The Kentucky Arts Council has awarded $21,600 in Teacher Initiated Program grants for short-term artist residencies scheduled to take place in the fall of 2011. These grants give professional artists an opportunity to demonstrate their art forms and provide students and teachers repeated hands-on experiences in the making of art. Artists also collaborate with teachers to design and implement innovative programs that provide the tools to continue incorporating art across the curriculum after the residency is completed.

Residencies vary widely, depending on the planning of the teacher and the artist or artists hired for the residency. This group of residencies includes mural projects, explorations of cultural traditions, creative writing and bookmaking.

“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. Altogether, 40 weeks of residencies have been funded through this semi-annual round of Teacher Initiated Program grants. The schools select artists from the Kentucky Arts Council’s Arts Education Roster, which is available at http://artistdirectory.ky.gov/aer.

The next application deadline is Oct. 15, 2011, for residencies occurring in the spring of 2012. For more information about the Teacher Initiated Program, contact Chris Cathers at 502-564-3757, ext. 488, or christopher.cathers@ky.gov.

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.

Grants Awarded:

• Butler County – North Butler Elementary School – Project: Connecting Literature and Art – Teacher: Kassie Decker – Artist: Jessie Ray Sims  – $1,080
• Clay County – Clay County Middle School  – Project: Rhythms of Appalachia – Teacher: Marsha Garrison – Artists: Darla Jackson and Mitch Barrett – $1,080
• Clay County Middle School – Project: Weaving a Story – Teacher: Marsha Garrison – Artists: Dianne Simpson and Judy Sizemore – $1,620
• Estill County – Estill County Schools – Project: Songs and Poems – Contact: Cindy Hensley – Artists: Mitch Barrett and Judy Sizemore – $1,080
• Estill County Schools – Project: Music and Storytelling – Contact: Cindy Hensley – Artists: Jennifer Rose and Octavia Sexton – $1,080
• Estill Springs Elementary School – Project: Exploring Inner Landscapes – Contact: Jessica Mullins – Artists: Alfredo Escobar and Judy Sizemore – $1,080
• South Irvine P-K Center  – Project: The Cherokee Bear – Teacher: Katie Parker – Artists: Darla Jackson and Judy Sizemore – $1,080
• Hart County – Munfordville Elementary School – Project: The Battle for the Bridge – Teacher: Jennifer Sims – Artists: Kathi Ellis and Jesse Ray Sims – $2,160
• Munfordville Elementary School  – Project: The Arts through our Eyes – Teacher: Jennifer Sims – Artist: Jesse Ray Sims – $2,160
• Jefferson County – Hawthorne Elementary School  – Project: Let’s Dance Latin! – Teacher: Lorraine Cross – Artist: Angela Bartley – $2,160
• Peace Academy – Project: Peace Dulcimer Project – Teacher: Jana Glass – Artist: Jim McGee – $1,080
• Johnson County – Our Lady of the Mountains School – Project: From Africa to Appalachia: Textile Traditions – Contact: Miriam Silman – Artist: Patricia Sturtzel – $540
• Knox County – Dewitt Elementary School  – Project: Mountain people: arts, crafts, a way of life – Teacher: Teresa Carnes – Artists: Mitch Barrett, Darla Jackson, Judy Sizemore and Dianne Simpson – $2,160
• Laurel County – East Bernstadt School – Project: Culture through Arts – Teacher: Bonnie Johnson – Artists: Yolantha Harrison-Pace, Darla Jackson and Judy Sizemore – $2,160
• Madison County – Model Lab School – Project: Native American Cultural Arts – Teacher: Denise Discepoli – Artists: Darla Jackson and Susan Mullins – $1,080