TJ Arts’ benefit rock concert returns for a third year with Rock the Arts: Live at The Crafthouse! Hosted at The Crafthouse Stage & Grill, we are delighted to welcome back hometown country duo Steel Blossoms, now based in Nashville, who include 2010 Thomas Jefferson High School alumna Hayley Prosser and 2007 Frazier High School alumna Sara Zebley. Joining them is The Todd Jones Band, a country group led by Elrama native Todd Jones.

A limited number of tickets are available, so reserve yours today! Click here to purchase tickets. Adults are $20, children 12 and under are $10. Doors open at 5:00 pm, music begins at 6:30 pm, and complimentary valet parking is provided that night for all guests. Seating at The Crafthouse is first-come first-served, so come early to get a great seat and place your food and drink order, which may be purchased separately. Your ticket includes admission to the concert, and all ticket proceeds benefit arts enrichment in West Jefferson Hills.

TJ Arts proudly announces the winning artist for a large-scale artwork commissioned for the rebuilt Thomas Jefferson High School. After a one-year search, on March 31, 2018, Dennis Stocke was selected from a field of 27 applicants. Mr. Stocke is an art teacher for the Upper Saint Clair School District and a graduate of California University of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Stocke began his teaching career at Thomas Jefferson High School as a student teacher. He says, “I would find great personal reward in being able to leave my artistic mark in the district.”

The subject of the artwork is the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, the namesake of the school. The mural-sized artwork will greet students, teachers, staff, residents and visitors as they enter the main atrium of the school; as such, it will be the artistic signature of the new building. The finished product will span the bulkhead of the atrium, measuring approximately 42 feet wide by 6 feet high.

The artwork will be unveiled at the Grand Opening of the new school in the coming year. Superintendent Dr. Michael Ghilani says the selection process was “extremely competitive. We are so excited for the students, teachers, and community to see the piece that was chosen that will be the centerpiece of the building for many years to come.”

The selection committee was comprised of TJ Arts Board Members, WJHSD administrators and staff, professional artists, and community residents. Executive Director of TJ Arts, Karen Suszynski, says, “TJ Arts is pleased to make this gift to the new school as a statement of the importance of arts in the education of every child. The final choice will make an appropriate visionary and dramatic statement for Thomas Jefferson High School.” This commission is completely supported through donations made to TJ Arts by individuals and institutions.

TJ Arts has so many exciting things coming up, including being nominated as a finalist for the Champions of Learning Awards presented by the Consortium for Public Education. We’d love to see lots of TJ Arts champions celebrating with us at the awards ceremony on April 7, so click here to register!

TJ Arts has re-opened the opportunity for Pittsburgh-area artists to apply to create a public art piece for the new Thomas Jefferson High School.  All interested artists must submit the RFQ application by Friday, December 1, 2017. Artists who have previously applied need not submit any additional materials.

Click here for the complete RFQ.