Appel Farm Arts and Music Center
Encyclopedia
Appel Farm Arts and Music Center, located near Elmer
, in Salem County, New Jersey
, USA, is a multifaceted nonprofit regional arts center founded by musician
s and arts educators Albert and Clare Rostan Appel. It is primarily known for its summer camp
which began in 1960.
-born refugee
and her husband, New Jersey
farmer
Albert Appel, decided to turn their 176 acre (0.71224736 km²) former farm
into a day camp
, merging their love for their children and their friends with their interest in music. The first group of campers arrived in the summer of 1960.
Over the years, as participation grew, a series of small wooden cabins were constructed in an area around the Appel home. Albert, a violin
ist, invited guest artists to perform and to instruct the children. Gradually, these activities expanded and full-time professional staff as well as seasonal instructors were hired and the camp became a residential program. The original camp bunk
s were converted chicken coop
s, and art instruction was held in a barn
.
Appel Farm was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1978 and, in 1987, Mark Packer, then Camp Director, became Appel Farm’s Executive Director. Albert Appel officially became Director Emeritus but still actively participates in the organization’s operations. An annual arts and music festival was introduced in 1989. While Clare Appel died in 1990, the legacy she and her husband founded continued to grow and diversify. Outreach programs have evolved and continue to flourish. Arts instructional classes and workshops are held on- and off-site. Annually, Appel Farm’s programs serve a combined audience of approximately 56,000 people, including school children. It receives funding from a variety of public and private sources, including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts
, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
, Giving Opportunities to Others (GOTO), and individuals, among others. The landscape of the former farm has evolved as well with improved structures and facilities to accommodate the growth in programming.
Today, Appel Farm’s facilities include the 250-seat Clare Rostan Appel Theatre; a 7000 square feet (650.3 m²) Fine Arts Building with studios and gallery space; modern bunkhouses that serve as residential accommodations for conference and summer camp participants; classrooms; a dance studio; a dining hall; two outdoor stages; a swimming pool
; practice rooms; photography
darkroom
s and video
studios, and the main administration building. Appel Farm is also home to a wood-fired anagama/noborigama kiln, which was built in partnership with the Perkins Center for the Arts in 2000. Recently, the Center acquired additional land through New Jersey’s Green Acres program, which enables this land to be preserved in perpetuity.
Appel Farm has received numerous commendations and awards for its work. It has been accredited by the American Camp Association for 39 years. For thirteen consecutive years, it has been recognized by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts as a Major Presenting Organization for its remarkable contributions to the cultural life of New Jersey. Twice, in 2004 and again 2008, Appel Farm was awarded a Governor’s Award for Tourism for accomplishments associated with its annual Arts and Music Festival.
and combat sports are not practiced.
During each of the two four-week sessions, students spend five hours each day working in the major and minor areas of study they have chosen: theatre, music, dance, fine arts, or media arts. This instruction provides the children an intensive learning experience. Music, for example, includes private instruction, ensemble work, music theory, and master class and performance classes. The GREEN Corps emphasizes the interrelationship between arts and the environment, fostering environmental consciousness and responsibility while undertaking projects to create art and beautify Appel Farm’s campus. Children work closely with instructors and their peers. Students may take any course that interests them and are encouraged to explore new artistic genres. Private and recreational time is scheduled into each day’s activities, and field trips, special evening concerts, and workshops by visiting artists are scheduled throughout the summer.
Groups of summer faculty and campers bring engaging outreach activities to area hospitals, nursing homes, youth programs and community centers that have little or no arts programming. Appel Farm's Rising Young Artist Scholarship Program provides life-transforming experiences, giving annual tuition assistance to children who are economically disadvantaged yet artistically inclined.
Alumni of the Center’s acclaimed Summer Arts Camp include designer Jonathan Adler
; violist Toby Appel, soprano Amy Burton; film producer Marie Cantin; composer Michael Kaulkin; Broadway musical director Stephen Oremus
; actor Connor Paolo
; film executive and producer Karen Rosenfelt; multi-media designer Abigail Rudner; songwriter, performer and record producer Adam Schlesinger
; musician Rami Perlman, son of renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman
; singer/songwriter Bethany Yarrow, daughter of folksinger Peter Yarrow
; actor William Youmans
; musician Steve Berlin
from Los Lobos
http://www.loslobos.org/site/band.shtml, composer Chris DeBlasio, Broadway and television actor Daniel Jenkins, and Brett Loewenstern from American Idol.
, Dave Koz
, Sweet Honey in the Rock
and the acclaimed Russian folk dance group, the Moiseyev Dance Company.
The reach of Appel Farm’s signature concert event, the annual Appel Farm Arts and Music Festival
, extends beyond New Jersey, attracting audiences of upwards of 10,000 from the Eastern seaboard and beyond. Since its premier in 1989, the Festival, held on the first Saturday of June, draws music enthusiasts from throughout the Northeastern corridor of the United States, and from as far away as Texas and California. The family oriented, daylong event offers a lineup of as many as twelve musicians and musical groups, including both recognized as well as emerging artists, performing on two outdoor stages. The Festival also incorporates a Children’s Village featuring children’s theater performances and arts activities and a juried Crafts Fair, which includes exhibitions and demonstrations of artwork in an array of media.
, Gloucester
and Camden
counties. The School Programs consist of Theater in the Schools, Music in the Schools, Visual Arts in the Schools, Dance in the Schools, and Student Theater and Dance Matinées. High School Programs include visual arts and music residencies and professional theater performances. Over 20,000 schoolchildren are served by these programs annually. The Family Matinée Series presents a variety of children’s performers at the Center’s on-site theater, and arts classes at Appel Farm offers instruction in a spectrum of arts media. These on-site programs draw audiences and participants predominately from within a 25 miles (40.2 km) radius.
Elmer, New Jersey
Elmer is a Borough in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 1,395, making it the 520th largest city in New Jersey....
, in Salem County, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, USA, is a multifaceted nonprofit regional arts center founded by musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s and arts educators Albert and Clare Rostan Appel. It is primarily known for its summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
which began in 1960.
Mission
Appel Farm’s mission and programs are built on the philosophy of its founders: to provide people of all ages, cultures, and economic backgrounds with a supportive, cooperative environment in which to explore the arts. This mission is rooted in the belief that the arts are an exciting and essential part of the learning process, and that artistic talent is innate and waiting to be developed in every person.History
The Arts and Music Center traces its beginnings to 1959 when musicians and arts educators Clare, a GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
-born refugee
Refugee
A refugee is a person who outside her country of origin or habitual residence because she has suffered persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or because she is a member of a persecuted 'social group'. Such a person may be referred to as an 'asylum seeker' until...
and her husband, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
farmer
Farmer
A farmer is a person engaged in agriculture, who raises living organisms for food or raw materials, generally including livestock husbandry and growing crops, such as produce and grain...
Albert Appel, decided to turn their 176 acre (0.71224736 km²) former farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
into a day camp
Day camp
Day camps are geared for schoolchildren. They offer activities in a larger social setting, usually in the children's home town or nearby and the children return home in the evenings...
, merging their love for their children and their friends with their interest in music. The first group of campers arrived in the summer of 1960.
Over the years, as participation grew, a series of small wooden cabins were constructed in an area around the Appel home. Albert, a violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist, invited guest artists to perform and to instruct the children. Gradually, these activities expanded and full-time professional staff as well as seasonal instructors were hired and the camp became a residential program. The original camp bunk
Bunk
Bunk may refer to:* bunk , absurd, ridiculous, nonsense, wikt:Bunkum * Bunk , truancy, to "play hookey", to "cut" or "skip" class* Bunk bed, a type of bed in which one bed is stacked over another...
s were converted chicken coop
Chicken coop
A chicken coop is a building where female chickens are kept. Inside there are often nest boxes for egg laying and perches on which the birds can sleep, although coops for meat birds seldom have either of these features....
s, and art instruction was held in a barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
.
Appel Farm was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1978 and, in 1987, Mark Packer, then Camp Director, became Appel Farm’s Executive Director. Albert Appel officially became Director Emeritus but still actively participates in the organization’s operations. An annual arts and music festival was introduced in 1989. While Clare Appel died in 1990, the legacy she and her husband founded continued to grow and diversify. Outreach programs have evolved and continue to flourish. Arts instructional classes and workshops are held on- and off-site. Annually, Appel Farm’s programs serve a combined audience of approximately 56,000 people, including school children. It receives funding from a variety of public and private sources, including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts
New Jersey State Council on the Arts
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts was founded in 1966 to support artistic activities in the state of New Jersey. It is funded by the New Jersey State Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts ....
, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
The Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation was created in 1973 with an $85 million bequest following the death on August 13, 1973, of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge. Dodge was the youngest child of Standard Oil tycoon William Rockefeller and Almira Geraldine Goodsell....
, Giving Opportunities to Others (GOTO), and individuals, among others. The landscape of the former farm has evolved as well with improved structures and facilities to accommodate the growth in programming.
Today, Appel Farm’s facilities include the 250-seat Clare Rostan Appel Theatre; a 7000 square feet (650.3 m²) Fine Arts Building with studios and gallery space; modern bunkhouses that serve as residential accommodations for conference and summer camp participants; classrooms; a dance studio; a dining hall; two outdoor stages; a swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
; practice rooms; photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
darkroom
Darkroom
A darkroom is a room that can be made completely dark to allow the processing of light sensitive photographic materials, including photographic film and photographic paper. Darkrooms have been created and used since the inception of photography in the early 19th century...
s and video
Video
Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
studios, and the main administration building. Appel Farm is also home to a wood-fired anagama/noborigama kiln, which was built in partnership with the Perkins Center for the Arts in 2000. Recently, the Center acquired additional land through New Jersey’s Green Acres program, which enables this land to be preserved in perpetuity.
Appel Farm has received numerous commendations and awards for its work. It has been accredited by the American Camp Association for 39 years. For thirteen consecutive years, it has been recognized by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts as a Major Presenting Organization for its remarkable contributions to the cultural life of New Jersey. Twice, in 2004 and again 2008, Appel Farm was awarded a Governor’s Award for Tourism for accomplishments associated with its annual Arts and Music Festival.
Summer Camp
The oldest of Appel Farm’s programs, the residential Summer Arts Camp provides intensive arts education for children ages 8–17 in an educational and stimulating environment. In accordance with the Appels’ belief that all children have innate artistic talent, admission to the Summer Arts Camp Program is based on interest rather than skill level. There is no audition process and the program is non-competitive, encouraging mutual support. Students explore music, visual art, dance, theatre and media arts, and participate in a camp community of shared activities and responsibilities. Cooperation, appreciation for other cultures, and support for one another’s creative pursuits are at the heart of the experience. In addition to 150 campers at any given time, an international staff of over 85 professional artists and arts educators encourages students to develop self-esteem and an appreciation for cultural diversity. In the spirit of cooperation, there is no color warColor war
Color war is a meta-game played in summer camps, schools and some social organizations . Participants are divided into teams, each of which is assigned a color. The teams compete against each other in challenges and events to earn points...
and combat sports are not practiced.
During each of the two four-week sessions, students spend five hours each day working in the major and minor areas of study they have chosen: theatre, music, dance, fine arts, or media arts. This instruction provides the children an intensive learning experience. Music, for example, includes private instruction, ensemble work, music theory, and master class and performance classes. The GREEN Corps emphasizes the interrelationship between arts and the environment, fostering environmental consciousness and responsibility while undertaking projects to create art and beautify Appel Farm’s campus. Children work closely with instructors and their peers. Students may take any course that interests them and are encouraged to explore new artistic genres. Private and recreational time is scheduled into each day’s activities, and field trips, special evening concerts, and workshops by visiting artists are scheduled throughout the summer.
Groups of summer faculty and campers bring engaging outreach activities to area hospitals, nursing homes, youth programs and community centers that have little or no arts programming. Appel Farm's Rising Young Artist Scholarship Program provides life-transforming experiences, giving annual tuition assistance to children who are economically disadvantaged yet artistically inclined.
Alumni of the Center’s acclaimed Summer Arts Camp include designer Jonathan Adler
Jonathan Adler
Jonathan Adler is a Jewish-American designer renowned for his "happy chic" approach to home furnishings and interior design...
; violist Toby Appel, soprano Amy Burton; film producer Marie Cantin; composer Michael Kaulkin; Broadway musical director Stephen Oremus
Stephen Oremus
Stephen Oremus is an American musician who has worked on Broadway theatre productions as musical director and as orchestrator. His credits include arranger and orchestrator for the music for Avenue Q, musical director and arranger for Wicked, arranger and orchestrator for All Shook Up, and musical...
; actor Connor Paolo
Connor Paolo
Connor Paolo is an American actor best known of his role as Eric van der Woodsen in The CW young-adult series Gossip Girl since 2007-2011.He became part of the two Oliver Stone films, World Trade Center and Alexander where he bagged his biggest break in Hollywood.He is currently playing Declan...
; film executive and producer Karen Rosenfelt; multi-media designer Abigail Rudner; songwriter, performer and record producer Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger
Adam Schlesinger is an American songwriter, composer and record producer. He has been nominated for Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy , and Golden Globe Awards. He is also a winner of the ASCAP Pop Music Award....
; musician Rami Perlman, son of renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman
Itzhak Perlman is an Israeli-born violinist, conductor, and instructor of master classes. He is regarded as one of the pre-eminent violinists of the 20th and early-21st centuries.-Early life:...
; singer/songwriter Bethany Yarrow, daughter of folksinger Peter Yarrow
Peter Yarrow
Peter Yarrow is an American singer who found fame with the 1960s folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary. Yarrow co-wrote one of the group's most famous songs, "Puff, the Magic Dragon"...
; actor William Youmans
William Youmans
William Youmans is an American Broadway, film and television actor and singer, best known for originating the role of Doctor Dillamond in Wicked.-Broadway:...
; musician Steve Berlin
Steve Berlin
Steve Berlin is an American saxophonist, keyboardist and record producer, best known as a member of the rock group Los Lobos and, before that, Top Jimmy & The Rhythm Pigs, The Blasters, and The Flesh Eaters...
from Los Lobos
Los Lobos
Los Lobos are a multiple Grammy Award–winning American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles, California. Their music is influenced by rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, brown-eyed soul, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as cumbia, boleros and norteños.-History:The...
http://www.loslobos.org/site/band.shtml, composer Chris DeBlasio, Broadway and television actor Daniel Jenkins, and Brett Loewenstern from American Idol.
Concerts
The Center’s Concert/Presenting Series offers year-round performances by artists from a variety of musical genres. An average of eight Evening Concerts are scheduled each year at the 250-seat theater. In 2005, Appel Farm performances were expanded to include First Fridays @ the Gallery offering an additional eight shows that feature emerging performers in an intimate, coffeehouse-type setting. Appel Farm, working in cooperation with Washington Township Live Arts, also holds concerts and presentations at the 2,500-seat Commerce Bank Arts Center, located in Sewell, New Jersey. Past performers have included LonestarLonestar
Lonestar is an American country music group consisting of Richie McDonald , Michael Britt , Keech Rainwater , Dean Sams , and Michael Hill . McDonald left the band in November 2007 for a solo career before returning in 2011...
, Dave Koz
Dave Koz
Dave Koz is an American smooth jazz saxophonist.- Life and career :Dave Koz was born on March 27, 1963 in Encino, California....
, Sweet Honey in the Rock
Sweet Honey in the Rock
Sweet Honey in the Rock is an all-woman, African-American a cappella ensemble. They are an American Grammy Award-winning troupe who express their history as women of color through song, while entertaining their audience. They have together worked from four women to the difficult five-part harmony...
and the acclaimed Russian folk dance group, the Moiseyev Dance Company.
The reach of Appel Farm’s signature concert event, the annual Appel Farm Arts and Music Festival
Appel Farm Arts and Music Festival
The Appel Farm Arts and Music Festival, is an annual one-day festival held the first Saturday in June at Appel Farm Arts and Music Center located near Elmer, in Salem County, New Jersey, USA...
, extends beyond New Jersey, attracting audiences of upwards of 10,000 from the Eastern seaboard and beyond. Since its premier in 1989, the Festival, held on the first Saturday of June, draws music enthusiasts from throughout the Northeastern corridor of the United States, and from as far away as Texas and California. The family oriented, daylong event offers a lineup of as many as twelve musicians and musical groups, including both recognized as well as emerging artists, performing on two outdoor stages. The Festival also incorporates a Children’s Village featuring children’s theater performances and arts activities and a juried Crafts Fair, which includes exhibitions and demonstrations of artwork in an array of media.
Community Arts Programs
Appel Farm's Community Arts Outreach Programs, developed to meet the needs of residents of New Jersey’s southwestern counties, continue to grow in size and scope as the needs and expectations of those communities change. Through the Public School Arts Education Programs, Appel Farm partners with elementary and middle schools in inner cities and underserved rural areas of southern New Jersey including Salem, CumberlandCumberland County, New Jersey
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population is 156,898. Its county seat is Bridgeton. Cumberland County is named for Prince William, Duke of Cumberland....
, Gloucester
Gloucester County, New Jersey
Gloucester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 288,288. Its county seat is Woodbury....
and Camden
Camden County, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census the population of Camden County was 60.28% Non-Hispanic white, 18.45% Non-Hispanic black, 1.12% Hispanic blacks, 0.17% Non-Hispanic Native American, 0.15% Hispanic Native Americans, 5.07% Non-Hispanic Asian, and 0.14% non-Hispanics reporting some other race...
counties. The School Programs consist of Theater in the Schools, Music in the Schools, Visual Arts in the Schools, Dance in the Schools, and Student Theater and Dance Matinées. High School Programs include visual arts and music residencies and professional theater performances. Over 20,000 schoolchildren are served by these programs annually. The Family Matinée Series presents a variety of children’s performers at the Center’s on-site theater, and arts classes at Appel Farm offers instruction in a spectrum of arts media. These on-site programs draw audiences and participants predominately from within a 25 miles (40.2 km) radius.