Press

NEW YORK, NY  – The Children’s Museum of Manhattan (CMOM) announced today a partnership with the America-Israel Cultural Foundation (AICF), Israel’s longstanding arts organization devoted to the development and funding of many of that country’s largest cultural institutions.  As part of the partnership, CMOM will host three Fall performances, including theatrical storytelling, puppetry, film, and jazz.

“The world of our children and grandchildren is best described as global.  Given the diversity of this global community, it is imperative that the next generation work and live cooperatively with mutual understanding and respect for all people,” said Andrew Ackerman, Executive Director of CMOM.  “This partnership is a natural extension of CMOM’s work to engage children with experiences that prepare them for life in a global society.  In the past year alone, we’ve hosted performances celebrating a range of cultures, such as whirling dervishes, a gospel choir and a lion and dragon dance team.”

For 73 years, AICF has nurtured, supported and guided generations of Israeli artists and cultural institutions. AICF impacts the creative arts in Israel through scholarships and grants to help young children in their artistic studies, and helps nurture the entire State of Israel. AICF also acts as a goodwill ambassador around the world by working with amazing alumni including Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, MenascheKadishman, Eytan Fox, Avishai and Anat Cohen, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Tel Aviv Museum, and the Batsheva Dance Company, and many others.

“As part of our mission, AICF promotes the work of Israeli artists, performers and musicians to strengthen our country’s ties with America and its built-in global community,” said David Homan, Executive Director of AICF.  “As CMOM brings world-class Arts performances and workshops to children and families from around the block and around the world, this is a natural fit for us.”

Below is a list of upcoming performances at CMOM this Fall.

Sunday, October 7:  Performance with Play Me a Story (Maya Blank & Uri Sharlin)
Maya Blank & Uri Sharlinare a musical storytelling duo, who perform as Play Me a Story. Ms. Blank is the head teacher and designer of a program for children with autism at the Steven Wise Free Synagogue. She has also appeared in the TV series, Flight of the Conchords, as well as in various theater and dance productions. UriSharlin is an Israeli-born classical and jazz pianist, accordionist and composer. Ms. Blank and Mr. Sharlin will invite families to celebrate the arts and nature with the classic children’s tale, The Hatseller and the Monkeys. Children can engage in an experiential exploration of the story, using handmade costumes, props and original rhythmic music.

Sunday, November 18:  Workshop: Make a Live Action Puppet Film with LeatKlingman!
Leat Klingman, a puppeteer and filmmaker, focuses on creating and telling the stories of magical, fanciful puppets. In this workshop, Ms. Klingman will work with children to make puppets, and then create a live action film starring the very same puppets.  These films will be available online the following week. Her work has appeared in Volume 4 of Handmade Puppet Dreams (Heather Henson’s company), as well as Dixon Place, NYC Best Short Filmmakers at 3rd Ward in Brooklyn; Video for the Public at Kulturhuset in Stockholm, Sweden; and the International Festival for Video Dance at the Cinemateq in Tel-Aviv, Israel.

Sunday, December 9:  Performance: Oran Etkin
Oran Etkin, a multi-instrumentalist and Grammy award-winning jazz musician, will perform and then lead an interactive session with families based on his groundbreaking children’s music program, Timbalooloo. The Timbalooloo method is quickly gaining popularity as a leading method of teaching music to young children.

For the most up-to-date calendar of events and performance times, please visit www.cmom.org/visit/calendar