Recent News « TJ Arts

A new and exciting podcast called TJ ARTScast has begun, produced by TJ Arts. Each month, hosts Dawn Walters and Jay Suszynski will bring you TJ ARTScast as they showcase:

the local arts scene and the good work that TJ Arts is doing in the South Hills of Pittsburgh;

our regional arts scene as we connect our communities with the professional arts that our city of Pittsburgh offers;

and the national arts scene as we examine the state of the arts throughout the United States

Be a part of our “arts pod” by subscribing to TJ ARTScast. Subscribe in the iTunes Store or on STITCHER, share your love for the arts and help keep arts education alive.

TJ ARTScast- a local voice with universal reach trumpeting the need for the best in arts education!

Classic Crooners is a singing group for senior citizens in West Jefferson Hills and the surrounding neighborhoods that is taught by esteemed local music educator Marian Bollman. Jefferson Hills Public Library has opened its doors to us this year to host our second Classic Crooners group, and we are excited to partner with the library to help reach even more WJH residents!

The first class will be April 22, 2015 from 2-3pm, and the group will rehearse every Wednesday at the library.

This is FREE to all participants, and no experience necessary – just show up on April 22 and sing along!

To register, either:

Call 412-655-7741
Go online to www.jeffersonhillslibrary.org and select “Event Keeper” and the start date (April 22)
Register in-person at the Jefferson Hills Public Library main desk

The Classic Crooners group from Atria South Hills performing at Hot on the Arts in June 2014.

We are proud to announce the launch of our brand-new podcast, called TJ ARTScast. The inaugural episode will debut on March 1 in the iTunes Store and Stitcher and will feature interviews with Karen Suszynski, founder of TJ Arts, and Christopher Rawson, theater commentator on KDKA-TV, formerly of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and expert on the late August Wilson, one of Pittsburgh’s finest artists. The first episode will celebrate Wilson’s legacy to Pittsburgh and the American theater with a comprehensive interview with Rawson, a brief interview with director Timothy Douglas on “The Big Picture,” a segment analyzing the national arts scene, and a glimpse of Wilson’s home in the Hill District with “City Snapshot.”

Pittsburgh natives Dawn Walters and Jay Suszynski will host TJ ARTScast each month, celebrating TJ Arts’ local work in promoting and enhancing the arts in the schools and communities of West Jefferson Hills, and relating those efforts to the regional and national arts scene. We believe this is the first podcast of its kind to be produced by a grassroots arts organization and broadcast to a national audience.

Check out this quick promo to hear what the TJ ARTScast is all about. Subscribe and you’ll never miss an episode!

August Wilson & Chris Rawson at the 2001 Broadway opening for KING HEDLEY II.

You can support TJ Arts and eat your burrito, too, when you attend TJ Arts’ Mad Mex fundraiser on Tuesday, November 11, 2014 at 7pm. Mad Mex in Shadyside will donate proceeds from all food and alcohol sales that evening to TJ Arts! Your dinner will help support TJ Arts enrichment activities for West Jefferson Hills students and residents, so add it to your calendar! Use the button below to purchase tickets online or call 412-655-0747.

This year’s Sweet Sweet Jazz will be held Sunday, October 12 at 7pm in the TJHS Auditorium. Proceeds from the evening’s ticket sales will benefit arts enrichment in all West Jefferson Hills schools, which includes field trips to see the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra perform downtown at Heinz Hall. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door.

TJ Arts is proud to announce the third annual performance of its signature summer event, Hot on the Arts. Approximately 55 alumni, current students and area residents will return to the CCAC South Campus Theatre June 22 at 7:00 p.m. for a third year of cabaret-style performances exploring the theme of “Sentimental Journey.” That evening, TJ Arts will also announce the recipients of the Matteo Music Scholarship and the TJ Arts Scholarship.

Proceeds from Hot on the Arts will in part help support the various arts enrichment programs sponsored by TJ Arts for students in West Jefferson Hills School District. After five years of programming, the 2013/14 school year marks the first time that TJ Arts programs have benefitted all 3,000 students in the district.

– Sunday, June 22 at 7:00 p.m.

– CCAC South Campus Theatre

– Tickets are $15 and can be purchased HERE or by calling 412-655-0747

– Featuring Tim Hartman as Master of Ceremonies and the Classic Crooners senior citizen singing group

We just received word from the Pittsburgh Foundation with preliminary results from the Day of Giving on May 6… and with your help, TJ Arts raised more than $8,600 in 18 hours! This represents a 50% increase in our donations from last year. We are sincerely grateful to all who support our efforts to bring enriching arts experiences to students and residents in West Jefferson Hills.

Mark your calendars – this year’s Day of Giving is earlier on Tuesday, May 6, from 7am to 11:59pm! Last year on October 3,TJ Arts raised nearly $6,000 in 24 hours, and this year we hope to break that record, but we can only do it with your help! On May 6, please visit www.pittsburghgives.org to make a donation to TJ Arts that will be matched by the Pittsburgh Foundation. Your support will help us get off to a great start in 2014!

Applications for all scholarships are now available on our website, through the guidance offices, and from arts teachers. All forms and required items must be submitted by Friday, May 9, 2014. Please follow the directions on each application to be sure your application will be considered. Click on the links below for more information and to download an application.

Matteo Music Scholarship

TJ Arts Scholarship

Founders’ Award

Kathy Cecotti Memorial Scholarship

STArts Program

Kendall Ceh, a fifth grade student at Mars Area Centennial School, was inspired to create an art project after attending TJ Arts’ production of Sweet Sweet Jazz in October. The project was done with paper shapes and is based on “The Three Musicians” by Picasso.

TJ Arts

TJ ARTScast Promo

Join Classic Crooners at Jefferson Hills Public Library

We’re joining the podcast universe with TJ ARTScast!

Dine for a cause at Mad Mex Nov. 11

Sweet Sweet Jazz returns this fall!

Join us for Hot on the Arts!

Thank you for your support!

Day of Giving is May 6, 2014

Scholarship applications now available!

5th Grader Inspired by Sweet Sweet Jazz