Jacob Burns Film Center to Receive Seed Grant From the National Guild for Community Arts Education

The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC), a nonprofit film and media education center, has been awarded a $7,000 Catalyzing Creative AgingProgram seed grant from the National Guild for Community Arts Education. The JBFC was selected to be one of 10 nonprofit organizations across the country to receive this grant, which will support the launch of a new, innovative arts education programming for older adults.

The 2018-2019 Catalyzing Creative Aging Program, led by the National Guild for Community Arts Education in partnership with Lifetime Arts, was made possible by generous support from Aroha Philanthropies and the Moca Foundation. Through this seed grant, the Jacob Burns Film Center will pilot a new, 12-week digital storytelling course, A Storied Life, which will provide 10 members of The Knolls' community with the opportunity to share a personal memory or experience through images, music, and voiceover. The program will follow the three main phases of production: pre-production, in which they brainstorm, conceive, and develop their story and its beats; production, in which they select and scan existing photographs or create new images and record sound; and post-production, where they will assemble all the components of their project into a polished, finished piece. Once completed their digital stories will be shared at a premiere screening for families, friends, senior service partners, and community members; the event will be complimented by a digital program with links to their stories and artist statements.

"We are thrilled to be collaborating with the Jacob Burns Film Center on this exciting project. The Knolls and its residents place an incredibly high value on the arts and are looking forward to this opportunity to produce and share their stories, words, and wisdom with members of the JBFC community and beyond," says Michael Dobbins, Executive Director of The Knolls.

"The Jacob Burns Film Center is ecstatic and honored to receive this grant from the National Guild for Community Arts Education. Art is a timeless craft, and we couldn't be more thrilled to be able to provide seniors with the chance to create something so unique and personal. We cannot wait to see the brilliant work that will come out of this program," says Edie Demas, Executive Director of the JBFC.

Jacob Burns Film Center is a nonprofit arts and education HUB located on a three-building campus in the New York Metro area. The JBFC brings the transformative power of film to the surrounding community through unique programming and discussion, shared experiences, and educational initiatives. Since opening in 2001, over 3,000,000 people have enjoyed the best of current American and foreign cinema, unique film series, and special events at the five screen theater complex. A pioneer in visual literacy education, the Jacob Burns Film Center offers courses in filmmaking, screenwriting, and animation for students of all ages at our state-of-the-art Media Arts Lab and develops curriculums for schools throughout the region.

The Knolls is part of Bethel Homes and Services, the only not-for-profit organization in Westchester offering a full continuum of services to seniors from its campuses in Croton-on-Hudson, Ossining, and Valhalla. Bethel has been serving the community for over 100 years.

National Guild for Community Arts Education is an organization dedicated to ensuring all people have opportunities to maximize their creative potential by developing leaders, strengthening organizations, and advocating for community arts education.

Lifetime Arts works nationally to connect the people, funding, ideas and strategies necessary to increase the number and quality of professionally led instructional arts programs for older adults. By helping to develop policy, sharing best practices and providing expert training and technical assistance in the design, funding, and implementation of creative aging programs, they help organizations and individuals build livable communities for all ages.

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