Invitation to ArtsSmarts Program 2011-2012
For the seventh year, Prince Edward Island schools will be able to participate in ArtsSmarts. This program will enable groups of students and their teachers to work closely with artists in the classroom. A selection committee will select the projects that will be funded.
Mission of ArtsSmarts:
The mission of ArtsSmarts is to offer schools and their communities the chance to emphasize educational activities related to the arts. The program aims at encouraging students to develop their intellectual skills by participating in arts activities. It is hoped as well that the program will engage Canadians in artistic activities with a view to developing supporters and practitioners of the arts and to nurturing creative thinkers.
Objectives of ArtsSmarts:
- To build long-term local partnerships that link young people, artists or arts organizations, schools, and the broader community.
- To enable schools or community organizations to explore ways of integrating arts activities into non-arts subject areas aligned with provincial curricula.
- To provide opportunities for young people to actively participate in the arts.
- To enhance appreciation of the importance of culture and the arts.
Certain Principles of ArtsSmarts:
The projects awaken the creativity of all students, not only the most talented or gifted.
The projects make use of a wide range of art forms and learning styles. For more information, visit the ArtsSmarts Web sites: www.artssmarts.ca or www.artssmartspei.ca. The artist and the teacher must work together closely during the planning and execution stages so that the project being carried out targets learning outcomes related to academic subjects through the arts.
Who May Submit Projects?
- A member of the teaching staff for his or her class group.
- A group of teachers who are working on a common theme or concept at the same time of the year.
- A school for a project involving several classes or all the classes at the school.
- An artist who has taken the initiative of developing a project with one or more teachers.
Schedule
Project Intention Forms must be sent to the attention of Vicky Allen Cook no later than, Friday October 28, 2011. Project Description Forms must be sent to the attention of Vicky Allen Cook no later than Monday November 21, 2011. No applications will be accepted after that date
The selected projects will be announced before the end of December. An orientation session with the teachers and the artist selected will be organized early in the new year. During the project execution stage, an evaluation of each project will be done by the teacher and the artist. The provincial co-ordinator will visit the schools in order to document the ArtsSmarts program.
A report providing details about the budget that was spent and the project that was carried out must be submitted after the execution phase. All documentation relating to the project must be presented as well (e.g., newspaper articles about the project, course outline, photos of the students at work). This must be done while the project is being carried out as well as upon its completion, through either a celebration or an exhibition. An attempt must be made to engage the community in this process.
Questions?
CĂ©cile Arsenault, Francophone Cultural Affairs Officer, has been named the ArtsSmarts provincial coordinator. She will be able to help you come up with ideas, answer questions about a project you wish to submit and/or find an artist who will meet your needs. CĂ©cile can be reached at 854-7265 or at ccarsenault@gov.pe.ca
Form
A Project Description Form and Project Intention Form can be obtained from your school principal. During the project execution phase, an evaluation of each project will be done by the teacher and the artist. We wish as well to establish a network for the exchange and sharing of ideas.
Selection Criteria
The Selection Committee will be made up of representatives from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, the P.E.I. Council of the Arts, the Fédération culturelle de l’Î.-P.-É, the University of Prince Edward Island, the P.E.I. Craft Council, a Teacher and the Department of Tourism and Culture. You will be informed by letter as to whether your project has been selected or not.
Program Description
The ArtsSmarts program promotes the active participation of young people in the arts. It is designed to increase and enhance arts-related activities in the classroom, by promoting art as a vehicle for teaching all subjects across the curriculum. Over the long term, it is intended that ArtsSmarts serve to develop supporters and practitioners of the arts, and to nurture creative thinkers who will be at the forefront of Canada's cultural, social, and economic development.
ArtsSmarts is an example of arts-infused education, an emerging field with implications for education design, community planning, and economic development.
ArtsSmarts places artists and the arts in schools and communities. Through its partners, ArtsSmarts provides funding to allow schools and their communities to offer arts-related activities linked to educational outcomes. For example, music or dance may be used to help students understand mathematical concepts, sculpting may be used to teach geography, or painting might spark the imagination of primary school children by having them paint murals depicting local history.
GĂ©nieArtsSmarts
Open your mind and learn through the artsTeachers and artist bringing learning to life through culture and the arts.