Brookdale will host Teen Arts Festival

Instruments are tuned, practices have been long, and vocalists are prepared. Performances, paintings, poetry plus more are practiced and perfected.

The Monmouth County Arts Council's (MCAC) 2007 Teen Arts Festival comes to the campus of Brookdale Community College, Route 520, Lincroft, on March 15 and 16 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will begin with a visual arts reception on March 14 from 6 to 8 p.m.

The Teen Arts Festival brings together teens, teachers and artists involved in all disciplines of the arts in workshops, performances, exhibits and critiques. Open to all Monmouth County students ages 13-19, in public and private middle schools and high schools, including home-schooled students, the festival brings a focus on the artistically talented teens of the county.

"The festival is a wonderful opportunity for students to get valuable feedback from professional artists," said Sandy B. Taylor, MCAC arts education director. "The collaborative effort between MCAC, Brookdale and volunteers from the community provide a beneficial atmosphere for creative expression and exploration."

According to a press release, art works and performances by the students will be evaluated by professional artists who will provide positive, informative and critical analysis to each teen artist in each of their disciplines, plus encouragement and support. All adjudication sessions are open to the public.

Although not a competition, selected art works and artists from a cross-selection of the schools will be nominated to attend the New Jersey State Teen Arts Festival at The College of New Jersey, Ewing, in May.

The Teen Arts Festival provides time to work with professional artists in the fields of visual art, creative writing, theater, dance, and choral and instrumental music. There is also time to try different disciplines, have longer in-depth processing time in various mediums, and time for Monmouth County teen artists to meet and network with one another.

Volunteers are needed to donate their time on March 13, 14, 15 and 16 to assist with art installation, prepare for the visual arts reception, help with registration, and serve as general greeters and information providers throughout the festival.

This year's Teen Arts Festival is sponsored in part by New Jersey Natural Gas. To volunteer or for more information on the festival, contact Tara Rochford at tara.rochford@verizon.net or Sandy B. Taylor at sbt@monmouthartscouncil.org or call MCAC at (732) 212-1890.