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REGISTER FOR OUR LAUNCH PARTY TODAY!
Click here to RSVP
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Warrior Rising: A New Kind of Fitness Program
The Purple Crayon is thrilled that the very first program we've been able to offer in our new space has been Warrior Rising, a novel approach to fitness that is having its inaugural run at The Purple Crayon Center this late winter. Conceived and run by Sarah Rubin, a certified Kripalu yoga instructor, and Anne Marie Costanzo, a nationally certified personal trainer, Warrior Rising is a six-week long program for women that combines yoga and strength-training in a connected, small group environment. Sarah and Anne Marie have also created an online community to support and motivate participants throughout the course of the program. This focus on both inner and outer strength makes Warrior Rising a natural fit with The Purple Crayon's commitment to programming that challenges and empowers the participant to move forward in a new way. We look forward to bringing you many such programs in the coming year. Stay tuned!
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GET INVOLVED!
Are you wondering how you can be a part of what's happening at The Purple Crayon? Do you have a question, want to request a tour or find out more about our upcoming programs? Or perhaps you know someone looking for an internship or volunteer opportunity. We would love to be in touch with you! Write to us at
info@purplecrayoncenter.org
or come by the center to take a look around.
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Who We Are
Sarah Silbert Hinawi, EdM. ~
Executive Director
Adel Hinawi ~
Curator and Director of Operations
Alison Marra ~
Community Design Associate
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Director's Note
Here's a little something about me: I have always loved learning. At my nursery school screening when I was two years old, the director of the school asked me what I liked to do, and I said: "I like to share my toys." In 6th grade, my family went to Europe, but every picture shows me with my nose deep into A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. In 8th grade, I got nick-named Sarah Sci because of my unwitting enthusiasm raising my hand in earth science.
By the time I was a junior in high school, though, and had learned about the TREE formation for a paragraph, and memorized dates of battles and revolutions, chemical formulas and mathematics equations, I was no longer jumping out of my seat to engage and be engaged. I was skipping classes, I was failing tests, I was so bored. I loved literature and could barely pull my nose out of a book, yet I turned in only 3 out of 25 English papers. I still excelled in the activities I chose-drama club, my youth group, working on the yearbook, but somehow school didn't seem to be about me or the things I cared about.
It wasn't until 4 years later when I was a junior at Oberlin College that something woke me from that stupor of disengagement. It was a class called Teaching and Tutoring Writing Across the Disciplines, and for the first time we explored the concept of "personal voice" as opposed to "academic voice" in writing. Suddenly I understood. All these years I hated writing papers, taking tests, answering questions in school because I had to do it in someone else's voice, yet meanwhile I spent my spare time writing songs, writing in my journal, reading and thinking about books, leading clubs and other activities-in my own voice.
All these years later, I am still so grateful for the discovery, and so in awe of the power that realization has to free us all-to offer the frustrated 4th grader who hates writing a way to connect through his own stories; to help the high school senior value her own experiences and ideas enough to write a college essay; to enable the mid-career adult to follow inspiration and chart a course that matches his unique path in life.
Hence The Purple Crayon Center for Learning and Social Innovation. I hope it will be a place where you, too, can find an outlet for your personal voice. I look forward to seeing you there.
Sarah Hinawi, Executive Director
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Director's Note
After a show I recently produced, someone came up to me and said "That was more than a show; it was an experience." In all my years in music, this is one of the best comments I've received. I've always found that I have a unique gift for creating and arranging powerful musical experiences, ones that go beyond or astray from expectations, that offer a depth of pleasure and a chance to think about things in a new way.
Over the next few months, as Curator of the Purple Crayon Center, I will be bringing you a series of performances that I hope will accomplish these things and more. I am selecting shows that I believe will offer a glimpse of the world through the artists' eyes and reveal captivating talents. Our offerings will aim to transcend categorical definition both in terms of genre and audience appeal.
So off we go. I look forward to sharing some magical nights together, starting with our launch party, where the exuberant Red Baraat will join us in celebration. Hope you will, too!
Adel Hinawi, Curator, Director of Operations
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HELP US LAUNCH!
The sanctuary space is nearly complete, pilot programming has started, the Inc. is leasing space, so now what...?
Now it's party time!!
Saturday, March 12
7 - 9:30 pm
at The Purple Crayon Center for Learning and Social Innovation
Come celebrate our grand opening: see the space, meet the people, kick up your heels and kick us off into 2011! Cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, live performance by the new music sensation Red Baraat {link} and more! To let us know you're coming, RSVP here
PLEASE NOTE: If you plan to come, please register-space is limited and we want you here!
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Renovation Innovation
When we bought the church building at 52 Main Street, it came with vaulted ceilings, gorgeous stained glass windows, an address in the heart of Hastings, and . . a leaky roof, a crumbling foundation, and way more pews than we knew what to do with. "We knew we couldn't keep them all, but they were beautiful, solid wood, and we wanted to respect both the pews themselves and the purpose they had served here for so many years," says Adel Hinawi, co-director of the center, who also designed and oversaw the renovation of the historic space. So the pews - and any other old wood from cabinets, doors, or moldings - were saved and reused in making storage closets for the main space, acoustic treatment panels in the recording room and sanctuary space, bookshelves, and desks for the Inc.
Renovation of the space also included some crafty solutions for other tough problems: To defeat the longstanding and stubborn water penetration problem in the foundation, Adel worked with Jean's Waterproofing, a company located in Maine which utilizes a proprietary technique called chemical grout injection. Adel also conceived of a central air system that uses a high-velocity, flexible duct system "snaked" through the walls to preserve the architectural appearance of the interior rather than marring it with tons of messy ductwork.
Now nearing completion, the renovation also included repainting the degraded exterior, putting down a green cork/rubber flooring, and constructing the workspace with Steelcase walls. Come check out our innovative and environmentally friendly space during at the launch party on March 12th!
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Resources + Reflection = The Inc.
From Dallas to Toronto-and now Hastings on Hudson-shared workspaces are popping up all over the place, and we are so excited to be part of the revolution. The Inc. is a collaborative office space on the first floor of The Purple Crayon for Learning and Social Innovation, available for office and permanent desk rentals as well as Hot Desk memberships. Freelancers, writers, entrepreneurs, and other independent professionals can find practical support (fax, copier, mailbox services, a conference room in which to meet clients), ongoing insight in the form of workshops and shared consultancy, and an inspired and supportive community at the Inc. To learn more about the trend of shared workspaces, check out http://socialinnovation.ca.
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Draw Your Future Information Session for Teens!
On February 11th at 4pm, we will be hosting an information session on the Draw Your Future program and the Purple Crayon Center for Learning and Social Innovation for 7th through 12th graders. If you or someone you know is interested in coming to see the space, learn more about the opportunities for young people, and possibly get involved in planning our teens-only launch party, please get in touch or share this information.
Contact Sarah Hinawi: sarah@purplecrayoncenter.org
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Thanks for all your good wishes and support, and we look forward to seeing you at our launch party on March 12th!
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