ArtQuest’s NC Art Traveling Trunk program was awarded a grant from Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT). Combining with the generous grant from the Junior League of Greensboro, the grant received from Target will allow ArtQuest at Greenhill to develop special Traveling Trunks filled with relevant North Carolina art works that support themes taught in the Common Core curriculum and provide arts to at-risk youth at Cone Elementary School.
Cone Elementary is an at-risk “Low Performing” school with 99% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. As scientific evidence mounts in support of the arts as a successful intervention for at-risk children, standardized testing and other requirements make it increasingly difficult to for schools to infuse the arts into the classroom.
Beginning this Fall, Greenhill will train volunteers from the Junior League of Greensboro to lead the workshops and provide opportunities for arts enrichment. Through the Traveling Trunk program, students will experience the art in a multi-sensory presentation where they can see and touch each work. Every classroom at Cone Elementary will experience the program. On every visit, the facilitator will engage the students in conversation about the art, eliciting descriptive words while reinforcing basic concepts such as color, number, shape, ordering, estimating, and symmetry. Most of the artwork is passed around so that each student will also get a tactile experience of feeling the weight, texture, and surface of the works. Following the art exposure is a time for exploration and self-expression through a project that encourages critical thinking. Activities include experiencing clay, printing, weaving and more while enjoying music relating to each theme. The program will last throughout the entire school year.
Yesterday, August 26, Junior League of Greensboro Volunteers went to Cone Elementary to celebrate the first day of the partnership.
Greenhill has been presenting programs in the schools for 39 years. The 2013 - 14 school year will be the first time this enhanced NC Art Traveling Trunk Workshop will be offered.
“It is an honor to work with the teachers and students of Cone Elementary and we look forward to sharing some treasures from our NC artists while we reinforce school curriculum,” said Mary Young, Director, Education and Community Partnerships at Greenhill.
The grant is part of Target’s ongoing efforts to build strong, safe and healthy communities across the country. These efforts include Target’s long history of giving 5 percent of its profit to communities, which today equals more than $4 million every week. As part of this commitment, Target is on track to give $1 billion for education by the end of 2015 to help kids learn, schools teach and parents and caring adults engage.
About ArtQuest at Greenhill
Greenhill promotes the visual arts of North Carolina by engaging a broad community of artists and children through dynamic exhibitions and educational programs while providing a platform for exploration and investment in art. ArtQuest, a program of Greenhill, is an inspiring hands-on studio designed by North Carolina artists where creativity is nurtured through the open exploration of art and art materials. For more information, visit www.greenhillNC.org.
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