Arts and cultural programs as far ranging as those enabling children to explore the creative process thru theme related art making, to after school music and visual art activities, to programs to prepare students for their first opera experience were all recipients of Creative Pinellasäó» Impact Returns grants program, the organization announced today. Ten Pinellas County Arts and Cultural Organizations were awarded grants to support quality arts education programs tailored for the general public and special populations in need for youth ages up to 18 years of age.
äóìCreative Pinellas is thrilled to provide youth arts education grants to Pinellas County organizations.äó said Elizabeth Brincklow, Engagement Director for Creative Pinellas, who designed and implements the grants program. äóìTo fund quality, creativity and programmatic excellence in youth arts education programs is absolutely outstanding for the benefits provided to youth in our County.æ We know that for example from the 2016 NEA National Arts Index which reports that, äóÖStudents with an education rich in the arts have higher GPAs and standardized test scores and lower drop-out rates.äó»æ And because the benefits of arts education are reaped by students regardless of socio-economic status.äó Brincklow added. äóìCreative Pinellas is proud to cultivate arts education for our young people.äó
The ten organizational grant recipients included Arts Center Association (the Morean,) for specially designed art classes for ages four-five; St. Petersburg Opera, Inc., for classroom workshops in preparation of their attendance to äóìPinocchio the Operaäó for third graders; American Stage Theatre, to increase the impact of their Teaching Artist Programs; Creative Clay, for their Art Around the World inclusionary summer camp; Dunedin Fine Art Center, for summer arts enrichment programs; Museum of Fine Arts, for artist led instruction with students at Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch; Great Explorations Childrenäó»s Museum, to encourage community arts interaction and integration in STEM programming; In Touch With Communities Around the World, for after school programming; The Salvador Dali Museum, for providing summer workshops to enable children to explore the creative process by making art related to Dalí_; and The Florida Orchestra, to provide hands-on music education opportunities for children in pre-K through second grade including an Instrument Petting Zoo.
The purpose of the Impact Returns Organizational Grants is twofold, to provide funds for programs that will offer young people in the County the opportunity to participate in arts education activities that provide positive live arts experiences through quality arts instruction, and to support the operating infrastructure of organizations whose missions include arts education programming.
Detailed descriptions of the arts and cultural organizations that received grants will be available here at the Creative Pinellas website. Additionally, the Impact Returns grantees will be making regular blogposts on the website ImpactReturns.orgædescribing their progress and activities throughout the granting period which ends December 1, 2017.
