All proceeds benefit the Behind the Scenes charity which provides financial assistance to entertainment technology professionals who are seriously ill or injured. View and order cards at www.behindthescenescharity.org/holidaycards. For more information, please contact 212-244-1421 or holidaycard@behindthescenescharity.org.
For the last several years, the BTS Holiday Cards have included a design by a student at the Fine Arts Academy at Mt. Vernon Senior High School in Mount Vernon, Indiana. The student designs have proven to be so popular that this year we have chosen to feature their work with five of the six designs by Academy students.
The Fine Arts Academy is comprised of award winning students and faculty in music, theatre and the visual arts. A commitment to academic excellence and a belief that through the arts, students find lifelong fulfillment is at the core of the Academy's teaching philosophy. Students are provided opportunities in instrumental and vocal music, musical theatre, acting, technical theatre and traditional and digital visual arts. The Academy provides over forty events each year to further student's skills and artistic talents.
Leah Bilskie is active in basketball, volleyball, and softball and is planning to go to college to be a physical therapist. Ashley Franks is involved in her school's colour guard and enjoys art and theatre. Jayce Hamilton swims competitively year round and plays baseball and hopes to become a marine biologist. Alexis Harmes participates on the track and field team and is involved with her community. Ashley Underwood is active in National Honours Society, Key club, soccer, basketball, and track and hopes to become an interior designer.
The sixth card design is by Robert Mendoza, a New Jersey based artist and author whose influences include the fantastical and the mythological. Born into a family of artists, poets, and musicians, he has had the unique fortune of being exposed to the richness of his Cuban heritage at an early age, giving him a very eclectic appreciation for the arts. Since his graduation from the School of Visual Arts as an Illustration major, Robert has worked as an art director and designer in both the print / publishing and advertising industry.
For more information about Behind the Scenes, to donate, or to apply for a grant, visit www.behindthescenedscharity.org.
(Jim Evans)
