October 4, 2007
For Immediate Release
Contact: Janice Gouldthorpe
Genesee Center for the Arts & Education
Executive Director
585-244-1730
ENDOWED
FUND TO SUPPORT PRINTING & BOOK ARTS PROGRAMS
$50,000 Initial investment key to preserving important
traditional methods
In this era of instant
everything – messaging, fast food, print on demand, 24/7 banking – certain
members of our community are returning to the processes that sometimes take
hours, days or even weeks to create and perfect. This is certainly true
of those who are renewing their interest in the visual arts and seeking that
“authentic” experience using traditional methods and equipment.
A generous donation from
Joseph E. Brown, Professor Emeritus, RIT, will be used to establish the
Printing & Book Arts Endowment Fund at the Genesee Center
for the Arts & Education. Income from the endowment will be used to
support lecturers, teachers, classes and equipment needs of the Printing &
Book Arts program. The program seeks to educate individuals on the arts
of letterpress, hand papermaking, bookbinding, calligraphy and other historical
book arts traditions and allow continuing exploration through the use of the
equipment and materials available in the studios. It was founded in 2005
as a part of the Genesee
Center for the Arts &
Education by Mr. Mitchel Cohen, the current program
director.
“The investment made by Mr.
Brown is truly a wonderful opportunity for learning and teaching in historical
traditions. The commitment to the Genesee
Center for the Arts & Education
and our Printing & Book Arts Program is an endorsement of our mission - to
educate, encourage and inspire people to create and enjoy the visual arts,”
said Janice Gouldthorpe, Executive Director of the Genesee Center for the Arts & Education.
Mr. Joseph E. Brown first got
a sampling of the printing business through a family venture. After
completing an undergraduate degree from Carnegie-Mellon
University in printing plant management,
Mr. Brown worked for 5 years in his family printing business in Kansas City. “Maybe
I’ve got printer’s ink in my blood,” said Mr. Brown.
Forward a few years to his
eventual passion and position as professor in the School of Printing
at RIT, where he taught for 35 years and developed an extensive lab and
coursework in papermaking. Again forward a few years to today where Mr.
Brown has been engaged in establishing the hand papermaking program at the Printing & Book Arts Center.
Through his first lab
assistant at RIT, Mr. Bill Dexter, Mr. Brown was recruited to help establish a
quality program for teaching, learning and a true-hands-on experience at the Printing & Book Arts Center.
Lending his expertise and connections, the program has been able to begin and
flourish under his guidance. Students are able to learn about the basics
of hand papermaking and use this knowledge to undertake projects of their own
personal interest. “We teach them about the processes and tools and then let
them pursue their own artistic directions”, said Mr. Dexter.
“There is tremendous growth
potential for these programs. They are unique in the Rochester region and the opportunities are
endless,” said Mr. Brown. Mr. Brown’s gift to this endowment will ensure
the continuation and further expansion of printing and book arts programming at
the Genesee Center for the Arts & Education.
About The Genesee Center for the Arts and Education
At the Genesee Center
for the Arts & Education, we believe that a positive art experience can
change a person's life. We are a community-based
not-for-profit that educates, encourages and inspires all people to create and
enjoy the visual arts.
Established in 1972 and
Center incorporated in 1973 as a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit educational
institution, the Genesee Center for the Arts & Education is the only
community visual arts center located within the City of Rochester. Committed to the residents of the city, the Center owns
and is located in an historic firehouse in the city, built in 1895 and 1905.
The Genesee Center
for the Arts & Education is really three organizations in one: a
photography center, a pottery studio, and a printing and book arts center. Our studios occupy over 12,000 square feet in our historic
building. We offer over 140 classes to the general
public, allow access to our facilities for over 1400 individuals each year to
create their work and display work in our exhibition galleries throughout the
facility, provide opportunities for 100 city youth each in the arts through our
grant-supported Urban Youth Arts Education programs and offer internships to
advanced area art students.
The Genesee
Center for the Arts & Education is
proud of the collaborative programs that we have produced with RIT, SUNY
Brockport, Southwest Area Neighborhood Association, Right-on-School, RCSD, Wilson Commencement
Park and many other
community organizations and schools. We are truly
committed to our cause of "Art For All People". As
a member-supported organization, our membership fees, support from individual
donors, businesses, and charitable foundations help us keep the classes
diverse, affordable, and open to the community.
For more information, see our
website: www.geneseearts.org
or contact us at:
Genesee Center for the Arts & Education
713 Monroe Avenue
Rochester, NY 14607
(585)244-1730