The Charlottesville Gallery Debut of The "Flight" Portfolio
Please come to a free public reception to view "The Flight Portfolio", May 29th,2008, from 5:00pm-7:00pm at Les Yeux du Monde Art Gallery, located at 115 S. First Street, Downtown Charlottesville
In 1964, to raise funds for the expanding efforts of the IRC, Varian Fry, a New York journalist and "American Schindler", began assembling a portfolio by twelve established artists, some of whom he helped rescue from Hitler's regime during WWII. Among those Fry helped to rescue were Hannah Arendt, Andre Breton, Marc Chagall, Marcel Duchamp, Max Ernst, Wanda Landowska, Jacques Lipchitz, Heinrich Mann, and Alma Mahle Gropius Werfel. Based on the theme of flight to reflect the plight of the refugees, the porfolio was completed in 1971, four years after Fry's death. Today, a limited number of the original two hundred and fifty regular edition remain and are offered to benefit the International Rescue Committee.
During the month of May, "Flight" will be on display at Les Yeux du Monde Gallery in celebration of the 75th anniversary of IRC and its 10th year in Charlottesville. The unframed portfolios are each priced at $15,000, $7,000 of which is tax deductible as a charitable contribution. The purchase of a portfolio locally will benefit IRC Charlottesville. Interested Purchasers should contact Terri DiCintio at IRC Charlottesville (434.979.7772 or Terri.DiCintio@theIRC.org).
The Flight Portfolio can be viewed by clicking on: www.theIRC.org/resources/flight_sale.pdf
History of IRC Charlottesville:
The IRC began resettling refugees in Charlottesville, Virginia, in June 1998, in large part because of the low local unemployment rate and entry level job opportunities, but also because of strong community interest and volunteer support. The office now resettles approximately 150 refugees per year in the area. Strongly believing in the capacity of refugees to quickly assume productive lives and to participate in the civic fabric of our community, IRC staff counsel refugees from the moment of arrival that the “American Dream” of home ownership and education for their children is within reach.
IRC Charlottesville has implemented programming to ensure that refugees have support in reaching early self-sufficiency, in becoming naturalized citizens, in reaching financial security and in restoring a sense of hope for the future. We have witnessed time and again the transformation of a family who arrived at our airport with virtually no belongings, went to work within months and saved money faster than we thought possible. Our clients go on to start businesses, buy homes and send their children to college.
MAJOR POPULATIONS
Resettled in FY07: 176 - Afghanistan, Burma, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Iraq, Liberia, North Korea, Russia, Rwanda, Sudan.
Projected for FY08: 150 - Bhutan, Burma, Burundi, Iraq.
MAJOR PROGRAMS
· Reception & Placement (Resettlement)
· Matching Grant
· Refugee Employment
· Community Interpreter Service
· Immigration Assistance
· English as a Second Language
· Family Support
· Volunteers/Interns
· Financial Literacy and Home Buying
OPERATIONS
Staff: Ten staff members and three Americorps*VISTA members
Budget and Major Funding Sources: Projected FY08: $1,021,000. PRM, ORR, State and County governments, local foundations, individual donors.
