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For the
second year in a row the Kodiak Island Borough School District has received
funds specifically to help boost art activities throughout the district. The
Art in Schools Grant totals $13,000 and will help bring artists into schools as
part of the artist in residence program. Superintendent Stewart McDonald said
it's an affordable way to encourage high quality visual arts education.
-- (Art in Schools 1 : 33 "There
are several artists that will be identified for the school year, that each on
of them have some sort of specialty. And because it's a part of our curriculum
because it's a part of state standards and the visual arts are important to
teach our children but our budget doesn't have the kind of funds to hire full
time visual artists for our programs, this $13,000 will create stipends for
these individual artists to come in and run projects in our schools throughout
the year.")
McDonald
said unlike the high school, art classes aren't readily offered to elementary
students.
-- (Art in Schools 2 : 21 "And
so for a very small dollar amount we're able to bring visual arts and a very
high quality to all of our students. At the high school a student can actually
take an art class, but at the elementary school they really don't get rich
quality art instruction unless someone like this comes in and makes it a part
of their year.")
The $13,000
will go toward paying artists that come teach, but McDonald said each school
has funding worked into their budget that will pay for art supplies. He said
the grant is unique in that it will be used for all schools in the district;
where as in the past individual schools or classrooms have obtained grant money
for artist in residence projects.
McDonald
said the projects can involve artists from the local community, or bring in off
island expertise.
-- (Art in Schools 3 : 24 "The
idea is to have an accomplished artist that would come and do a residency in a
school. So I think it's bringing people together that have strong talent and we
have lots of people local that fit that description. But the idea is to bring
in artists. I'd love to have our local folks, but when people come in from off
island as well we're looking for what skills do they have and what are they
going to teach.")
Last year
the funding allowed various schools to collaborate on the marine debris octopus
sculpture that can be found downtown. McDonald said he's unsure what projects
will come out of this year's money, but hopes it will involve the whole
district, including secondary schools and those in rural communities.
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