Community Art Project Celebrates Family Literacy in a Big Way!
The works of twelve local artists chosen by Read to Succeed Buffalo have been reproduced on large banners and hung in prominent locations throughout Buffalo in an effort to celebrate the importance of family literacy!
Read to Succeed Buffalo invited local artists to submit their artistic interpretation of the importance of family literacy in the competition and received submissions from professional and amateur artists throughout Western New York in a variety of mediums. All submissions were judged by Read to Success coalition member partners on overall artistic impression and strength in communicating the importance of family literacy.
The final twelve works of art, which include photography, watercolor, and charcoal among others, were hung just prior to the beginning of the school year to reinforce the importance of family reading time in children's success in school. Below are the chosen works and a little information about the artists:
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"One of the first thing I teach parents is to read to their babies, right from the beginning and every day!" |
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"I believe literacy is important so I wanted to join the cause and put my artwork to good use. I believe art and litereacy go hand in hand. I can still remember growing up reading children's books which were heavily illustrated - it made me want to learn to read and inspired me to become an illustrator." |
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"Literacy is life." |
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Artist: Shannon Deyell Resides: Marilla, NY Occupation: Administrative Assistant Banner Location: Crane branch, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library "I think reading and literacy is the most important issue facing kids today. As I emphasized in my drawing, children should spend more time reading and activities such as artwork, crafts and physical activity rather than watching TV or playing video games." |
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Artist: Jeffrey Couch Resides: Buffalo, NY Occupation: Designer for HHL Architects Banner Location: Niagara branch, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library " I am always looking for fun projects that have a positive connection to the community. I recently rediscovered my own library so this seemed like a perfect fit." |
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Artist: Marinette Kozlow Resides: Buffalo, NY Occupation: Graphic designer Banner Location: E. Delavan branch, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library "It's very upsetting to realize just how much illiteracy there is among us - both children and adults. I was grateful for the opportunity to use my artistic abilities to help work towards increasing literacy in our community." |
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Artist: Vivian Boyd Resides: Lockport, NY Occupation: Vascular Technologist Banner Location: Clinton branch, Buffalo & Erie County Public Library "The woman in the painting was based on a photograph of my mom who loved to read. I think of this as a tribute to her and her love of reading." |
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Artist: Colleen Darby Resides: Snyder, NY Occupation: Freelance illustrator/Designer Banner Location: Riverside branch, Buffalo & Erie County Library "Literacy is power. Power to learn, power to transform and ultimately power to succeed." |
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Artist: Jim Cookfair Resides: Buffalo, NY Occupation: Wedding and portrait photographer Banner Location: Butler-Mitchell Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo, Massachusetts Ave.
"I enjoy reading very much and understand the importance |
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Artist: M.L. McElroy Resides: Buffalo Occupation: Retired Banner Location: Babcock Boys & Girls Clubs of Buffalo "Too many adults are putting books aside in favor of electronics. Holding a book and reading is such a better experience than playing on a computer." |
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Artist: Elizabeth Horne |
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"I think it is important if you can read and learn together - it will create a closeness of family." |
About Us
Read to Succeed Buffalo is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing early childhood literacy and third grade reading scores. Read more.
Parents
Parents have the power to give children a strong start in school. Click here for tips to help your child love reading!
Read more.
Impact of Low Literacy
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In Buffalo, over 40 percent of children are not ready for Kindergarten. When children start behind in school, they tend to stay behind. Find out more » |
Solutions
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Our mission is to improve student achievement and give children a fighting chance to succeed. |
Results
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We are seeing strong results from our initiatives to help prepare children for Kindergarten. |
