A total of 17 Oregon arts organizations have received $10,000 awards totaling $170,000 in FY2019 Oregon Arts Commission Arts Learning grants to support projects across the state.
“We are delighted by the creativity and collaboration behind this year’s applications, and are confident that the education of students around the state will be enriched as a result,” said Arts Commission Chair Christopher Acebo, who chaired the review panel. “The variety of grant projects demonstrates the capacity in which art can help students learn.”
Arts Learning grants are designed to: support high-quality projects that provide a responsive opportunity for learning in and through the arts to benefit K-12 students; foster exchange of knowledge between artists and educators; and impact the achievement, skills and/or attitudes of learners.
Grant applications are evaluated based on project quality and responsiveness, project support and project impact.
Note: Although grant recipients are listed with their organizations’ base location, the population they reach may be outside of their immediate community -- often in rural and underserved parts of the state.
Organizations receiving FY2019 Arts Learning grants, and their project descriptions, are:
Architectural Foundation of Oregon, Portland
To support Architects in Schools - a curriculum-based, six-week architecture design residency program for 3rd-5th grade Oregon classrooms.
Arts Council of Pendleton, Pendleton
To support one year's delivery of arts instruction for 800 to 900 K-12 students and teachers in the Arts Center and in Eastern Oregon schools.
Caldera, Portland
To support Geography of We: Planting the Seeds of Creativity which will provide 300-400 youth with year-round arts instruction and creative mentoring.
Fishtrap Inc, Joseph
To support and enhance Fishtrap’s youth programs, which offer a continuum of writing instruction for students across Eastern Oregon.
Lane Arts Council, Eugene
To support the launch of residencies that merge arts and academics (Arts Integrated Residencies) at five Lane County schools, serving 400 students.
Open Signal, Portland
To support Echo AiR, an interdisciplinary media arts and performance program for incarcerated youth to become the authors of their own narratives.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival Association, Ashland
To support a year of Oregon Shakespeare Festival School Visit Partnerships for 23 Oregon schools – a multi-year program of residencies, arts instruction and professional development.
Portland Art Museum, Portland
To support the expansion of K-12 student programs, focused outreach and school tours for nearly 20,000 students in the Greater Portland region.
Portland Center Stage, Portland
To support 26-30 hours of workshops for secondary schools in the Portland metro area and a 21-hour playwriting residency at Rosemary Anderson High School.
Portland Opera Association, Portland
To support a statewide arts education program reaching 15,000 K-12 students through live opera performances, in-class workshops and a teachers’ guide.
Regional Arts and Culture Council, Portland
To support whole school arts integration at two Reynolds School District elementary schools serving 945 students and 36 educators.
Ross Ragland Theatre, Klamath Falls
To support at least 1,920 hours of performing arts instruction in eight Klamath County elementary schools to support district learning initiatives.
Stories Alive, Ashland
To support the expansion of the Story Machine program to six elementary schools in the 2018-2019 school year.
The Circus Project, Portland
To support 65 hours of circus arts instruction with 20-40 middle school students through a year-long partnership with Self Enhancement Inc.
The High Desert Museum, Bend
To support Kids Curate, an arts learning program that provides inspiring interdisciplinary educational experiences to underrepresented students.
Young Audiences of Oregon Inc, Portland
To support delivery of an arts-integrated literacy program to a low-income population of approximately 360 students at four Washington County schools.
Youth Music Project, West Linn
To support music education for youth in Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington Counties.
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The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the Governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of Business Oregon (formerly Oregon Economic and Community Development Department) in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development.
The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. More information about the Oregon Arts Commission is available online at: www.oregonartscommission.org.