FRANKFORT, Ky. — The Kentucky Arts Council has awarded $11,340 in Teacher Initiated Program grants to support 21 weeks of short-term artist residencies during the fall of 2012. These grants give professional artists an opportunity to demonstrate their art forms and provide students and teachers hands-on experiences in making art. Artists also collaborate with teachers to design innovative programs that incorporate art across the curriculum after the residency is completed.

Residencies vary widely, depending on the teacher’s goals and the artist or artists hired for the residency. This group of residencies includes explorations of cultural traditions, relationships between art and business, media arts, storytelling and theater.

"The Kentucky Arts Council strongly supports arts in education," says Lori Meadows, executive director of the Kentucky Arts Council. "The Teacher Initiated Program has enhanced the learning experience for students in schools across the Commonwealth for many years. We are fortunate to be able to continue this valuable arts education program."

The grant amounts are based on the length of the residencies, which can be for one to four weeks. The grant awards are $540, $1,080, $1,620 and $2,160, respectively. The schools select artists from the Kentucky Arts Council's Teaching Artists Directory, which is available at http://bit.ly/teachingartists.

The next application deadline is Oct. 15, 2012, for residencies occurring in the spring of 2013. For more information about the Teacher Initiated Program, contact Rachel Allen at rachel.allen@ky.gov or 502-564-3757, ext. 486.

The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, creates opportunities for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Grant recipients, teachers and artists are listed below by county.

Butler County
North Butler Elementary School
Project: Connecting Literature and the Arts
Teacher: Kassie Decker
Artist: Jesse Sims
Award: $1,620

Clay County
Clay County Middle School
Project: Appalachian arts and crafts as business
Teacher: Marsha Garrison
Artists: Dianne Simpson and Judy Sizemore
Award: $1,080

Estill County
Estill Springs Elementary
Project: West African Folktales in Motion
Teacher: Jessica Mullins
Artists: Yolantha Harrison-Pace and Judy Sizemore
Award: $1,080

West Irvine Elementary
Project: Songs and Stories
Teacher: Teresa Miller
Artists: Mitch Barrett and Judy Sizemore
Award: $1,080

Hart County
Memorial Elementary
Project: Discovering Drama: Looking at Ourselves Through Theater
Teacher: Sarah Vetter
Artist: Kathi E.B. Ellis
Award: $1,080

Memorial Elementary
Project: West African Rhythm Movement and Sound
Teacher: Timothy Butler
Artist: Yolantha Harrison-Pace
Award: $540

Johnson County
Our Lady of the Mountains School
Project: Travels with Jack: Jack Tales in Different Cultural Contexts
Teacher: Christy Terry
Artist: Octavia Sexton
Award: $540

Kenton County
Tichenor Middle School
Project: Fiber Arts
Teacher: Scott Fairchild
Artist: Pat Sturtzel
Award: $2,160

Lincoln County
Crab Orchard Elementary School
Project: Exploring Scarcity and Socioeconomic Choices Through Role Drama
Teacher: Ellen Owens
Artist: Susan Pope
Award: $540

Pulaski County
Northern Middle School
Project: Stop Animation "The Northern Way To Be"
Teacher: Meredith Braun
Artist: Ruben Moreno
Award: $1,620

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