NEWS RELEASE 1 / 30 / 2007
ARTS JAM 2007:
A Benefit for GRPS Art & Music Programs
Sunday, February 25, 2007
2 - 5pm at St. Cecilia Music Society

The sixth annual Arts Jam will be held Sunday, Feb. 25, from 2-5 p.m. at St. Cecilia Music Society. The event will feature a lineup of some of West Michigan's top musicians, dancers and artists, with proceeds going to support art and music programs in Grand Rapids Public Schools.

The show will be hosted by David Lockington, conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony, and will feature six performing acts: folk/bluegrass group Nobody's Darlin, jazz combo John Hair and New Connections, violinist Dylana Jenson, hip-hop group La Famiglia, members of the Grand Rapids Ballet Company dancing to a new composition by Margi Peterson, and the Schubert Male Chorus.

On display throughout St. Cecilia will be decorated end tables and benches created by professional artists, teachers and students, which will be sold by silent auction. A sumptuous reception will be offered following the concert. Proceeds will go toward small grants for art and music teachers to buy badly needed supplies. A portion of this year's proceeds also will help fund scholarships for GRPS students to attend summer camps at Kendall College of Art and Design and Interlochen Arts Camp.

Tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for students, or $40 for a family of four. They are available from the Arts Council of Greater Grand Rapids; please call (616) 459-2787. Arts Jam is presented by GRPS Arts Advocates, an affiliate of the Student Advancement Foundation, in partnership with St. Cecilia Music Society and the Arts Council.

CONTACT: Grand Rapids Public Schools Arts Advocates
Julie Powell (616) 819-2156
John Hartel (616) 828-6280