Announcing The Nina Simone Foundation
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(*New York, New York*) The Nina Simone Foundation, a non-profit organization established by, Lisa Simone Kelly, for the preservation and celebration of the music, socio-political contributions and overall legacy of the late Dr. Nina Simone, and Corporate Performance Artists, leading provider of Web Art and Technology, announce the launch of The Nina Simone Foundation website located at http://www.theninasimonefoundation.org.
The Nina Simone Foundation is about to open The Nina Simone Cultural Village in Jukwa, Ghana, near Cape Coast. It is to be officially inducted on April 21st, 2004. The Cultural Village is the result of an award to The Nina Simone Foundation by the Ghanaian Council in honor of the outstanding artistic contributions, support and human interest Nina Simone has demonstrated towards the region over the decades. As a result, the now international organization needed a new web site and online management system to coordinate its activities worldwide.
Corporate Performance Artists said it sought to bring a richness and textured style to the design of the website, to best represent the legacy of Dr. Simone and not to make it a historical monument, but a living facility to help promote the mission of the new foundation.
”We tried to address the immediate needs of the community, with a newsletter and calendar integrated into the site. These were implemented using all Open Source technology, which is not only affordable and reliable, but represents the freedom that Dr Simone spent much of her life promoting,” said Donna McElroy, CEO of Corporate Performance Artists.
“By integrating back-end Open Source technology to provide content management, The Nina Simone Foundation will be able to keep information current and fresh without any knowledge of programming, thereby serving their constituents in a more efficient fashion” said Joseph McElroy, President of Corporate Performance Artists. “We look forward to meeting the technical needs of both the physical and virtual communities growing up around The Nina Simone Foundation.”
"The launch of The Nina Simone Foundation has been a first important step in codifying my mother's memory," states Simone. "With an online presence, the Foundation will be able to reach fans of my mother's music from all over the world, and also provide the convenience of being able to make donations online. The website's design and lay-out provide a
comprehensive survey of who my mother was and also offers simple navigation."
*About The Nina Simone Foundation*
Nina Simone is a legendary artist-- one of the most important voices of her time-- whose artistic, civic and civil rights contributions have set a standard for musicians the world over. The Nina Simone Foundation will assist in developing music, written and media materials that help codify the memory of the late Dr. Nina Simone amongst future generations so that her contributions do not go unnoticed.
NSF will also champion the causes that meant the most to Nina, one of which is the education of impoverished children, particularly African children. Nina recognized that children represent the future of any society, and therefore, their education is key for them to successfully contribute to and address the needs of their society. Nina Simone believed that access to adequate education and cross-cultural learning were the most important means for African children and children of
African descent to become productive members of their society.
The establishment of The Nina Simone Foundation will serve to commemorate the legacy and advance the causes of the late Dr. Nina Simone, so that others can see how one woman’s courageous fight and vanguard life can make an impact that will continue long after her death.
Information about The Nina Simone Foundation can be found at the website http://www.theninasimonefoundation.org or by calling C. Zwadi Morris at 212-244-4280
*About Corporate Performance Artists*
Corporate Performance Artists Corp is both a performance practice and a business/technology practice. In the past, it was rare that art knowledge was shared other than in a museum space or theater. Corporate Performance Artists bring this creative knowledge to the work environment through shared technical and cultural exchanges with businesses (and employees of the businesses) and community organizations for which it consults and produces.
Corporate Performance Artists services include web site development, creative technology such as data visioning, technical installation and support of computer systems, and wireless servers. Corporate Performance Artists works closely with Community Development Corporations to develop technology centers that provide education and outreach to small businesses and teens, in the hopes of stimulating economic growth. Corporate Performance Artists intentions are to propagate the wealth created through the creative and business process, both financially and spiritually, to everyone involved.
Information about Corporate Performance Artists can be found at its website http://www.corporatepa.com or by calling Joseph McElroy at 646-279-2309
