Press Release: Application Available for the 2021 – 2022 AIE Grant Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Samantha Clarke
AIE Manager
609.984.7019
[email protected]

Application Available for the 2021 – 2022 Artists in Education Residency Grant Program from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA

Grants provide a 20-day artist in residence for schools throughout New Jersey

Trenton, NJ. October 1, 2020: As of October 1, the Artists in Education Residency Grant Program (AIE) is pleased to announce that the application for the 2021 – 2022 school year is now available.

Students at US Wiggins College Preparatory Lab Family School rehearse their step routine with teaching artist Maxine Lyle.

Students at US Wiggins College Preparatory Lab Family School rehearse their step routine with teaching artist Maxine Lyle. Photography by Driven by Design Creative Agency LLC.

The Artists in Education Residency Grant Program is a co-sponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA. The program is carried out in partnership with regional partners, including Appel Farm Arts & Music Campus, Count Basie Center for the Arts, and Morris Arts.

AIE grants (in value of $11,000) place professional teaching artists in classrooms for long-term residencies that can be offered in all arts disciplines and at all grade levels. AIE grants are available to any New Jersey school, PreK – 12th grade. The twenty-day residency provides professional development in the visual, performing, and literary arts; in-school workshop days with a professional teaching artist; and a community-based culminating event. AIE residencies focus on direct learning about the arts and the processes of creating art, including the skills, techniques, and concepts of the art form.

“AIE residency programs build a sense of community and connection and ignite the creativity in students,” says Michele Russo, President and CEO of Young Audiences. “The engagement and energy that AIE residency artists bring to school environments are so needed right now. We are proud to partner with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts on this important project.”

As the nature of the school day shifts in response to COVID-19, AIE is prepared to support applicants for the 2021 – 2022 school year in both virtual and in-person residencies. AIE will work flexibly with your school during the application process and beyond to ensure the health, safety, and comfort of all involved.

AIE has had a profound effect on students throughout New Jersey. “I learned that it’s okay to be yourself,” says Evie, a 5th grader at Farmingdale Public School. “I discovered that if I give my all and try my hardest, I can do a good job.”

Kirsty Sucato, an English Language Arts teacher at Bradley Beach Elementary School, writes that the AIE residency raises the “school’s profile in the community and help(s) earn us the reputation of being a place where interesting and dynamic things are happening, where we foster a culture of the arts. This generates a lot of pride for staff and students. Graduated students often return and talk about their emotional connection and engagement with the school and the arts within the context of past grants.”

Schools requiring assistance in the grant writing process can join the AIE team through virtual grant assistance workshops and virtual office hours with AIE staff. Details about grant assistance and how to sign up are available on the AIE website, under Grant Application Assistance.

Schools that wish to receive feedback on their application should submit a strong, completed first draft to the AIE Manager Samantha Clarke via the online grant application portal. Applications received by February 5, 2021 will be reviewed by the AIE Team and the school will have the opportunity to update their application prior to the final deadline on March 5, 2021. Schools that are interested in applying can go to AIE’s website www.njaie.org to learn more about the grant program, access the application, and connect with resources to assist with the application process.

To keep up to date on AIE, follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@NJArtistsinEd).

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About the New Jersey State Council on the Arts

The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council receives direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey through a dedicated, renewable Hotel/Motel Occupancy fee, as well as competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.

About Young Audiences Arts for Learning New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania

Founded in 1973, Young Audiences Arts for Learning NJ & Eastern PA is the premier arts-in-education resource in the region, providing high-quality performances and artist-in-residence programs to schools in all 21 counties of New Jersey and the 7 easternmost counties of Pennsylvania. Young Audiences’ extensive professional artist roster represents all art forms—from dance and theater to music, language and visual arts. Since its founding, the organization has reached over 15 million children with essential arts education experiences.

A not-for-profit organization, Young Audiences’ mission is to inspire young people and expand their learning through the arts. YA’s programs are accessible to all socio-economic, ethnic, cultural, and geographic communities, and are designed to strengthen the arts in schools, meet local and state curriculum standards, involve families in arts activities, and enrich cultural life in New Jersey and Pennsylvania communities.

Young Audiences is the first arts education organization designated as a major service organization by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and, as part of the national network of Young Audiences, Inc., was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Clinton. Young Audiences programs are made possible in part through a grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State and Pennsylvania Council of the Arts. Additional funding comes from foundations, corporations and generous individuals. To learn more, visit www.yanjep.org.