Media Release

JUDITH MARCUSE ELECTED SENIOR FELLOW
OF ASHOKA INTERNATIONAL

Vancouver, BC, 11 July 2011:

The members of the Board of Directors of Judith Marcuse Projects (JMP) are delighted to announce that Judith Marcuse, Artistic Producer of JMP, has been elected a Senior Fellow of Ashoka International.

Ashoka, founded in 1980 by the American lawyer, Bill Drayton, is “a global association of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs – individuals with system-changing solutions for the world’s most urgent social problems” (www.Canada.ashoka.org).

Starting with the first Ashoka Fellows elected in India in 1981, Ashoka has grown to become an association of over 2,700 Fellows in over 70 countries. Judith joins 36 other Canadians who have been elected in the last decade, and is among the first Canadian artists honoured by the organization.

“We are very pleased by this recognition of Judith’s many years of work as an artist, and in particular, by Ashoka’s recognition of her pioneering work in the burgeoning field of art for social change,” commented Dr. Bruce Clayman, Chair of the JMP board. “Ashoka Fellows undergo a very rigorous selection process, so this decision is a clear demonstration that Judith’s pioneering focus on initiatives which meld art practice with practical engagement on critical social issues is understood to be both effective and timely.”

Commented Judith, “This appointment will assist me in sharing knowledge and best practices with other ‘change-agents’ around the world. It will help to open doors and support my continuing work with the International Centre of Art for Social Change” (www.icasc.ca).

The International Centre of Art for Social Change, a partnership with Vancouver’s Simon Fraser University, is a global hub for networking, training, professional development, research and community outreach in the rapidly-evolving field. Judith and her colleagues have begun to deliver courses at SFU in the Faculty of Education and in Continuing Studies. A number of new ground-breaking initiatives will be announced later in the year.

Judith Marcuse is a choreographer, producer, teacher and lecturer whose work has been widely honoured in Canada and abroad. The recipient of both the Chalmers and Lee awards in choreography, and an honorary doctorate from Simon Fraser University, she often speaks and teaches at conferences and in other settings around the world. Most recently, she gave keynote presentations at conferences in South Africa, Holland, Finland, the Republic of Ireland and Vancouver.

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For additional information, please contact Richard Marcuse, Consulting Managing Director, at 604-921-8436 or by e-mail at rickmarc@shaw.ca.