Students Are Newest Canvas for Artists

Performers, painters, and writers will soon be using their unique talents to inspire the minds of Nova Scotia students.

The Artists-in-Schools program, announced today, Aug. 31, will make it possible for schools to invite many more artists into the classroom to enhance student learning and encourage students to explore creatively.

"This program will not only enrich arts education in our schools, it will also help students discover new ways to understand and express themselves in other areas of the curriculum," said Minister of Education Karen Casey.

"We want our students to be able to learn in the arts, through the arts and about the arts," she said.

Four arts agencies will share a $100,000 investment from the Department of Education during the 2006-07 academic year. Each will receive $25,000 to invest in innovative and proven programs that directly engage students and teachers with the arts.

"This is a highly beneficial program for students, teachers and artists alike," said Briony Carros, executive director of Visual Arts Nova Scotia. "Students will develop an awareness and first-hand appreciation of art, which will provide them with a unique educational experience."

The four organizations receiving funding are:

• ArtsSmarts Nova Scotia, part of the ArtsSmarts national education initiative. ArtsSmarts is dedicated to improving student learning by melding the arts with academic programs. It links students to musicians, dancers, painters, writers, actors, and filmmakers, and offers professional development for teachers

• Perform! Sponsored by Dance Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Choral Federation, and Theatre Nova Scotia, Perform! helps bring professional dance, drama, and music artists into students' lives

• Writers in the Schools. Offered by the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, this program helps young people develop writing and reading skills, an appreciation for writing and writers, and an understanding of what it means to be a writer

• Professional Artists in the Schools (PAINTS). PAINTS brings visual artists and traditional crafts people together with teachers and students.

"Arts education is a fundamental component of a balanced program of studies," said Ann Blackwood, director of English program services at the Department of Education. "Infusing the arts throughout the curriculum will help students grow aesthetically, intellectually, and emotionally."

Besides academic, social and personal growth, Artists-in-Schools can also provide students with insights into career options. According to Statistics Canada's latest numbers, Canadian consumers spent $22.8 billion on cultural goods and services in 2003, a 36 per cent increase since 1997.

The program will allow schools to contact one of the arts organizations, which will then ask its members to help the school establish an arts education project. The Artists-in-Schools program and the school would then cost-share the project with the individual arts organization.