With a grant from the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation, the Arkansas Arts Council is offering Arkansas schools an opportunity to participate in artist residency programs. This program provides funding to allow professional artists on the Arts in Education Artist Roster to present one to five-day curriculum-based mini-residencies in the classroom. Applicants (regular classroom teachers and arts specialists) may receive a maximum of $1,000 using established Arts in Education program rates for artist fees, travel, meals, lodging (if necessary) and supplies. There is no cash match required.
Schools that incorporate arts such as music, visual art, drama, dance or creative writing into the basic curriculum have found that they may have a significant effect on overall student success. Because the arts are closely associated with important ideas and events in history, students who have a background in the arts are likely to have a richer source of information and insight to draw upon, compared to those who do not. Math and reading scores increase, truancy decreases and overall morale improves whenever the impact of arts education programming has been measured in national studies.
The mini-residency program will ensure that K-12 teachers in all public schools in Arkansas have an opportunity to apply for the residencies. This grant program will be especially targeted to those teachers and schools in rural and underserved communities who have not had access to one of the current Arts Council's Arts in Education programs.
Applications are now being accepted for residencies occurring between January and May of 2001. Applications are available by contacting Cynthia Haas, Arts in Education program manager at 501-324-9769 or cynthia@dah.state.ar.us. Deadline for receipt of applications is Friday, December 15, 2000, at 4:30 pm.