STOCKTON RUSH BARTOL FOUNDATION SELECTS
1812 PRODUCTIONS TO RECEIVE
2012 GEORGE BARTOL ARTS EDUCATION AWARD

Long-Standing Award Honors Artistic Excellence and Commitment to Community

1812 Outreach Program Uses Comedy to Inspire Philadelphia’s Most Challenged Youth

Philadelphia, PA—The Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation announced that it has selected 1812 Productions as the 2012 recipient of the George Bartol Arts Education Award, the first theatre company to receive this award. The Award is given to an organization that provides sustained, meaningful exposure and participation in the arts; that demonstrates an active engagement in the lives of its students and community; and that maintains high artistic standards for its faculty and students.

The George Bartol Arts Education Award was established in 2001 to recognize outstanding arts education programs by a non-profit cultural organization. Each year, a grant of $5,000 is made in memory of George Bartol, founder of the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, who believed that the key to a thriving arts community was an investment in arts education for its children. As part of its annual grant review process, the Foundation designates one grantee to receive this additional award of $5,000 to further support its arts education programs. This year’s award is made possible through a gift from Mr. Bartol’s children. More information on the award and the Bartol Foundation is available at www.bartol.org

For 14 years, 1812 Outreach has worked with students at the Widener Memorial School for Children with Disabilities and South Philadelphia High School to use comedy to explore and celebrate young people’s sense of community, history and humanity. The year-round program, provided at no cost to the partner school, teaches students basic elements of theatre while building life skills for students with significant disabilities at the Widener School and building bridges across students from different cultures at South Philadelphia High School.

“This Award is made to 1812 Productions for its commitment to arts education excellence over its entire history,” said Beth Feldman Brandt, Executive Director of the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation. “Since its inception, 1812 has very quietly provided inventive, in-depth, joyful programs to young people without other access to theatre programs like this one. We applaud their dedication.”

“Comedy is a natural way for all young people to learn to work together as a group, take risks, and try out new ideas through laughter, “ explained Jen Childs, Artistic Director of 1812 Productions. “At Widener especially, students learn to explore their imaginations and tell their stories in ways that are not limited by their disabilities but instead celebrate their creativity.”

The Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, as the only local Foundation devoted solely to supporting local arts organizations, seeks to foster an environment where arts and culture can flourish. Created in 1984, the Foundation provides financial and technical support to non-profit arts and cultural organizations in Philadelphia. Through its grantmaking, the Foundation works to ensure a vibrant cultural life for all of its citizens through programs that use art as a catalyst for meaningful communication and connections, strengthening the social fabric of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods.



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