New arts grants from Jersey City Arts Council
The Jersey City Arts Council has launched two new grant opportunities for artists living in Jersey City: the Antenna Grant for Women in the Arts and the Jersey City Artist Recovery Fund. With these grants the JCAC hopes to provide increased arts education access to underserved groups and economic support for those in the community who have lost work due to COVID.
The Antenna Grant for Women in the Arts was developed in partnership with artist Shamona Stokes. This scholarship grant will offer financial support and mentorship for young women (female identifying) in Jersey City pursuing a career in the arts. The grant is open to women artists between the ages of 16 to 23 who show artistic promise and a commitment to pursuing a career in the visual arts.
Priority will be given to artists of color and those with financial need. These grants are presented with further sponsorship from SILVERMAN, and will include practical opportunities such as connecting with professional artists and tours of Mana Contemporary. More information about the Antenna Grant can be found at jerseycityartscouncil.org/antenna-grant.
The Jersey City Artist Recovery Fund is offering a limited number of emergency relief grants to individuals working in the arts. These grants can be used to help support artists’ basic living and career-sustaining needs due to the loss of work and earning opportunities caused by COVID-19 illness or related business disruptions.
Data has shown that the pandemic has disproportionately affected Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC), and those who have been disproportionately affected are strongly encouraged to apply. This grant is made possible by support from the New Jersey Arts & Culture Recovery Fund of the Princeton Area Community Foundation, and is done in collaboration with Nimbus Dance Works, which is overseeing a Jersey City Dance Artist Relief Funding program. Further information about the Jersey City Artist Recovery Fund can be found at jerseycityartscouncil.org/covid-19-resources/jc-artist-recovery-fund.
Seniors awarded Berkeley College scholarships
High school students from Hudson County have received scholarships to attend Berkeley College. Each year, these scholarships are awarded to high school seniors who demonstrate a high level of achievement. The scholarships are renewable, based on the recipient’s cumulative grade point average at the end of each academic year and continued enrollment as a full-time student.
The following students from Hudson County have received scholarships to attend Berkeley College: Edgar Porres Jr., Jade Ortiz, and Alex Riboldi of Bayonne High School; Curtis Mincey Jr., Moises Cortez, and Janet Vu of James J. Ferris High School; William Kunga of Marist High School; Elenny Herrera and Tionna Rozier-Blackman of Ronald E. McNair Academy; Arianna Santiago and Valentina Mora of Hoboken High School; Alice Almonte of Infinity Institute; Dy’nasha Kirkland and Yiwen Zhao of Henry Snyder High School; Ebube Umunnakwe of Lincoln High School; Bryan Gomez-Montejano of Kearny High School; Gilberto Gil of North Bergen High School; Daniel Rodriguez of Union City High School; Miguel Torres of Weehawken High School.
Director of patient access receives award
Hudson County Hospital’s Director of Patient Access Candice Drakeford was presented the Outstanding Hudson County Healthcare Award for her hard work, dedication and leadership at the Hudson Regional Hospital over the last year fighting COVID-19. The award is part of the Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development’s annual award program which was dedicated in 2021 to Essential and Frontline Workers During the COVID-19 Crisis.
As the Director of Patient Access, Drakeford has worked with Hudson Regional Hospital’s leadership, clinicians, and registration staff to ensure that all its patients receive superior healthcare services and high levels of customer service.
Throughout the pandemic, Drakeford was instrumental in coordinating the division of staff and resources to assist with the daily operations of the county drive up COVID testing performed at Hudson Regional Hospital for Hudson County residents. She worked to ensure all patients who registered online for the program would receive a test in a quick and efficient manner. She has 20 years hospital experience in patient access management, with focus on patient satisfaction and experience, team building, and leadership.
Prayers for the Pandemic releases third volume
Prayers for the Pandemic; Prayers for Progress, has released its third volume of content. The project, which began on May 15, 2020, and is curated by Anne Trauben, is an ongoing nation-wide public art project by Drawing Rooms in Jersey City. The exhibition asks artists to create prayer flags, drawing inspiration from Tibetan prayer flags which bless the surrounding area in which they are placed.
The third collection of the Drawing Rooms project, Prayers for the Pandemic, features over 75 photographs of the flags and includes community flag displays at ten Jersey City Libraries, and 70 feet of prayer flags at the Topps Building along Newark Avenue, outside Drawing Rooms gallery. These displays were installed in October.
Prayers for the Pandemic responds to the world in the present day. In March, 2020, coronavirus shut down the country. This was followed by the murder of George Floyd, which raised issues of racial inequality and injustice; the wildfires in California, Oregon and Washington State; and the long-awaited election.
To find out more, visit drawingrooms.org or read the online catalog at https://bit.ly/38b9wtU. To see images of artists flags, visit the exhibitions page at drawingrooms.org/current-exhibition.html. The Facebook album for the show can be found at https://bit.ly/37TSGjn.
BHS students win Democracy and Patriot’s Pen contests
At Bayonne High School, Mrs. Fitzhenry’s US1 Honors students received Outstanding Spokesperson for Freedom Awards in the VFW’s Voice of Democracy Contest.
The awards go to Marter Adeeb (1st place); Alyssia Ouhocine (2nd place); Gianna Valdes (3rd place); and Honorable Mentions go to Nicholas Majaraj and Abdelazziz Fezani.
Mrs. Squitieri’s Oresko School students in the Gifted & Talented Program received the Outstanding Young Spokesperson of the Future Awards in the VFW’s Patriot’s Pen Contest. The awards go to Soumya Goswami (1st place); Paolo David Zamora (2nd place); Parnika Agarwal (3rd place); and Honorable Mentions go to Sean Alfaro, Sabrina Francis, and Isabel Jaros.
These awards and learning opportunities are made possible by the students’ teachers and by Commander Glen Flora & Jackie George of VFW Post 226.
Elks lodge donates to Palisades Emergency Residence Corp
On Jan. 28, Weehawken Elks Lodge #1456 partnered with Walmart and was able to purchase 80 pairs of thermal underwear, 50 blankets, 20 pairs of underwear, 80 bath towels, 61 new pillows and an assortment of spices, for the Palisades Emergency Residence Corporation in Union City. Walmart matched this purchase with 100 pairs of socks.
Students receive academic honors
The following Jersey City residents recently completed their degrees for the Fall 2020 semester at the University of the Cumberlands: Anuj Prafulbhai Shah, and Pratik Singhi, each Master of Business Administration; Swati Muley, and Manjusha Kotha, each Master of Science in Information Technology.
The following Jersey City residents graduated from Arcadia University on Jan. 17: Sunil Hamadani, Brijil Barot, and Jaykumar Thakkar. Each earned a Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
Jenna Sasson of Jersey City was named to the University of Rhode Island’s Fall 2020 Dean’s List.
Claire Miller of Jersey City has been placed on the Gettysburg College Dean’s Honor list for outstanding academic achievement in the Fall 2020 semester.
Claire Miller of Jersey City and Gabriela Montero of North Bergen have been named to the Gettysburg College Dean’s List for Fall 2020.
The following students were named to the President’s List at LIM College for the Fall 2020 semester: Jessica Capitano of Bayonne; Amanda Oyarvide and Alexandra Rendon of Guttenberg; Vama Barot, Elleny Diaz, Manahil Ali, Lizmary Perez, Dezire Pestano, and Jasmine Gethers of Jersey City; and Luciano DiGiorgio of Secaucus.
The following local students were named to the Dean’s List at LIM College for the Fall 2020 semester: Mya Andrade of Guttenberg, David Ross and Genadij Wilen of Jersey City, and Caitlin Ricco of Secaucus.
The following local students have been named to the University of Hartford’s President’s Honors List for Fall 2020: Destinee Bai of Jersey City, Yoanny Brito of Union City, and Hayley Cirenza of Hoboken.