daily curriculum of young children:

According to the Rockefeller Foundation, children that experience art and music education in early years are more likely to attend and graduate from college.
Students who attend music and or art classes of any kind scored an average of 57 points higher on the verbal portion of the SAT test, and 43 points higher on the math portion than students with no coursework or experience in the arts.
Here at the Foundation for New American Art we believe that art can change the way children look at the world.

Art and Music are integral to the health of the mind and body. Through Art the unseen becomes visible. By experiencing Art and Music we learn the beauty of human emotion, the nobility of sorrow, the joy of obstacles overcome. Our Foundation is determined to make art and music a part of every child’s life.

“It is imperative that we continue to support the arts and arts education both on the national and local levels. The strength of every democracy is measured by its commitment to the arts.”

– Charles Segars, CEO of Ovation

Foundation for New American Art is improving the lives of children through our support of Arts-in-Education. We ask you to please help to support our online, after school, Saturday and Summer programs including FESTIVAL DE LA POSIBILIDAD

Festival de la Posibilidad, a FREE weekend of bilingual art, theater, dance, music for children and families at The Clemente 107 Suffolk St. Festival of Possibilities will give you a chance to see what happens when great Art teachers nurture great young talents.

But we can’t do it without your support. Through your partnership with the Foundation for New American Art, you are truly making a life-changing donation. You are providing a solid foundation for children to experience and grow through the Arts.

Please consider a monthly donation to our programs. Your regular support will enable us to plan very effectively for the future. Your friendship and backing is key in solving the problems of our at-risk children.

Your donation is 100% tax deductible. Any donation you can offer is greatly appreciated and will be used to further our work introducing art and music to children in low-income communities.

Please make checks payable to: Foundation for New American Art, Inc.

Send to:
Foundation for New American Art, Inc.
224 East 10th Street
New York, NY 10003

Meanwhile, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call or email me. I am thanking you in advance for your time and for your generosity.

Sincerely,
Phoebe Legere
National Director
Foundation for New American Art
Email: phoebe@foundationfornewamericanart.org
Phone: 212.777.7052