Youth Arts Group to Make $55,000 in Grants to Help State's Kids See Arts, Cultural Attractions

A news release:

The Michigan Youth Arts Association of Ferndale, on behalf of the Michigan Council for Arts & Cultural Affairs (MCACA), is offering a total of $55,000 in grants for the 2014 cycle of its Arts & Culture Trek program.

Michigan K-12 teachers are encouraged to apply for individual grants of up to $500, which will help cover the transportation cost of an arts or culture-related field trip that is scheduled to take place between January 1, 2014 and May 31, 2014. All applications must be submitted on the  Michigan Youth Arts website by Nov. 15.

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“For many students, this is the first time that they will travel to one of Michigan's cultural attractions, and hopefully the experience will open their minds to a world of creativity and innovation that they can positively utilize for the rest of their lives."

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"Field trip budgets within Michigan's schools are suffering deep cuts, and the most expensive component is usually the cost of renting a bus," said Marianne Dorais, executive director of Michigan Youth Arts. "Since creative learning at cultural institutions is critical to a child's academic development, these transportation grants allow teachers to broaden their school-based curriculum through outside experiences.

“For many students, this is the first time that they will travel to one of Michigan's cultural attractions, and hopefully the experience will open their minds to a world of creativity and innovation that they can positively utilize for the rest of their lives."

Over the course of three years, the Arts & Culture Trek grants have supported field trips for more than 32,000 students throughout the state of Michigan. To apply for the grant, educators must visit the Michigan Youth Arts website and choose from a list of more than 200 pre-approved arts and cultural institutions that offer educational programming, exhibits, and performances that enhance the arts and humanities curriculum outside the classroom. Popular field trip destinations have included the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Flint Institute of Music, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the Henry Ford, and the Frederick Meijer Gardens.

Arts educators from across the state consistently vocalize their need for arts education funding, specifically noting the detrimental budget cuts to fine and performing arts programs within Michigan schools. One recipient of last year's Arts & Culture Trek grant stated, "If the grant was not available to us, our students would not have been able to have such a wonderful experience at the Cranbrook Institute of Science. We are a Title 1 school and our students are mostly from families with limited resources. They do not have many chances to venture out of our community and we are grateful these opportunities are provided for them."

A recent survey released by Michigan Youth Arts, entitled Arts Education in Michigan, discovered that 108,000 students go to school each day without some sort of exposure to music, visual art, theatre, dance, or creative writing, and that 45 percent of schools cited transportation costs as a significant barrier to arts-related field trips.

"It has been abundantly clear, through the arts education survey, that there are so many kids, who without the support of this program, would never have the opportunity to experience the incredible arts and cultural activities our Michigan organizations can provide," said John Bracey, Executive Director of MCACA. "For some of these kids, these trips may well represent a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to not only discover the arts, but also uncover the artist within."

Download the complete list of last year's award recipients here. For more information on the program, go to michiganyoutharts.org/grants.

About Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA)

Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, serves to encourage, initiate and facilitate an enriched artistic, cultural and creative environment in Michigan. For more on its initiatives and programs, visit michiganadvantage.org/arts.

About Michigan Youth Arts

Michigan Youth Arts is an alliance of 16 statewide education associations that work together collaboratively to develop high quality arts education programming, recognize the contributions of valuable teachers, and provide advocacy resources for parents, educators and policymakers. Learn more at michiganyoutharts.org.