Press Reports

2009
Exhibit Features Photographs by Rural Youth and Children from Migrant Farm Worker Families

NASHVILLE, TN – An exhibit of documentary photographs created by children from migrant farm worker and local families living in rural Appalachia and West Tennessee will be featured at the Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery, August 13 – September 25. The exhibit, Growing Tennessee: Rural Youth Cultivate Common Ground, will feature dozens of photographs depicting the lives of rural children and their families. The images are the work of more than 50 children, ages 8 – 18, from East to West Tennessee. The Commission gallery is located at 401 Charlotte Avenue in downtown Nashville, and hours are Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Curator Jane Crowe, Telamon’s Program Development Coordinator, collaborated with Tennessee’s Migrant Education Program, Tennessee 4-H, Milligan College, East Tennessee State University and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and Martin to bring the fruits of this project to the public. To date, this exhibition has been shown at Knoxville Museum of Art, The Art Gallery of Knoxville, West Tennessee Regional Art Center, The Mess Hall in Chicago, and even promoted on Time Square in New York City.

“We are thrilled to have Telamon's Youth Initiative exhibition in the newly renovated gallery,” says Dana Everts-Boehm, folklife program assistant for the Commission. “The images from these documentary photographs are haunting, evocative and hopeful. In depicting their daily lives, these youthful photographers have done us the great service of sharing some of their most tender and intimate moments.  Telamon Corporation's Youth Initiative brought these children of migrant farmworkers and rural Appalachian farmers together to find common cause through artistic self-expression, and the resulting exhibition is inspiring on many levels.”

The exhibit is part of Telamon Corporation’s statewide Youth Initiative. On September 23, in conjunction with the exhibit, the Commission will host a Latino Arts Meeting at the gallery from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. The goal of this meeting is to identify strategies for increasing opportunities in the arts for the Latino community in Tennessee. “Growing Tennessee” is funded by the Office of Head Start, Tennessee Arts Commission, Starbucks Foundation, East Tennessee Foundation and Peyton Manning’s PeyBack Foundation. Cameras and film were donated by Olympus, Fuji and Ritz. Project goals include building literacy through the arts; increasing self-esteem and critical thinking; promoting cross cultural understanding; and encouraging youth to pursue education.

“The Youth Initiative projects have gleaned many rewards in expected and unexpected ways; the pride of the young people involved, the caring of the many volunteers, and the excitement of supporters from across the nation,” said J Davis, State Director for the program.

Telamon Corporation, founded in 1965, provides employment and training services, early childhood programs, housing, and other initiatives in eleven states. Since 1995 Telamon has been the only provider of Migrant and Seasonal Head Start services in Tennessee. The children and families of migrant and seasonal agricultural workers receive education, nutrition, health, and social services at five childcare centers across the state. The Growing Tennessee initiative is in its fourth year, and over 150 youth have participated in a variety of community based art activities, including photography, digital storytelling, mural arts, ceramics, and most recently, video production.

For more information on the project visit:

http://www.growingtn.org/

http://www.telamon.org/

Contact: Jane Crowe, Program Development Coordinator, Telamon Corporation

Telephone: (865) 212-4011, ext. 15                             Email: jcrowe@telamon.org

For more information on the Tennessee Arts Commission Gallery, visit:

www.arts.state.tn.us

Contact: Julie Horn, Director of Visual Arts, Craft, and Media, Tennessee Arts Commission

Telephone: (615) 532-9798                                          Email: Julie.horn@tn.gov
- Colleague Honored for Service
  
  The University of Tennessee Libraries granted Allison Roberts the Community Service Award for her work on the Growing Tennessee project at the annual Spirit Awards Breakfast May 12, 2009. The Community Service Award is presented to the individual who made outstanding contributions during the past year on campus or in the community. This award acknowledges those who contribute their time and efforts to improving the lives of others beyond the workplace. Allison Roberts has been active with "Growing Tennessee: Rural Youth Cultivate Common Ground," a project which helps at-risk migrant children in East Tennessee. Allison has been involved with Growing Tennessee for several years, and helped to launch the Youth Initiative in 2006 when Telamon received a grant from the Starbucks Foundation. The project goal is to provide a creative educational outlet and to promote cross-cultural understanding through the arts. Allison is a member of the steering committee, the technology committee, and serves as webmaster, curriculum adviser, and equipment consultant. The Growing Tennessee program reaches at risk children in migrant families through Head Start, which is provided in East Tennessee by the Telamon Corporation, a non-profit organization that provides human services across the United States. The project is based in Knoxville but also serves children in East Middle and West Tennessee.
  
  Allison has used her creativity and diligence to establish the program's web presence and to provide a common interactive learning environment for the participants in the program. In addition to assisting and promoting the work of Telamon, Allison has assured that the students also benefit from training and use of technology.
  
  In October 2008 Allison curated photographs for display at Pendergrass Library from the student photography project in West Tennessee. The photographs, which were taken by the students during their everyday life, visited Pendergrass during Hispanic Heritage month and coincided with a similar exhibit at the Knoxville Museum of Art.
  
  Allison's role with this project promotes the libraries, features university contribution to a community project, and benefits migrant children. It is a great example of "Community Service."
2008
- Metropulse Article: Uncommon Ground
Knoxville, TN's local paper Metropulse exhibit review of the Dayton TN photographs and ceramic works on display through the month of October.
Read the article
- Photographs on Display at Pendergrass Library
Through the month of October Pendergrass will feature photographs from the Growing Tennessee: Rural Youth Cultivate Common Ground collaboration through arts project. This project provides a creative outlet to youth while promoting a cross cultural understanding through the arts.

The display is sponsored by Pendergrass Library and the UT Libraries Diversity Committee.

Photographs from the Payton Manning photography project in Dayton Tennessee and ceramic creations from West Tennessee are on display at the Knoxville Museum of Art through October.

Visit the Growing Tennessee Website to find out more about the project and to see all the works created by rural youth in Tennessee.
- Exhibit to feature ceramics and photographs by East Tennessee youth
Telamon Corporation
TN Migrant & Seasonal Head Start
6424 Baum Drive
Knoxville, TN 37919
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 24, 2008

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE – From October 1st – October 30th, 2008, ceramics and photographs
created by migrant and local youth will be exhibited at Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair
Park Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916. On Sunday, October 12th from 2:00-5:00PM, the public is
invited to attend a reception to celebrate the exhibit.
The art work was created by more than three dozen children, ages 9 – 16, from both migrant farm
worker families and rural Tennessee families, as part of Telamon’s statewide Youth Initiative,
Growing Tennessee: Rural Youth Cultivate Common Ground. The program seeks to unite youth and
adults from various cultural backgrounds through community based art projects. This multi-media
exhibition is the result of Telamon Corporation’s successful collaboration with Tennessee Migrant
Education Program and The University of Tennessee Extension 4-H Programs in Cocke, Rhea, and
Bledsoe Counties and is made possible by funding from Office of Head Start, Tennessee Arts
Commission and Peyton Manning’s PeyBack Foundation, as well as a donation of digital cameras
from Olympus America Incorporated.
Children were provided high quality instruction by professional artists like Christal Yost, who taught a
series of ceramic classes to Cocke County youth. “It has been terrific to have the opportunity to partner
with a program to bring art and art education to children in rural communities,” said Yost. “The kids
were so creative and free thinking, and they really worked hard to create beautiful pieces.”
Photographers John and Lindsey Bamber served as the instructors for the PeyBack Foundation
photography project during the Migrant Education Program at Rhea Central Elementary School in
Dayton, Tennessee, resulting in hundreds of photographs by migrant youth.
“The Youth Initiative projects have gleaned many rewards in expected and unexpected ways; the pride
of the young people involved, the caring of the many volunteers, and the excitement of supporters from
across the nation,” said J Davis, State Director for the program.
Telamon Corporation, founded in 1965, provides employment and training services, early childhood
programs, housing, and other initiatives in eleven states. Since 1995 Telamon has been the only
provider of Migrant and Seasonal Head Start services in Tennessee. The children and families of
migrant and seasonal agricultural workers receive education, nutrition, health, and social services at
five childcare centers across the state. The Growing Tennessee initiative is in its third year, and
participants have had their work displayed in galleries across the state, in newspapers and even on the
electronic billboards in Times Square in New York.
For more information visit:
http://www.growingtn.org/
http://www.telamon.org/
Contact: Jane Crowe, Program Development Coordinator, Telamon Corporation
Telephone: (865) 212-4011, ext. 15 Email: jcrowe@telamon.org

KMA Flyer
KMA Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (April 7, 2008) -

Photography by the children of migrant farm workers and Appalachian families will be displayed at Milligan College in McMahan Student Center’s Sub 7 Gallery beginning April 26 through May 3. The opening reception will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, April 26. Many of the youth photographers will be in attendance. The photographs were taken by youth between the ages of 11-17 who are participating in Growing Tennessee: Rural Youth Cultivate Common Ground, a cross cultural photography project sponsored by Telamon Corporation with funds from The Office of Head Start and Tennessee Arts Commission. Olympus donated digital cameras and memory cards to the program. Milligan College professor Alice Anthony and her students provided instruction and support to the young photographers, who are mentored by various East Tennessee artists. “This project has been so rewarding for everyone involved,” said Anthony. “It has been a great experience for me personally as I have watched these young people grow in their knowledge and understanding of photography. Their confidence has increased, and they are enthusiastic about being able to show to others their personal vision of the world in which they live. The college students who help with the project have been great examples for the young photographers.” Founded in 1965, Telamon provides employment and training services, early childhood programs, housing and other initiatives in 11 states. Since 1995 Telamon has been the sole provider of migrant and seasonal head start services in Tennessee. The children and families of migrant and seasonal agricultural workers receive education, nutrition, health and social services at five childcare centers across the state. “Through nurturing relationships with the instructors, youth from diverse backgrounds are developing artistic skills, increasing cross cultural understanding and preparing for higher education,” said Jane Crowe, program development coordinator for Telamon. Growing Tennessee: Rural Youth Cultivate Common Ground is funded under an agreement with the State of Tennessee, the Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information contact: Alice Anthony, Milligan College, Professor of Art Telephone: 423-461-8970 Email: MAAnthony@milligan.edu Jane Crowe, Telamon Corporation, Program Development Coordinator Telephone: 1-800-825-9724, ext. 15 Email: jcrowe@telamon.org Websites: http://betelgeuse.sunsite.utk.edu/growingtn/ http://www.telamon.org/
Telamon Youth Photographers Exhibit at Milligan College, Opening Reception, Saturday, April 26th at 10:00AM-12:00PM.

The Tennessee Arts Commission featured the Growing Tennessee Youth project in their Winter 2008 Arts Tennessee newsletter.

On March 4th both Unicoi & Greene Co. youth got an introduction to digital storytelling from Appalshop & Center for Rural Strategies. The children are thrilled about doing digital storytelling! You can view a story the children created. Go to http://crs.placestories.com and then click on CRS Demo Project on the left side. A new page will open with a map — you should see a pink dot near Johnson City (that is the location of our story). At the bottom of the page are Stories — click on Telamon and view. http://crs.placestories.com
- January 27 - March 16, 2008: Photography and writing by youth involved in the Growing Tennessee project will be exhibited at Mess Hall in Chicago, IL.
  
  Mess Hall Website
- Saturday, February 9, 2008
  
  6:30p-10:00p: Opening reception for Growing Tennessee
  
  Chris Molinski, co-founder of the Art Gallery of Knoxville, & Jane Crowe, original project coordinator of Growing Tennessee, will be on hand at tonight's opening to talk about the origins of the project, how it grew and evolved in its existence in Tennessee, and their plans for it in Chicago and beyond. Join us for food, drink, conversation, and more. http://www.theartgalleryofknoxville.com/
  
  More Information:
  
  Telamon, The Art Gallery of Knoxville, and Mess Hall in Chicago, are developing a project to educate the community about the contributions of migrant farm workers through arts and public dialogue. Mess Hall is an experimental cultural center,where visual art, politics, creative urban planning, and applied ecological design intersect.
  
  Through community conversations with artists and advocates, other creative projects will be designed to raise awareness of issues related to immigration, migration, food, labor, health and housing. Art and writing by youth and adults will be added to the Growing Tennessee exhibit to launch a nationwide tour. As the exhibit travels around the country, new works of art will be created by local communities.
  
  After traveling to various states, this "sticky show" will be exhibited at the First Annual No More Walls Festival near the U.S./Mexico border in Sonora, Mexico in October 2008. Art by youth and adults from both sides of the border will be incorporated into the exhibition. Future plans include sponsoring a delegation of Tennessee youth to travel to the border region, with the show ultimately returning to Knoxville for display.
- 2007
  - Statewide Head Start Program receives Certificate of Excellence from the Office of Head Start
  Knoxville, Tennessee - Telamon Corporation: Tennessee Migrant and Seasonal Head Start demonstrated their commitment to children and families and proved that they are good stewards of the tax payer dollar after receiving a perfect score on their recent federal review. A comprehensive audit of all program components was conducted August 19-24, 2007 by a Federal Review Team from the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Head Start. Noted was the strong leadership and effective systems that enable the program to provide excellent services to hundreds of children and families at childcare centers in Bledsoe, Cocke, Crockett, Greene, and Unicoi Counties.
  
  The Federal Review Team commended Telamon on how the dollars are spent to benefit children, families and staff. Based on the final Federal Report, it was established that the program is in full compliance with all applicable Head Start Program Performance Standards, laws, regulations, and policy requirements. The Certificate of Excellence is the most distinguished form of recognition that a program can receive from the Office of Head Start. The National Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Association also honored the program earlier this year by presenting Telamon with the Plate of Bounty Award to acknowledge their significant contribution to migrant and seasonal farm worker families.
  
  Telamon Corporation, founded in 1965, provides employment and training services, early childhood programs, housing, and other initiatives in eleven states. Since 1995 Telamon has been the only provider of Migrant and Seasonal Head Start services in Tennessee. The children and families of migrant and seasonal agricultural workers receive education, nutrition, health, and social services at five childcare centers across the state. Telamon served 265 children and their families during the 2007-2008 Program Year, including the successful implementation of a federal expansion grant used to establish an infant center in the Bledsoe County area.
  
  For more information:
  
  Contact: J Davis, State Director or Jane Crowe, Program Development Coordinator
  
  Telephone: 1-800-825-9724
  
  Email: jadavis@telamon.org> or jcrowe@telamon.org>
  
  Website: www.telamon.org

Growing Tennessee: Rural Youth Cultivate Common Ground

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Colleague Honored for Service

Metropulse Article: Uncommon Ground

Photographs on Display at Pendergrass Library

Exhibit to feature ceramics and photographs by East Tennessee youth

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (April 7, 2008) -