Sharks for the Arts

fund-raiser Oct. 24

fund-raiser Oct. 24

The Mid-State Arts Resource Team (mART) will host a gala fund-raiser for Sharks for the Arts, its multi-year community arts project to establish a new arts center in Monmouth County. The event will be held at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Sheraton Eatontown.

The gala will be highlighted by an auction of 10 decorated shark sculptures from mART’s "Shark Tank" exhibit, which has been touring the state since it was launched two years ago. The event will also feature the unveiling of the first life-size shark sculpture, which will launch phase two of the Sharks for the Arts project.

Also during the gala, the organization will honor four women as Monmouth Arts Advocates for their work supporting the arts in their communities. Honorees are Lillian Burry, mayor of Colts Neck; Sylvia Allen, president of Allen Consulting, Holmdel; Rosemary Peters, former mayor of Middletown; and Mary E. Fouratt, executive director of the Red Bank-based Monmouth County Arts Council.

Tickets are $55 per person or $500 for a table for 10, and include reception, dinner and auction, which will be conducted by William Barron Galleries. There will also be a surprise guest speaker. Proceeds will benefit mART’s long-range goal of establishing a new local arts center with facilities for rehearsals and performance space for dance, music and theater, as well as studio and gallery space for the visual arts. The center would also offer space for instruction and offices for local nonprofit arts groups. For tickets and information, call (732) 441-2936.

AHS student awarded Rensselaer Medal

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N.Y., has announced the winners of the Rensselaer Medal. Keith A. Sawicz of Millstone is this year’s honoree at Allentown High School.

The Rensselaer Medal, the oldest prize of its kind in the United States, is awarded at 2,700 secondary schools throughout North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. The award is given to students who have distinguished themselves in mathematics and science. To be honored with the medal, a student must be a member of the junior class and the high school’s single most promising science and math student.

Each medalist who is accepted and subsequently enrolls at Rensselaer receives a scholarship of $40,000, payable in four yearly awards of $10,000 each.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1924, is the nation’s oldest technological university.

Lecture for students planning to major in art

A specialty lecture for high school seniors interested in majoring in art will be presented by Diane Kaye of the University of the Arts, Philadelphia. She will discuss portfolio requirements, admissions procedures and policies for art school, and answer questions. The event will be held Oct. 17, 5-6 p.m., at the Marlboro Village Art Studio, 203 Route 9, Marlboro. Reservations are required by Oct. 11; call (732) 617-7996.

Nominees sought for African-American prize

The New Jersey Historical Commission is accepting nominations for its 2003 Mildred Barry Garvin Prize. The Garvin Prize, an award of $1,000, is given for outstanding efforts in making students aware of and interested in African-American history. The late Mildred Barry Garvin was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly and the Historical Commission. Legislation she sponsored established the commission’s Afro-American History Program in 1984.

Teachers, counselors or school librarians who have helped students learn about the African-American past and how it relates to New Jersey are eligible. Nominees can be engaged in K-12 education in a public, private, parochial or charter school. Nominations must be postmarked by Nov. 3. For a nomination form and information, write to Giles R. Wright, Director, Afro-American History Program, New Jersey Historical Commission, P.O. Box 305, Trenton 08625-0305; call (609) 292-6062; fax (609) 633-8168; or e-mail [email protected].