SAAC Received 2-year Grant From Windgate Foundation

Press Release

The Starkville Area Arts Council (SAAC) is excited to announce that it received a two-year grant award from the Windgate Foundation in Little Rock, Arkansas. The two-year award totals $24,000 and will help transform the teaching artist position in SAAC's Art Partners Initiative into a formal fellowship.

Windgate Foundation has provided nearly $900 million in grants since 1993, supporting contemporary craft & visual arts organizations and programs across the United States. Grants support a wide range of significant educational and art programs in contemporary craft and visual arts. SAAC's Art Partners Initiative provides a free teaching artist and supplies to 3-4 existing after-school sites for extracurricular enrichment. Two of these sites currently focus on youth in vulnerable communities and SAAC's efforts are poised for growth. More than 100 youth each year benefit from this Initiative.

"We are thrilled to be recipients of this grant," says Dr. Christine Rogers, SAAC Board Member and Chair of Art Partners. "The teaching artists have been greatly beneficial to Art Partners by sharing their art skills with youth at various locations. Teaching artists provide many creative art activities and this grant will enhance both the artist and Art Partners so we continue to give youth a meaningful ability to express themselves through art.

"We are beyond excited," says E.D. John W. Bateman. "Art Partners is a little-known but dynamic after-school program that has grown tremendously over the last 4 years. Our ultimate goal is this Fellowship will become a launchpad role for emerging artists to build skills, resources, and networks needed to become and remain gainfully employed as artists, while also providing greater quality educational resources for our site partners. By keeping artists working as artists, we strengthen the existing cultural and educational resources here in Oktibbeha County." 
 
To learn more about Windgate Foundation, please visit https://www.windgatefoundation.org.

#starkvillearts #WindgateFoundation #ArtPartnersFellowship