Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jeff Furman
Jfurman@twcny.rr.com

Rejoice the Vote! Art Contest Reveals Winning Designs

ITHACA, NY, October 20, 2020 –  Ithaca based Rejoice the Vote! is proud to announce  the winners of their art contest honoring the legacy of Representaive John C. Lewis (1940-2020). The contest was designed to engage young people in voting rights history and to inspire voters of all ages to vote. The results are thoughtful, original, powerful and beautiful.

Almost 100 entries were received from around the country, and the winners were chosen in each of five age groups in both national and hometown categories. The works were judged by a seven person jury of artists, activists and community leaders. Local jurors  were Ana Goldsmith artist and teacher at LACS, Cal Walker of Village at Ithaca, and artist Maryam Adib.

The winner of the Hometown Grand Prize honoring Kirby Edmonds is 8-year-old Charlie Sue Orinda, and the National Grand Prize is a tie between two teenagers from San Francisco. The winning designs are being shared on social media and will be printed on posters that will be up on local walls before Election Day.

Jeff Furman, the founder of Rejoice the Vote, has bridged the gap between businesses and social justice movements for many years, serving on the board of Ben & Jerry’s for almost four decades and serving as president of the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation. He lives in Ithaca.

Jeff explains, “The best way to honor John Lewis is to continue the work. And the best way for me to do that given my background and age is to support and encourage the younger generation who are engaged in that work.”

Jeff is helped by Shira and Ari evergreen, local designers who specialize in working with nonprofits and socially-conscious small businesses. They created the website and graphics for Rejoice the Vote!, run the social media campaign and moderated the process of reviewing and judging the submissions.

Jury member Ana Goldsmith worked with LACS students to submit posters to the contest, turning her art class into a place to learn about democracy. Other local teachers, Beth Myers of Ithaca Waldorf School and Christa Nunez of the Learning Farm Outdoor School also helped their students participate.

Jeff worked with Andrew Douglas, owner of Homegrown Skateshop to raise $45,000 for GIAC programs and an additional $4,000 to be used to support the art contest. Ithaca Hummus will print 100 posters of each of the three grand prize winners to be distributed throughout the community. A true community effort.

The three grand prize winners are attached and all of the winners can be viewed here: www.rejoicethevote.org/artcontest

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For more information, contact Jeff Furman: Jfurman@twcny.rr.com
More about Jeff Furman and Rejoice the Vote!: https://rejoicethevote.org/

More about Shira and Ari Evergreen: http://shirari.com/

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Jeff Furman
Jfurman@twcny.rr.com



ITHACA, NY, September 1, 2020 – Longtime steward of socially-conscious business Jeff Furman is excited to announce the Rejoice the Vote! Art Contest honoring Representative John C. Lewis (1940-2020). Open to artists of all ages around the country, the contest is seeking poster designs, which accomplish one or more of the following:

Artists of all ages are invited to learn more and submit their artwork by October 1st at www.rejoicethevote.org/artcontest.

With injustice and voter disenfranchisement rampant in our country, it is easy for individuals to become jaded. The contest organizers believe that in spite of continued efforts at voter suppression, casting one’s ballot remains a powerful tool that must be embraced if we want our country to one day fulfill its promise of justice and freedom for all. Rep. Lewis believed in the power of individuals and movements to change the course of history and earned the title of the “conscience of Congress.” In 2018, he famously tweeted, “Your vote matters. If it didn’t why would some people keep trying to take it away?”

Jeff Furman has bridged the gap between businesses and social justice movements for many years, serving on the Board of Ben & Jerry’s for almost four decades and serving as President of the Ben & Jerry’s Foundation. He lives in Ithaca where he is the president of Social Ventures, co-founder of the Community Dispute Resolution Center and co-founder of a community micro-finance program. In addition, Jeff has served on the local school board, working to eliminate race and socio-economic status as a predictor of student success, and as an advisor to the Dorothy Cotton Institute, Alliance of Families for Justice, and the Economic Hardship Reporting Project. Jeff explains, “The best way to honor John Lewis is to continue the work. And the best way for me to do that given my background and age is to support and encourage the younger generation who are engaged in that work.” Furman is supported by Shira and Ari Evergreen, local designers who specialize in working with nonprofits and socially-conscious small businesses. They created the website and graphics for Rejoice the Vote! and are collaborating with Jeff to launch and promote the art contest broadly.