Waltham, Massachusetts – November 28, 2016 – After eight years of demonstrated success in providing college advising to young artists, ArtsBridge is poised to take the next step in expanding its mission. ArtsBridge Foundation, the nonprofit arm of ArtsBridge, will support students who are interested in the performing, visual, and media arts from under-represented communities by helping them build upon those skills and identify and apply to colleges that will provide a nurturing environment for their continued artistic growth.

Former admissions director Halley Shefler founded ArtsBridge in 2008 to help young artists identify and successfully apply to the college programs that best suit their needs. In the same spirit as its parent organization, ArtsBridge Foundation will support college pathways for cohorts of arts students in alignment with each organization’s educational mission.

ArtsBridge Foundation will work with schools, community centers, after school programs, and other youth-serving organizations to help students develop the necessary skills for college application success in the arts. Scholarship funds will be made available to students for artistic opportunities that tie into the foundation’s mission. ArtsBridge Foundation will also establish a mentorship program, pairing current college upperclassmen with students from the same discipline to provide additional support during the college application process.

Currently, there are increasing efforts to provide early access to arts education in communities throughout the US, but there is considerably less dialogue around artistic pathways into college. ArtsBridge Foundation plans to address that need by scaling the ArtsBridge model as well as expanding its team with the hire of Leslie Wu Foley.

With 30 years of experience in arts administration and non-profit leadership, Leslie Wu Foley joins the ArtsBridge team as Executive Director of ArtsBridge Foundation. Leslie served most recently as the Chief Strategy Officer and Dean of Preparatory and Continuing Education at New England Conservatory. Leslie’s new role at ArtsBridge is a natural outgrowth of her passion for the students and the impact of arts education and advocacy.

Contact:
Leslie Foley
lwufoley@artsbridge.com
185 Crescent Street #301
Waltham MA 02453
855-778-2787