SOUTH BEND – The South Bend Museum of Art is excited to announce the award of a $10,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts in the category:
Arts Engagement in American Communities. The funding is for school and community outreach programming for the period of October 1, 2016 – September 30, 2017. SBMA outreach programming serves an audience which is diverse in every way. School Programs serve school age children, primarily 3rd, 4th and 5th graders; teachers; older adults; and artists. About 4000 students participate annually. Aging in Place provides hands-on art instruction for older adults and adults with disabilities and serves 30 to 50 adults annually. Family Days annually serve 200 to 500 children and adults.
The goals of SBMA's School Programs are to introduce students to museums, develop critical thinking and visual literacy, promote creative expression, and provide educators of any discipline with the tools and confidence to integrate art into their curriculum. Museum Morning, a hands-on experience for 5th graders which is a partnership between SBMA and South Bend Schools, provides students with the opportunity to explore many facets of art: seeing, discussing, and making. The program emphasizes the connection between art and literacy as students create a unique journal for personal use in storytelling, journaling, or drawing. The Perspectives program is a joint program of the SBMA and the Snite Museum of Art, providing 5th grade students at area parochial schools an opportunity to experience art through the eyes of artists. Sculpture Quest, a docent-led tour of the current exhibitions and a related art-making activity, was developed to meet the needs of a school district where art is taught by the classroom teachers rather than specialists. The Docent program is in its 43rd year in collaboration with the Snite Museum. Fifty volunteers receive training at both museums in order to lead tours for the school programs.
Family Days and Aging in place are two of the SBMA's current community programs which occur year-round. Family Days are offered six times a year. SBMA invites families into its classrooms and galleries for an afternoon of fun and free creative activities. Designed as a way for families to explore art together, participants create projects with an emphasis on materials and processes. Aging in Place was started in 2012. This program is an exciting community collaboration with the South Bend Heritage Foundation. The museum provides an important service to residents of Robertson's Apartments, a senior living community, by offering monthly art classes as part of a brain health initiative. Residents are introduced to a variety of art processes and mediums, while actively engaging in art making, conversation, and community.
