Gifted Gardener, Great Lady and Even Greater Friend passes away

Hello all,

most of you have heard that Bernadette Cozart passed away this week...I figured I'd get something posted on her memorial service this Saturday - we invite whoever would like to come and celebrate Bernie's life. There will be a reception following the service - please feel free to bring a plate.

Bernadette Cozart, a gifted gardener who won international recognition for founding the Greening of Harlem, passed away suddenly on July 27, 2009. A transplanted New Yorker, Bernie was an active, prolific volunteer and community leader. Most recently, Bernie was unanimously elected Design Chair of the Seventh Street Development Committee and served two years as president of the Allentown Garden Club. Survivors: Bernie is survived by her partner of 17 years Kathleen Kapila, her many friends and community partners. Services: A celebration of Bernadettes life will be held on Saturday, August 1 at 11 a.m. in Metropolitan Community Church, 930 N 4th St #10, Allentown, PA 18102-1881, (610) 709-8800. Arrangements, Nicos C. Elias Funeral Home, Allentown. Contributions: Contributions may be made to Lehigh Gap Nature Center, PO Box 198, Slatington PA 18080, (610) 760-8889, Mr. Dan Kunkle.

Sad News for Allentown

Many of you in the Chen Arts Group knew Bernadette Cozart and have heard of her unfortunate passing. She was a giving, talented woman who touched many in the city which she chose to call home and worked hard to improve.

This information was sent along for those of you who would like to pay your condolences at a memorial service for Bernie this Saturday, August 1:

Memorial Service for Bernadette "Bernie" Cozart

11 a.m. Saturday, August 1

Metropolitan Community Church

930 N. 4th Street #101 (Silkworks Building)

Allentown, PA

A potluck gathering to share memories and stories will follow.

Contact the church at 610-709-8800 for further information.

Meeting Notes 7/25/09

Thanks to all who attended our get together this past Saturday night at House of Chen. As always, it was fun to share some good food and enjoyable conversation with friends!

Georgine began our discussion with a great idea. On Sept. 11 there will be a pro cycling race in Allentown which will draw many people to Hamilton St. Perhaps the Chen Arts Group could set up a show in the "Hamilton For Rent" storefronts or on the street outside the storefronts. We will contact Yodi and find out if this is possible.

Sarah F and Susan W spoke about the upcoming "Day of the Dead" Halloween Celebration on 7th St. and how our group can participate with pumpkin carving, or maybe some kind of ghoulish creative venture. The event will be held on Halloween in the 300-600 block of 7th St. More about this later.

Sarah also spoke about the success of our recent AAM Show. She reported that the registrar at the museum said it was the best turnout she has seen for a Community Room Show, and that she received the most inquiries. Bill V reported that he spoke with a museum employee who told him that the museum staff was impressed with the turnout and also with the quality of the art work. We discussed the possibility of doing this show again next year. Thanks Sarah!

Joe Skrapits reported on the progress of 808 Hamilton St. (Site for a new arts center) He was able to keep repair costs low, and the elevator will be functioning. There will be a new theatre co. occupying the 4th floor. And Susan will be sending me info regarding a free art workshop on Saturdays for kids where Yodi and other local artists will be teaching projects such as mask making. The workshop is being held on 7th St. in a church. Details and info to follow.

Lots of exciting news about the arts in Allentown. Stay tuned. Get involved!

Angie Villa

Senate Zeros Out Arts Funding - Federal Arts Funding in Jeopardy for PA

From the Citizens for the Arts in PA:

(On Monday) the PA Senate approved HB 1416 as amended which includes ZERO funding for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) by a vote of 31-19. The lone aisle crossing vote was cast by Senator Lisa Boscola.

HB 1416 as amended will be sent back to the House of Representatives tomorrow morning where one of three options can take place:

1. They concur with the changes made by the Senate and send the bill to Governor Rendell for his signature
2. They vote to nonconcur with the changes and send the bill to a conference committee for further diliberation and compromise, or
3. They take no action on the bill.

This is where you come in...it is vitally important that you call your legislator Tuesday to tell him/her that you would like the House to nonconcur with the HB 1416 as amended. This the only way that PCA funding can be restored to the budget. We are down to the wire here. If you think that state arts funding is an important service for Pennsylvania government to provide to its citizens, then CALL your legislator in the morning. You can locate contact information for your legislator by visiting our Legislative Action Center at http://capwiz.com/artsusa/pa and typing in your zipcode in the box at the top of the page. Please give call your House member if this is important to you. Do you want Pennsylvania to be the only state without an arts council, without state funding and without federal funding? Yes, money from the National Endowment for the Arts will also disappear if PA arts grants are eliminated from the budget because NEA grants must have a match from the state.

Don't let this happen, keep arts money in Pennsylvania by contacting your House member and telling him/her to vote for nonconcurrence with HB 1416 as amended. If you have any questions or need a telephone number, please contact me at jlh@citizensfortheartsinpa.org or at 717-234-0959. Contact your House member NOW!

Sincerely,
Jenny L. Hershour
Managing Director
Citizens for the Arts in PA

UPDATE: The House voted to "nonconcur" with the Senate bill. Members of both parties opposed the legislation. Now the bill returns to committee for debate. I spoke to Rep. Jennifer Mann today and she said she favors responsible cuts throughout the state budget, but it is not her intention to cut all arts funding. It's good to know there is support out there.

Update on Arts Funding Campaign

From Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania:

Today, as I review the images of the Save the Arts Rally, I am reminded of the wonderful spirit that embodies arts advocates. We are passionate, if anything, about our cause and the effects the arts have on each and every Pennsylvanian. I hope I can count on you to help us continue our Save the Arts in PA campaign by taking a few more steps:

We are now conducting a "FAX the FACTS" campaign. We are asking you to send faxes, by Friday, July 17, to your legislators indicating your support of state arts funding. We've created a letter template that you can adapt to your specific community. You can locate your legislators FAX numbers at http://www.legis.state.pa.us. Please send copies of your faxes to Jenny Hershour at jlh@citizensfortheartsinpa.org so we can keep track of which legislators received letters. Include a copy of either the Arts & Economic Prosperity III statewide study summary or one of the local community studies.

We have created a press release template about the rally for your use. Insert information about your organization and send it to your local newspaper/news outlet. Suggest they use it a basis for a story.

Post your digital photos online and direct reporters to your online site so they can use photos with their stories. A Save the Arts Rally Flickr site has been created so you can upload your photos.

If you do see a story about the Save the Arts in PA Rally, please send an e-mail to Jenny Hershour at jlh@citizensfortheartsinpa.org. We will obtain a copy of the story and send it to your legislators.

If you attended the rally and met with your legislators, drop us a line at jlh@citizensfortheartsinpa.org to let us know how your visit went. Did your legislator tell you that he/she supported arts funding? What will they do to insure that arts funding is included in the final version of the FY 09-10 Budget bill? Thanks for all of your help and support. Let's start those FAXES!

PCA to be eliminated in 2010 budget - Help Needed

The state legislature is considering eliminating the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts in the 2010 budget. Millions of dollars in funding would be cut to programs throughout the state, including dozens of arts programs and institutions in the Lehigh Valley.

The PCA provides grants for arts projects, fellowships to artists and funds to great organizations, such as Godfrey Daniels in Bethlehem, Allentown Art Museum and many, many more.

Please contact your legislator. This is not a partisan issue, both the House Republicans and Democrats are proposing elimination of the PCA.

Go to http://www.legis.state.pa.us/ to look up your representative so you can let them know your views on arts funding in Pennsylvania.

Check out the Calendar!

Hi Chensters and art enthusiasts. This is a friendly reminder that there are all sorts of activities posted on the Chen Arts Group Calendar right above this post.

Chensters are welcome to email their events for listing in the calendar. If you scroll down, you'll see fun events going on now, like Argentine tango classes, art openings, life drawing, and free, live music. Chen Arts participants can feel free to submit events (email: chenarts.info*at*gmail.com) and check back regularly for art happenings.

Show Opening at Art~N~Soul and more announcements...

From Craig at Art~N~Soul Studios:

On July 18th the Art of Cr@!g Holloway will be on dispaly. The opening starts @ 7pm. Sponsered by Marani Vodka & VegasFuel. This event as always is a Free event with music, free food, free beer, and one free kick ass time. great way to start your saturday night. wondering what craig is all about check him out - www.myspace.com/craig5846



Secondly - on August 28th at 8pm prepare for disturbing fun from KONNIK. PushArt is proud to present one of its artists and a evening you will not soon forget. This show is called "ScabLick" this is konnik's corrupt vision of traditional american tattoos. SAVAGE tattoo Magazine will be in the house for exclusive coverage of this show. The show will be sponsered by Marani Vodka and VegasFuel. for complete details go to http://www.olddevil.com/

Thirdly - Art N Soul has launched PushArt. Pushart is a movement to help expose great art. PushArt is selling rare Limited Edition(signed & numbered) Gig posters from all over the world, Vinly collectible toys, custom hats and original Art from PushArt's house Artists- Konnik, Adam Kuder and Mike Arehart. All of this great art stuff can be found in the Gallery of Art N Soul Studios. PushArt will soon have its own webpage along with a new and improved art n soul website. For now go to www.myspace.com/pushartmanagement