Children’s Festival of the Arts 

"Plein air" painting taught by Judi Bradford in cooperation with the Audubon House was one of 40 exhibitions, performances and creative activities for children displayed at the Children’s Festival of the Arts held April 12^th at East Martello Museum. The event, coordinated by Art Behind Bars, the Florida Keys Council of the Arts and the Key West Art & Historical Society, drew nearly 1,000 attendees and raised public awareness of arts and cultural programs available to children in the Keys.  In addition, the event has raised, to date, over $2600 for Take Stock in Children in an ongoing initiative in which “stock certificates” can be purchased to benefit the program.  For more information visit www.artbehindbars.org.

Art Behind Bars, the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, and the Key West Art & Historical Society are pleased to announce the success of the recent Children’s Festival of the Arts, held April 12^th at E. Martello Tower. With more than 40 groups participating through exhibitions, performances, and creative activities for children, the event drew almost 1,000 attendees throughout the day, and succeeded in raising public awareness of all the arts and cultural programs available to children in the Keys.

Event planners are pleased to announce that the entire festival, which was also a fundraiser for Take Stock in Children, was able to raise 1.5 college scholarships for  deserving children. The amount raised, more than $2,600, will be matched at the local level by several generous benefactors, and matched again at the state level.

Members of the planning committee included Lynne Vantriglia & Janis Stevens of Art Behind Bars, Andrea Comstock of the Florida Keys Council of the Arts, Nora Lynch & Diane Rippe of the Key West Art & Historical Society, entertainment co-ordinator Skipper Kripitz, soundman TJ McGann, stage manager Heather Heels, and emcees George Murphy & Mimi McDonald. Cash donations from Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville & First State Bank, plus in-kind contributions from the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory, Pepsi, Reddy Ice, MacArthur Music, Waste Management, the Hilton Resort, New York Pizza, and Solares Hill Design Group helped to insure that all proceeds from the event went towards Take Stock in Children.

There is still time to participate in this exciting initiative. Go to www.artbehindbars.org and click on the hand at the bottom of the home page to get information or purchase a “stock certificate”. A 1% share of a college education can be had for a mere $17.50, and make a big difference in the life of a child.

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