Fourth and fifth graders from Bugbee Elementary School visited the New Britain Museum of American Art this year, exploring Hudson River paintings and learning about western expansion. They learned how the “Elements of Art” can be used to send a message, convey emotion, and tell stories. Lead applicant, art teacher Elizabeth Bianco, said the best part of the visit was when the young artists participated in a studio session to apply their learning to an original piece of their own. “I was so excited to see the docents focusing the students on the theme of personal narratives. The students engaged in interpretation and discussion of many works before going into the beautiful museum studio spaces to create their own personal narrative collages,” she said. She hopes more students will get to visit museums like this in the future, as this type of experience really helps to solidify the importance of the visual arts in communities and in human history. 

Introducing B.A.M. boxes! Students at Charter Oak International Academy participated in the Holmeen Family Grant: B.A.M Boxes, a new program funded by the Foundation. The lead grant applicant, school librarian Rebecca Cochrane, used her grant funds to purchase themed boxes for students to check-out and take home. These boxes included everything a child needs to be inspired and creative - such as an art-centered story or nonfiction how-to book and materials for one project to do at home. These projects all enhanced students’ print and visual literacy skills while encouraging creativity and risk-taking. Some of the projects students created included cracking secret codes, making and designing paper airplanes, painting kindness rocks, upcycling random materials into something new, and creating fun gadgets for their bedrooms. Ms. Cochrane reported the program was very successful and the students loved creating and planning and playing with the various materials. She hopes to build the program each year so even more students at Charter Oak can experience the fun of creating.

The grants we award fund opportunities above and beyond what the school budget allows. This is why your support is so important to the work we do. Please support the Foundation now and help us continue to create excellence beyond the school budget limits!

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