Above / The DuPage Children’s Museum, located at 301 N. Washington Street, is now accepting applications from artists to be featured in the Art in Hand Project. (PN File Photo)
National Endowment for the Arts’ Acting Chairman Mary Anne Carter has approved more than $80 million in grants as part of the Arts Endowment’s second major funding announcement for fiscal year 2019. Included in this announcement is an Art Works grant of $17,000 to DuPage Children’s Museum for their Art in Hand Project. Art Works is the Arts Endowment’s principal grantmaking program. The agency received 1,592 Art Works applications for this round of grantmaking and will award 977 grants in this category.
“These awards, reaching every corner of the United States, are a testament to the artistic richness and diversity in our country,” said Mary Anne Carter, acting chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. “Organizations such as DuPage Children’s Museum are giving people in their community the opportunity to learn, create, and be inspired.”
Art in Hand Project
The Art in Hand Project (AiH) will spark a child’s imagination and ability to create non-traditional, visual art and provide them with the opportunity to work alongside a professional artist while creating two exhibits that will be installed in the Museum. These hands-on exhibits will promote a child’s understanding of color, texture, and art creation and materials. Perhaps most importantly, the project will promote art discussion and creation between children and their adult caregivers and provide children from low-income families with greatly needed exposure and resources for creating art.
The artist, along with DCM staff, also will visit a partnering Title I school’s third or fourth grade classrooms to facilitate workshops in which students will create art using materials and methods the artist selects to create their residency project. After the students complete their work, their art will be displayed in DCM’s Good Show! Gallery. They will be invited to attend a gallery opening event with their adult caregivers and educators.
“The pride, joy, and inspiration that are visible on a child’s face as they see their work displayed in a museum are truly heartwarming. The Art in Hand Project is also a vitally important example of how deeply integrated the arts can be in other disciplines such as math, science, and engineering,” said Thomas Sullivan, Director of Education & Programs, DuPage Children’s Museum. “These children will someday enter a job market with positions we can only begin to imagine. Building a foundational passion for creativity and a love of learning is essential.”
One-year project welcomes four artist to apply for residencies
The one-year project will include four artist residencies. Interested artists will submit a written statement that describes their artistic vision, how they will engage young children in co-creating a tactile exhibit at the Museum, and how they will facilitate art workshops in partnering schools. Under the guidance of an Arts Committee comprised of artists and staff members from arts organizations, DCM staff will select and contract the project’s four artists. The Museum is currently accepting RFPs for the Summer and Fall residencies. Interested artists can learn more at dupagechildrens.org/jobs.
For more information on this National Endowment for the Arts grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
DuPage Children’s Museum
The Museum helps develop curiosity, creativity, thinking, and problem solving in young children through its mission: “DuPage Children’s Museum ignites the potential of all children to learn through hands-on exploration by integrating art, math, and science.” Interactive exhibits and programs make learning fun for children and adults playing together. DCM serves over 300,000 visitors annually representing all 50 states and 575 zip codes in Illinois. DCM’s reach and support represent well beyond the Chicagoland area. The Museum’s impact extends across cultural, financial, and educational boundaries. It touches the lives of children from all regions, providing the building blocks for success in school and life.
The DuPage Children’s Museum is located at 301 N. Washington Street in Naperville.
For more info, visit www.dupagechildrens.org or call (630) 637-8000.
Submitted by Jaime Johnson, Sr. Marketing Manager, for the DuPage Children’s Museum.
