Studio in a School is a nationally recognized leader in arts education. It was established in 1997 by Agnes Gund, a philanthropist, arts education advocate and president emerita of the Museum of Modern Art, in New York, NY. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the National Council on the Arts, nominated by President Obama.
This extraordinary non-profit organization reaches the broadest age groups in the most diverse settings. Each year, Studio provides services to almost 30,000 children in NYC in under-served public schools, daycare centers, and community-based organizations. Its individually designed art programs fulfill the needs of these communities, whether they be youth-development or early-childhood goals. The many programs offered by Studio include those for Pre-K through college, including internships for high school and college students.
In the programs children explore their creativity and learn the many joys and benefits of art-making in high quality art workshops conducted by professional artists. What makes Studio unique and rewarding is the classroom teachers participate in the session – often working with the Studio instructor to reinforce academic subjects. This coincides with the knowledge that arts education impacts everything from overall academic achievement to social and emotional development and more. (Read Art Enhances Brain Function)
As Agnes Gund states, “We share the importance of the arts, not only in society but also in building one’s self-esteem. And the kids really grasp that: They’re confident and proud of themselves and share art with the people in their lives.”
In spite of all the evidence to support the importance of arts in education, Gund reminds us we still have work to do in the areas of advocacy and legislation. In her article “Taking The Arts Seriously” on the Huffingtonpost New York blog, she writes, “Policy makers frequently ignore the arts when they develop issue areas; activists ignore them when they seek solutions to social problems; foundations leave them out of their guidelines…”
She encourages art teachers in elementary and secondary schools. “to work hard to make clear the important relationships between what they teach and other school subjects and goals, like math, social studies, and personal growth.”
Studio in a School depends on the generosity of its supporters for its programs that foster creative achievement among the youth. They accept donations to help them continue to offer high quality visual art programs. These programs are necessary so thousands of NYC students may flourish in our ever changing world of technology and Arts Education.
Visit the Studio in a School website: studioinaschool.org
That is fabulous, I have been teaching for the last 2 years at some schools that have taken art seriously and it’s joyous. The children really like painting, and the ones that dont like it as much, well, at least get to try and I usually share more time with those to enlighten them and to give them a bit of an extra drive. I appreciate that some teachers really care about art as much as other subjects. All the kids feel proud at the end of my 3 hours lesson~! Wish I had more time to do this as I paint full time, but each time I do it I feel good spreading some more love about art and colours and knowing that it’s usually a very creative time for those students..And I tell them, there are no losers in this, give it your best creative push.