Chevrolet Presents Essence With Special SSR
02 Juli 2004 - 7:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
Chevrolet Presents Essence With Special SSR NEW ORLEANS, July 2
/PRNewswire/ -- Chevrolet blew the lid off the Essence Music
Festival (EMF) by presenting the Essence Music Festival team with a
custom SSR today. The vehicle, boasting original artwork by
Margaret Slade Kelley, will be auctioned off at a later date, and
proceeds will benefit the New Orleans Center for Creative
Arts|Riverfront (NOCCA|Riverfront). Essence urges people to visit
http://www.essencemusicfestival.com/ after the music festival is
over for details on the auction. "We wanted to do something really
special to commemorate the Festival's 10th anniversary," said Nate
Love, Chevrolet marketing manager. "The number 10 is very important
to both EMF and Chevy. As the festival celebrates its 10th
anniversary, Chevy is in the midst of bringing 10 new products to
the market in 20 months. We think the number '10' is a great thing
to have in common!" NOCCA|Riverfront is Louisiana's arts
conservatory for high school students. Essence selected
NOCCA|Riverfront as beneficiary for the SSR donation because the
school so closely resembles what the EMF is all about. "Essence
shares Chevrolet's commitment to community. We wanted this gracious
gift to benefit an organization working with our youth," said
Edward Lewis, publisher and chief executive officer of Essence
Communications Partners. "We believe that the phenomenal work
NOCCA|Riverfront has accomplished with young people over the years
perfectly reflects the dedication that is important to us and the
future of America." The SSR's hood is the canvas for "Creole Lady"
- an image that brings together the Essence Music Festival and the
African American experience. Chevy commissioned the work from
Kelley who is known for combining social, expressive and personal
images in her work. In 1995, Kelley created three pieces of artwork
that served as the backdrop for the Essence Magazine 25th
Anniversary Awards telecast. "Creole Lady" is a mosaic of oranges,
reds, blues and greens and is placed in the historic French Quarter
of New Orleans. "The woman in the painting represents all that is
Essence - she has beauty, strength and ability," said Kelley. "She
is surrounded by men who are adorned with masks in honor of their
ancestors and heritage. The steps empower the rising up of a people
who are inspired to reach new heights. The background combines a
traditional New Orleans balcony while the pattern in the stage
drapery flows to the rhythm of music." Chevrolet has been an
Essence Music Festival sponsor for the past five years. Chevy's
strong ties to the festival reflect its dedication to community and
philanthropy, Love said. "Chevrolet is involved in a variety of
community, youth and scholarship programs and has worked with great
partners like Essence as part of our commitment to give back to our
loyal and valued customers. We are very excited Essence has
selected NOCCA|Riverfront as the ultimate beneficiary of our gift,"
Love said. Now in its 30th year, NOCCA|Riverfront provides
intensive training in dance, media arts, music (jazz, classical,
vocal), theatre, (acting, theatre design, musical theatre), visual
arts and creative writing to public, private and parochial school
students from across Louisiana. The school boasts many prominent
alumni, including Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Terence Blanchard,
Harry Connick, Jr., Nicholas Payton and Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet.
Chevrolet is one of America's most well-known and successful
automotive brands. With the largest dealer network in the United
States, Chevy is the leader in full-size trucks and the leader in
sales of vehicles priced $35,000 and above. In addition, Chevrolet
delivers more-than-expected value in every vehicle category,
offering cars and trucks priced from $9,995 to $52,000. Offering
dynamic yet timeless designs, Chevy owners demand great looks that
don't go out of style, high performance per dollar, and features
expected in more expensive vehicles. Chevrolet's global
headquarters is at the GM Renaissance Center in Detroit. For more
information, go to http://www.chevy.com/ . DATASOURCE: Chevrolet
CONTACT: Carolyn Normandin of Chevrolet Communications,
+1-313-667-4079, E-mail: ; Anthony Neely of GM Communications,
+1-313-665-9536, Email: ; Rhonda Evans of Essence Communications,
+1-212-642-0676, Email: ; or Richard Read of The NOCCA Institute,
+1-504-940-2808, Email: Web site: http://media.gm.com/
http://www.gm.com/ http://www.chevy.com/
http://www.essencemusicfestival.com/
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