2014-320 Arts - The Arts Center for Spring 2014 Arts Grant Agreement $1,500

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2014-2015 Arts Program Grant—Spring 3 Orange County Arts Commission The ArtsCenter: School Show Series Cincinnati Opera, and Jimi and Mr. B, a musical commissioned by the Empire State Plaza Performing Arts Center. His long form poem "Oh Hudson" in collaboration with violin virtuoso Mark O'Connor commemorates the Hudson quadricentennial, and his version of The Carnival of the Animals with classical piano virtuoso Frederic Chui, premiered in 2008. David received his doctorate in Music Therapy from NYU and taught there for ten years. David's poetry was featured at Lincoln Center's Out-of-Doors Festival, Bill Moyers's documentary Fooling with Words on PBS, NPR's All Things Considered, and the World Science Festival among many other venues. He was the host of New York Kids on WNYC for eight seasons. He earned a doctoral degree from New York University in Music Therapy and has conducted numerous seminars, workshops and lectures, and worked as a music therapist in clinical and educational institutions. Information from artist's website (www.davidg_onzalez.com) HOBEY FORD: Hobey Ford has never had another career. Now internationally renowned in the puppetry field, an award-winning performer and Kennedy Center Partner in Education teaching artist, Ford knew early on what he wanted to do after seeing a puppet show while still a youngster: he was bitten by the puppetry bug! While studying at an arts college, Hobey eventually found "... one of my cornerstones- that I would approach puppetry as storytelling with puppets." Ford designs and constructs all of his Golden Rod Puppets as well as the beautiful sets that surround them. Now a resident of Asheville NC, Hobey also draws on his early experiences growing up in coastal Connecticut or living in a Nevada Native American community in writing the scripts for some of his performances such as "Whale Walker" and "Turtle Island Tales." Ford first created the Golden Rod Puppets in 1980 and often adapts folk tales and global cultural traditions for his performances, always adding a special "Golden Rod" twist. Hobey is quick.to credit his audiences for completing the creative spark that is ignited with every live performance and he has brought his amazing talent to family audiences all over the world for over two decades. Ford has received the highest awards for his brilliant and priceless contributions to the world of puppetry: two- time winner of puppetry's highest honor, the UNIMA Citation of Excellence, recipient of three Jim Henson Foundation grants, and The Hermitage Fellowship, Hobey Ford is renowned for excellence in in his craft. Chosen as a Kennedy Center Partner to teach teachers (and other artists) how to use the performing arts in the classroom curriculum, Hobey not only performs his original works ZLII over the world but offers workshops to teachers and students alike. Hobey is considered by his peers both an innovator in puppetry craft and a master storyteller. He created both the "Foamies" and the clever hand puppet known as "Peepers," an imaginative, patented set of plastic eyes - for hands of any size- worn in several ways that turn the bare hand into ar innovative and inexpensive instant puppet! The"Foamies" are large animal puppets that Hobey designs, carves and paints from blocks of foam. After studying each animal's characteristic movements, Hobey designs various rod control mechanisms to make the puppets themselves move in an incredibly lifer-like manner. The "Foamies" are presented using both stage and house performance spaces, often flying or"walking" right out over the audiences' heads! Information from artist's website (www.hobe ord.com