04/19/14

Earth Day and Save The Frogs Day 2014

In the Spring of 2009, when Frogs Are Green was just an idea, I had a dream, and that dream is coming true.

My dream is to do all that I can to bring awareness within my community and around the world to help save frogs and amphibians.

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This coming Tuesday, April 22, is Earth Day and we’re having the first of two celebrations, here in Jersey City! The Distillery Gallery and Artspace has partnered with Frogs Are Green to showcase hundreds of artworks by children 3-12 from more than 27 countries. Green Dream International Children’s Earth Day Exhibition is on display April 5-27 and visitors are streaming in, either as they pass by or riding over on their bicycles.

On the 22nd of April, join us between 7-10 pm for a little wine and food with our musical guests, The Sensational Country Blues Wonders.

Saturday, April 26th, is Save the Frogs Day and this will be the first big STF Day event we’ve coordinated here in Jersey City. Join us from 4-7 pm with musical guests, The Gully Hubbards, as well as guest speakers: Mayor Steven Fulop, Laura Skolar of the Jersey City Parks Coalition, and Michelle Anne Luebke, instructor at CUNY and environmentalist. Chef Camillo Sabella is bringing his delicious gluten-free, vegan, organic treats and Gia Gelato is bringing her yummy gelato!

Bringing awareness to Jersey City, one community group at a time

I have connected with Jersey City in a multitude of new ways.

Last week, I spoke at The Village Community Association, which is a section of downtown Jersey City, and this past week I spoke to the Pershing Field Garden Friends (in my own neighborhood), and enjoyed hearing about what both groups are doing!

I have also connected with the visual coordinator for Jersey City public schools as well as teachers at the Learning Community Charter School where they study frogs and amphibians as a part of their curriculum.

Each time someone asks “What’s happening to the frogs?” I know my work has just begun.

Talking with different people from these different groups has given me ideas of ways to build even more awareness in the coming months and years. I’ll be looking to bring the Green Dream to other cities, schools and galleries as a traveling exhibit.

The 2014 Frogs Are Green children’s art contest as well as the photography contests (Frogs in the Wild and Backyard Frogs, which are open to frog lovers of all ages), will open September 2, 2014 and I expect Jersey City to lead the USA as the largest contributor of artwork and make us all proud.

Happy Earth Day and Save The Frogs Day, to all.

— Susan Newman, founder, Frogs Are Green

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03/2/14

My Green Dream – Children’s Appreciation of the Arts

Each Fall Frogs Are Green hosts a Kids’ Art Contest. It gives me such a thrill when hundreds of children from around the world answer that call.

These children are enrolled in after school art programs. Their parents must realize how important it is to enrich their child’s education and encourage them to express themselves through art.

I grew up in Queens, New York, and my parents enrolled me in ballet and piano lessons, and my father, an accountant by day and an artist by night, would sit with me and teach me how to draw a house or a tree. He was so excited when I chose art as my career and began my higher education at the School of Visual Arts in New York.

My brother and sister and I were introduced to a thriving cultural world. We would get dressed up and head into New York for the circus, Ice Capades, ballet, museums, Broadway theater and opera. This gave me a rounded appreciation for the arts that I still feel.

Is this culture missing in children’s lives today?

I will tell you that the submissions to the 2013 contest yielded 450 entries, but only a few came from the USA. My only conclusion is that children in this country are not being taught arts appreciation the way I was decades ago. Is this due to the digital age of games and apps, or the economy and arts classes/programs being cut? When children spend their days watching TV and playing games that others have created, and they are not learning how to express themselves, this will hurt them later in life. I’m sure of it.

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When I see the artwork that comes in from kids between 3 and 12 from Estonia, Australia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, South Africa, Macedonia, Serbia, India, China and so many other countries it’s clear from their skills that they are not learning just about art but conveying their own personal messages about the state of the environment and how they feel about frogs. The USA is just not seeing how important this ability to self-express is, and so it must change for the next generation.

I’m happy to share that The Distillery Gallery & Artspace in Jersey City, New Jersey does have art classes for kids (as do a few other places here) on Saturday mornings, and it is partnering with Frogs Are Green to bring our “Green Dream” to life and show why children need this education in their lives.

Opening on April 4 and running through April 27, “Green Dream” will be an International Children’s Earth Day Exhibition. It will be the first time Frogs Are Green is showcasing the amazing artwork received over the years. Many of the works will be hung on the walls and a digital projector will show hundreds more. The children in The Distillery art classes will also be showing their frog pictures and are creating flower pots.

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I hope you will celebrate with us on Earth Day (4.22), Save the Frogs Day (4.26) and join us with your children for this extraordinary event. If you would like to learn more and support this effort to increase environmental awareness and heal the planet, visit the Indiegogo campaign here:

Green Dream – International Children’s Earth Day Exhibition – Indiegogo Campaign

 

 

Video by Brandon Somerton, Filmmaker