The College of Fine Arts received a $26,500 grant this semester to teach art to elementary school children.
The money is from Art Works for Kids, an organization that gives money to universities to promote art education.
“Sharing the art forms with the community in original ways benefits everyone-especially elementary students,” said David Dynake, a theater professor and associate dean of the college.
The college received $17,500 for a project called Art Bridge. The Utah Museum of Fine Arts received $4,000 for the Art in a Box project and the Children’s Dance Theater received $5,000. The money will be used for scholarships, workshops for teachers and art supplies for elementary school students.
For the Art Bridge project, three graduate or undergraduate students from the college, chosen for their talent, will work at Cottonwood Heights Elementary School to develop different genres of art.
The grant is used in part for scholarships of $1,250 per semester if the students involved commit 30 to 40 hours a week of contact time with the students at the elementary school.
Art in a Box is an outreach program where the participants have an opportunity to use materials they usually don’t use with elementary students.
The money received from the grant is also being used to supply additional art boxes to 14 schools chosen by Art Works for Kids.
“Our hope is that Art Works for Kids can help us create long-term relationships with these schools so that we can develop meaningful relationships with administrators and teachers to tailor our programs to meet their and the students needs,” said Megan Hallett, associate curator at the Utah Museum of Fine Art. The Children’s Dance Theater supports a two-week summer workshop for teachers to integrate dance and visual arts into other areas of the curriculum.
The workshop is a comprehensive approach to learn about the discipline of dance.
“You learn how to use dance as a language, it is a small bend in a big pool. Everyone is working together to fund arts in school, it is very peripheral,” said Mary Ann Lee, assistant professor of dance.
The College of Fine Arts and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts were invited to apply for the grant because “they have a proven track record of delivering high quality arts education, innovative strategies for success and continuous strong leadership,” said Elaine Harding, the executive director of Art Works for Kids.
Harding said she would like to see “art education in all elementary schools and make sure all stake holders know how vital it is to the future and to success of young students.”