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These are the questions that were explored by the entire school at Mills Lawn Elementary during the 2003-03 school year, thanks to a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The grant was written by the teaching staff at Mills Lawn.
The NEA grant
to our school was unusual. Mills Lawn
was one of only two school districts to receive a grant in
2002. Other institutions receiving grant awards included the
Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Children's Museum, the San
Francisco Symphony and the Washington Opera. With the support of the Ohio Arts Council, the grant officially began in the summer of 2002 with a Teacher Institute in August before the beginning of school. Teachers explored issues of diversity in society and applications for teaching. They also worked with artists identified in the grant, studying their art form and building relationships. On the evening of August 21st, we held a community night where some of the artists shared their art forms. Eight artists were sponsored by the grant and held residencies during the 2002-2003 school year: Bing Davis, Bi-Okoto, John Fleming, Jeff Hooper, Margot Greenlee, Joan Damankos, Hal Walker, and Marilyn Klaben .
A final component to the grant has been the dissemination and sharing of the project with our community and the nation. A created video, website, and conference presentations all share our developed curriculum and experiences. Financial support was provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ohio Arts Council, the Yellow Springs Endowment for Education, Antioch Company, and Yellow Springs Schools. Check out the links at the left to find out about our year-long exploration of diversity through the arts. |
How
does engagement in the arts develop us as
sensitive and appreciative members of a global community? How am I different
from and similar to
others in my community and 
