Thursday, August 04, 2011

The Office of Cultural Arts at the University of North Carolina Wilmington has been awarded $14,500 in grants from the North Carolina Arts Council. The funding includes an Artist Residency Grant of $5,500 to support an in-school residency, as well as a cARTwheels II Grant of $9,000 to support community and school performances.

The Artist Residency Grant creates an in-school artist residency Nov. 14-18, 2011 at Snipes Academy of Art and Design, featuring Kennedy Center teaching artist and award-winning puppeteer Hobey Ford. The funding will provide workshops for students, professional development for teachers and free school performances for New Hanover County's second and third graders. Part of the arts integration ARTworks initiative, the grant supports use of the arts to inform, enliven and strengthen comprehension of the core curriculum.

"The arts, in their own right, play a powerful role in the educational and social development of young children," said Courtney Reilly, assistant director of cultural arts. "They also can be used as a tool for engaging students in learning about math, science and language arts."

The residency at Snipes Elementary will focus on language arts curriculum goals, including storytelling and reading comprehension.

"We are thrilled to be afforded this opportunity," stated Principal Laura Jennings. "Our students and staff will be exposed to a unique approach to stimulating student interest and building connections to core content instruction."

The cARTwheels II Grant will fund school and community performances of The Parchman Hour, Mike Wiley's riveting new production about the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights movement. In addition to two middle and high school performances, Cultural Arts, will partner with the UNCW Upperman African American Cultural Center and Africana Studies to present a free community performance on April 13, 2012.

"We are so appreciative to the Arts Council for their continued support of our educational programming," stated Norman Bemelmans, director of Cultural Arts. "That support makes possible a dynamic, effective and productive relationship between UNCW and our community's public schools."

Media contact:
Courtney Reilly, Office of Cultural Arts, 910.962.2082 or reillyce@uncw.edu

About the UNCW Office of Cultural Arts

In addition to managing UNCW's 1,000-seat Kenan Auditorium, the Office of Cultural Arts works closely with offices and departments throughout campus to engage and involve students and the community in a wide variety of cultural activities. The office has forged strategic and meaningful partnerships with New Hanover County Schools, the N.C. Arts Council, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Lincoln Center.

For more information, visit www.uncw.edu/arts.