Good Morning All! I have mentioned many times before the absolutely devastating effect that COVID-19 has had on our island’s very necessary non-profits over the past year. The majority of them host fundraisers throughout the year that give the little island that could a reason to get out and socialize for a number of great causes. This year, many of them have struggled with the cancelling of these momentous annual events which has caused drastic decreases to their annual fundraising efforts.
But, in the true spirit of St. John, most of them have been flexible and creative; developing new ways to raise funds and collect donations online. And fortunately for all of you who are not currently on St. John, this means that you can participate and support from afar like never before! This month, the St. John School of the Arts has taken their annual concert series to the web and are hosting an online art auction to “keep their lights on” and support the artistic community and students of St. John!
The St. John School of the Arts (SJSA) is an incredibly youth focused organization that aims to empower the children of St. John through the arts. The school provides programs for children and adults in a variety of art mediums, citing that “Immersion in creativity, self-discipline and self-expression infuses the intellectual, social and psychological well being of our children.”
They offer a variety of visual, language and performance art programs for the kiddos. Although they do charge a nominal fee for their programs, SJSA vows to never turn a student away for lack of payment and have several scholarship programs available to support that.
On January 17, STJSA launched an online art auction offering paintings, photographs, ceramics, jewelry, fabric art and designs.
All of the artwork is originally crafted by artists who live, or have lived, on St. John. The auction benefits both the school AND the artists with 60% of each item going back to the creator and 40% going to the SJSA very necessary programs for the creative development of St. John’s kiddos!
You’ve got a few more days left to bid as the auction closes on Valentine’s Day at 11:55 pm. So head over to the online auction to register and start your bidding today. If you would like to simply donate directly to SJSA, they have a multitude of ways that you can support them including donating direct to scholarship programs OR sponsoring a child for a year.
Additionally, SJSA is launched its annual Sis Frank Concert Series virtually on January 22 and the next concert is THIS FRIDAY and is a MUST WATCH! University of the Virgin Islands faculty, students and special guests will present an evening of classics and jazz and a “Mingle with the Musicians” starting at 7PM on February 12.
From 7-7:30 the event will begin with a live mingle with the artists with Q & A opportunities and the concert to follow. You must register to join the zoom for this concert series that relies on donations to keep it going. To see the full schedule and register for the zoom, visit the events page for SJSA.
I hope that you will all take the opportunity this week to do a little shopping, take in a beautiful evening of music AND support the arts on St. John. All from the comfort of your home 🙂
“To succeed today and in the future, America’s children will need to be inventive, resourceful and imaginative. The best way to foster that creativity is through arts education.”
-Arne Duncan