Greene County Council On The Arts

398 Main Street
Catskill, NY 12414
518.943.3400
gcca@greenarts.org

Twin Counties Partnership for Arts in Education Announces 2007-08 Awards

The Greene County Council on the Arts, in partnership with the Columbia County Council on the Arts and Questar III, is pleased to announce the following Arts in Education grant awards for the 2007-2008 school year through the Twin Counties Partnership for Arts in Education. Awards have been given to schools that applied for matching funds to support creative, curriculum-based partnerships between a teacher and an artist or arts organization working with the same groups of students in three or more sessions. The requests reflect interdisciplinary collaborations between classroom teachers and performance, music, literary, folk arts, crafts and visual artists and provide intensive arts experiences integrated into classroom curricula for pre K – 12 students.

Cairo Elementary School - $1,800 for “Make Music, Promote Literacy.” A core group of 70 students in grades K through 2 worked during February and March with musician/composer Julie Kabat using music and children’s stories to enhance reading comprehension, expand vocabulary and ELA skills, build kenetic and musical intelligence and excite intelligence. Students used musical improvisation and dance movements to express moods and emotions.

Cairo-Durham High School - $765 for “An Introduction to Jewelry and Metalsmithing.” A core group of 36 students in grades 10-12 worked with professional jeweler and metalsmith Gretchen McLaren in April to learn the craft as an art form in partnership with both art and chemistry faculty.
Catskill Elementary School - $1,500 for The Storycrafters. A core group of 150 6th grade students learned storytelling skills with Barry Marshall of The Storycrafters and then presented a prepared and rehearsed story to small groups of children in kindergarten through grade 4.

Catskill Middle School - $1,400 for “Greater Sense of Place: Exploring Identity through Image and Word.” A core group of 15 students in 7th grade created handmade books with artist Dina Bursztyn that incorporated images and text based on self-exploration.

Hawthorne Valley School - $3,000 toward production of “The Servant of Two Masters” and “Marat/Sade.” A core group of 80 students in 11th and 12th grades is working with David Anderson of Walking the Dog Theater to cast, rehearse and produce theatrical productions which will be performed for the school and the public.

Hunter Elementary School - $1,500 for a theater project. A core group of 20 students in grades 1 through 6 is working with Linda Nicholls of Greene Room Players to explore artistic, intellectual, musical, physical and emotional experiences through musical theater. Students are learning aspects of theater production as well.

Windham-Ashland-Jewett School - $908 for advanced bookmaking. A core group of 50 students in grades 9 through 12 worked with Bertha Rogers to create handmade books of writings, drawings, paintings and collage that express the way they see their lives in relationship to the world.

Funding for these Arts in Education programs is determined by a panel of educators, artists and arts-in-education specialists. Successful applicants follow these basics: (1) Schools develop curriculum integrated artist partnerships which address the NYS Learning Standards; (2) Planning and implementation are conducted by school educators working directly with artists or cultural institutions; (3) Projects integrate the arts into other academic disciplines & do not solely address art curriculum; (4) Grants are used to pay artist fees, artist travel expenses and materials; (5) Schools must provide a 50% funding match to request.

Planning for next year’s Arts in Education projects is already underway! Interested schools should contact Kay Stamer at the GCCA, 943-3400, e-mail gcca@greenearts.org. Guidelines and applications may be obtained by contacting Kay at the GCCA, Jan Hanvick at the CCCA 518-671-6213, or Arlene Sampson, Arts Specialist at Questar III at 518-477-8771.

The Twin Counties Arts in Education (AIE) Partnership Grants Program is made possible with public funds from the Local Capacity Building Initiative of the AIE Program of the New York State Council on the Arts. Corporate sponsors include the Bank of Greene County, Hudson River Bank & Trust Foundation, Stewart’s Holiday Match, and the Windham Chapter of the Catskill Mountain Foundation.