The Greene County Council on the Arts, in partnership with the Columbia County Council on the Arts and Questar III, is pleased to announce a total of $18,000 in Arts in Education grant awards through the Twin Counties Partnership for Arts in Education.  Awards went to 10 schools that applied for funds to support creative, curriculum-based residencies for the 2006-2007 school year.  The requests reflect interdisciplinary collaborations between classroom teachers and performance, literary, media, folk arts, dance, crafts and visual artists, and provide intensive arts experiences integrated into classroom curricula for over 2,000 pre K – 12 students.

In Columbia County recipients include Germantown Elementary and Dotti Griffin’s 2nd grade students who will embark on a journey of experience and imagination in March with author Jacqueline Sweeney as they explore the creation of original poetry and prose. Mountain Road School for their community service Ceramic Bowl Project which took place in late October through mid November with artist Mary Anne Davis involving grades pre-K through 5. Hawthorne Valley School whose 8th grade students will work with David Anderson in an exciting educational experience and production of “The Scarlet Pimpernell” scheduled to take place between March and May 2007. Taconic Hills High School, for work during the Fall Festival of Shakespeare with the versatile theater group, Shakespeare & Company of Lenox, Mass. Taconic Hills Middle School with teacher Donna Rich and 8th grade students for their project entitled “Holocaust Survivors” with author Sonia Pilcer which will take place in April.
In Greene County recipients include the Catskill Central School District and Coxsackie-Athens High School. Catskill Elementary School has used their AIE award to coordinate a Storytelling Apprenticeship program this past December for teacher Lennie Collin’s 6th graders with nationally renowned teaching artists, Barry Marshall and Jeri Burns of the Storycrafters. A new program for Catskill Elementary School, ongoing through May, involves the 5th grade students in the history, legends, lore and sounds of the Didgeridoo with musician, Rob Hervey. And from March 13 through the 15th at the Catskill Elementary School, the Homespun Community Dance group out of Albany will work with Mary Ann Perks’ students in grades K-6 in a program of traditional dance and music culminating in a community wide arts event.

Meanwhile, throughout the spring semester, Catskill High School students will be involved in film and video productions with media artists in an Indie Lab. International Dance with Krisna Dodig will be part of the physical education class coordinated by teacher Stacy Collier throughout the district and will involve the study of art, music, social studies and English language arts. At the Catskill Middle School, art teacher Carli Gazoorian has selected 7th grade students to work with artist, educator and Jefferson Award recipient, Barry Hopkins, to explore their “Inward Journey” through classroom and outdoor classroom experience.
Beginning in March and ending in May, Coxsackie-Athens High School students will work with artist and poet, Dina Bursztyn, in a project entitled “Book Art and the Poetic Dream”. Coordinated by Art Department Chair, Mary Finneran, this project will culminate in a public presentation of the students’ work in early May.

Funding for these Arts in Education programs is determined by a panel of educators, artists and arts-in-education specialists. Our thanks to this year’s panelists Dick Brooks, Jan Hanvik, Andrea Lambertson, Ruth Leonard, Jean O’Neill, Carline Murphy, and Arlene Sampson. 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.

The deadline for applications for this school year’s programs has passed.  But, it’s never too late to start planning for next year! Interested schools should contact Kay Stamer at the GCCA, 943-3400, email 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, Trustco Bank, and the Windham Chapter of the Catskill Mountain Foundation.

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