Ad-Rock Hosts Children’s Museum of the Arts Family Benefit & Concert

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Beastie Boys’ Adam Horovitz is Host and DJ; Dan Zanes, Urban Blight, John Oliver Perform

New York, NY – May 9, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz of the Beastie Boys will serve as host and DJ for the Children’s Museum of the Arts’ Family Benefit and Concert on Sunday, May 22, at Webster Hall, 125 East 11th Street, in Manhattan.

CMA is a New York City cultural institution that supports the creation and exhibition of children’s artwork and provides arts programming for schools and community organizations.

The Family Benefit and Concert, generously sponsored by Trinity Real Estate, will feature a family carnival during the day, followed by a benefit concert in the evening.  The event will support expansion of CMA’s free arts programming for children and the development of the museum’s new home at 103 Charlton Street. (CMA continues to operate in its current facility at 182 Lafayette Street in SoHo until the new space opens in Fall 2011.)

“All proceeds from this event will be dedicated to our free arts programming and to the creation of our new museum space, enabling us to empower more young artists,” said CMA Executive Director David Kaplan.  “We are extraordinarily thankful to those who have helped CMA to advance its role as a leader in innovative arts programming, and it’s inspiring to see the support from notable downtown performers supporting this downtown institution.”

The Family Benefit will run from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., featuring Ad-Rock and performances by Dan Zanes & Elizabeth Mitchell, Oran Etkin’s Timbalooloo, and the Cangelosi Cards, food and drink, costumes, a dedicated music lounge for ages 11-15 with performances from Jack Skuller and Outer Child, and hands-on arts projects for the whole family. Tickets for the Family Benefit start at $25 for children, and $100 for adults, and ticket packages are available.

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Ad-Rock will host and DJ for the Benefit Concert to Support the Arts, which will feature comedian John Oliver, and live music performances from the Liza Colby Band, Urban Blight, and Large Professor. General admission tickets start at $35 per person and VIP tickets are available.

The new CMA facility, designed by Dan Wood and Amale Andraos of architecture firm Work AC, will enable the museum to dramatically expand its instructional offerings. In addition to its hands-on artist-led workshops and interactive workstations, the new space will feature a 2,000 square-foot gallery featuring artwork by children, teens and adults.

The additional space will enable CMA to keep its 2,000-piece collection of international children’s art on site in an archive designed by CMA’s curator.  The new CMA space will also include a new media lab featuring a sound station, a clay bar and video-making and animation equipment to drive CMA’s award-winning media programs.

CMA, which has seen increased demand for its programs in the last five years, currently reaches more than 50,000 people through its programming, and a full 30 percent of that audience is served for free.  More than 7,000 public school students access these programs for free through partnerships including NYC’s Cultural After School Adventures (CASA).

More than 15,000 people have accessed CMA’s signature open-art workshops for free on Governors Island over the past two years.  Other free programs use art to reach and empower homeless families, teenage mothers, children and families impacted by Autism Spectrum Disorders, and families in the foster care system that are working toward reunification.

ABOUT THE CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS
Founded in Lower Manhattan in 1988, the Children’s Museum of the Arts provides authentic hands-on art experiences for children with practicing artists, both in our art-filled museum and in the community. CMA’s mission is to extend the benefits of the arts to all children and their communities and to secure the future of the arts by inspiring and championing the next generation of artists and art lovers.

CMA works to fulfill its mission through four distinct initiatives: On-Site Public Programming that includes interactive art stations and artist-led workshops, early-childhood arts workshops, after-school classes, intensive art camps and special family programs; School & Community Outreach Programs throughout New York City; Art Exhibitions; and a Permanent Collection of 2,000 pieces of children’s art from around the world. More information is available at www.cmany.org

Contact:

Children’s Museum of the Arts
www.cmany.org

Press Contact:
CMA, Lucy Ofiesh, 212-274-0986 x131
Shea Communications, Mark Faris, 212-627-5766

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