PHILADELPHIA.- The Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation has announced that it has selected the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial as the 2006 recipient of the George Bartol Arts Education Award. The George Bartol Arts Education Award was established in 2001 to recognize outstanding arts education programs by a non-profit cultural organization. Each year, a grant of $5,000 will be made in memory of George Bartol, founder of the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, who believed that the key to a thriving arts community was an investment in arts education for its children. This award is made possible by a gift from the founder’s wife, Mary Bartol.

In honoring Mr. Bartol, the award is given to an organization that provides sustained, meaningful exposure and participation in the arts; that demonstrates an active engagement in the lives of its students and community; and that maintains high artistic standards for its faculty and students.

No applications are accepted for this award. Instead, as part of its annual grant distribution process, the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation designates one grantee to receive an additional award of $5,000. Funds are to be used to support its arts education programs.

“This award is made to the Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial in recognition of its programs to make arts instruction available to the community in many ways, “said Beth Feldman Brandt, Executive Director of the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, “Its tuition-free studio classes, low cost workshops, community partnerships in the arts, and support of teaching artists make it a model for exemplary programs in the nation.”

Founded in 1898, the Fleisher Art Memorial has been committed to making the visual arts accessible to art residents, especially immigrant, minority and low-income people. Programs include professional quality arts instruction for children and adults both at its newly renovated location in South Philadelphia and through residencies at neighborhood schools and community sites.

"We are honored to receive this recognition and share this award with all of our community partners—children, adults, schools, and community leaders," explained James Lebovitz, President of Fleisher's Board of Directors. "This award underscores the hard work of Fleisher teachers, faculty, and staff, including the contributions of Thora Jacobson, Fleisher's former executive director, who greatly expanded Fleisher's impact on the arts community."

As the only local Foundation devoted solely to supporting local arts organizations, the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation seeks to foster an environment where arts and culture can flourish. Created in 1984, the Foundation provides financial and technical support to non-profit arts and cultural organizations in Philadelphia. Through its grantmaking, the Foundation works to ensure a vibrant cultural life for all of its citizens through programs that use art as a catalyst for meaningful communication and connections, strengthening the social fabric of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods.