{"id":115531,"date":"2023-01-12T22:00:50","date_gmt":"2023-01-13T03:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=115531"},"modified":"2023-01-12T22:00:50","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T03:00:50","slug":"artsquest-and-faces-international-partnering-to-present-allentown-bethlehem-and-easton-with-artwork","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=115531","title":{"rendered":"ArtsQuest and Faces International Partnering to Present Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton with Artwork"},"content":{"rendered":"

Pieces from Bart Cooper\u2019s \u2018Heroes Exhibition\u2019 selected by each mayor<\/em><\/p>\n

BETHLEHEM, Pa.\u2014\u00a0ArtsQuest is proud to partner with\u00a0Lehigh Valley-based Faces International to present artwork from Bart Cooper\u2019s Heroes exhibition to the mayors of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton on Monday, Jan. 16. The presentation will be held in the Banana Factory\u2019s Crayola Gallery at 8:30 a.m. The pieces selected by mayors Tuerk, Reynolds and Panto will be installed later in their respective city halls.<\/p>\n

Focused on themes of social justice and equity, the spring 2022 exhibition featured artwork, educational and public programming and outreach events highlighting Cooper\u2019s experimental work, with the installment inviting viewers and attendees to examine heroes in popular culture. Cooper\u2019s work in the series tows the line between real and fictional worlds, using mixed media methods to create portraits of powerful Black women, matching them with suitable Marvel characters to highlight the connection between America\u2019s favorite comic characters, and the country\u2019s history of powerful, gritty, brave Black women leaders.<\/p>\n

“For me \u2018Heroes\u2019 was all about an intergenerational impact on our community\u00a0through the stories of women that have changed the world,\u201d said Kevin Greene, Faces International Chief Operating Officer. \u201cEducation in all its forms has built the world we have today and will build the future. The black women\u00a0in the \u2018Heroes\u2019\u00a0series are just a snippet\u00a0of the impact black people from all parts of the globe have contributed\u00a0to us all. I thank the mayors for coming together\u00a0and continuing the impact and I thank Bart Cooper for the vision. I want the Valley to know that Faces Int. will continue\u00a0to facilitate\u00a0the evolution of the culture in the Lehigh\u00a0Valley.”<\/p>\n

Cooper\u2019s portrait of American singer-songwriter Nina Simone was chosen by Allentown\u2019s Mayor Mathew Tuerk. \u201cNina Simone is one of the most distinctive voices in the history of American music, and she committed her gift to justice,\u201d said Tuerk. \u201cWhen I saw the portrait by Bart Cooper, pairing her with Wonder Woman, I saw a perfect fit for Allentown.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bethlehem City Mayor J. William Reynolds selected Cooper\u2019s portrait of American political activist Angela Davis. \u201cBart Cooper\u2019s\u00a0Angela Davis<\/em>\u00a0portrays her as saying that \u2018we are changing the things we cannot accept,\u2019 he said. \u201cIn Bethlehem\u2019s City Hall, we start with the question \u2018What is the right thing to do?\u2019 as we work to change the policies and structures that hinder our communities. It\u2019s an honor for us to accept this piece as part of our collection.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re very excited to place one of Mr. Cooper\u2019s paintings in our city hall and showcase his talents,\u201d said Easton Mayor Sal Panto, who selected Cooper\u2019s portrait of Madame CJ Walker, recognized as the first female American self-made millionaire.<\/p>\n

\u201cArtsQuest is proud to partner with Faces International, ensuring Bart\u2019s timely perspective will continue to spark creativity and conversations,\u201d said Kassie Hilgert, ArtsQuest President and CEO. \u201cHis work serves as a reminder how diversity, equality and inclusion enable us to reconcile our most contemporary and historic challenges while advocating for one another\u2019s humanity, showcasing the power of collaboration to change the narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n

About Faces International<\/strong><\/p>\n

The mission of Faces International Marketing and Development, LLC is to strengthen and advance our community. As a group of highly experienced individuals, we offer innovative marketing solutions for local businesses to increase brand awareness, improve service, and promote positive influence throughout our region. In addition, we provide training and workshops aimed to equip teams, staffs, and students with the necessary skills to successfully navigate the workplace, classroom, and personal relationships. Through our services, we instill values that emphasize the importance of a successful pipeline between businesses and the community.<\/p>\n

About ArtsQuest<\/strong><\/p>\n

ArtsQuest\u2019s mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest\u2122 supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest; the Banana Factory Arts Center; and the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest\u2019s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization\u2019s programs and events, approximately 50% of which are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region. ArtsQuest is a proud member of IFEA, the\u00a0International Festivals & Events Association<\/a>, NIVA, the\u00a0National Independent Venue Association<\/a>\u00a0and NATO, the\u00a0National Association of Theatre Owners<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Information provided to TVL by:
\nKelley Andrade, ArtsQuest
\nPublic Relations Coordinator
\nhttp:\/\/www.artsquest.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pieces from Bart Cooper\u2019s \u2018Heroes Exhibition\u2019 selected by each mayor BETHLEHEM, Pa.\u2014\u00a0ArtsQuest is proud to partner with\u00a0Lehigh Valley-based Faces International to present artwork from Bart Cooper\u2019s Heroes exhibition to the … Continue reading ArtsQuest and Faces International Partnering to Present Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton with Artwork<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":111021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5717,69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-115531","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bethlehem","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Bart-Cooper.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115531"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=115531"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/115531\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/111021"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=115531"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=115531"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=115531"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}