MetLife Foundation and National Guild Award $215,000 in Grants to 12 Arts Education Partnerships

MetLife Foundation Partners in Arts Education Program supports partnerships between community arts education providers and public schools

NEW YORK, Aug. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- MetLife Foundation and the National Guild for Community Arts Education announced the grant recipients of the MetLife Foundation Partners in Arts Education Program. Grants totaling $215,000 were awarded to 12 nonprofit arts education organizations that will partner with K-12 public schools to provide sustained, quality arts instruction to nearly 8,000 students during the 2011–2012 academic year. An expert review panel also found that each of the grantees will employ partnership practices that can increase public schools' capacity and commitment to provide arts education.

The grantees are:

• 92nd Street Y School of the Arts, New York, NY (Ceramics, Dance, Music, Theater)
• BAX/Brooklyn Arts Exchange, Brooklyn, NY (Dance, Theater)
• Community Music Center of Boston, Boston, MA (Dance, Music)
• KID smART, New Orleans, LA (Media Arts, Theater)
• Living Arts, Detroit, MI (Dance, Literary Arts, Music, Theater, Visual Arts)
• MacPhail Center for Music, Minneapolis, MN (Music)
• Mark DeGarmo & Dancers/Dynamic Forms, New York, NY (Dance)
• Progressive Arts Alliance, Cleveland, OH  (Film, Literary Arts, Media Arts, Visual Arts)
• Spiral Q Puppet Theater, Philadelphia, PA (Music, Movement, Puppetry, Visual Arts)
• WritersCorps, San Francisco, CA (Literary Arts)
• Young Dancers in Repertory, Brooklyn, NY (Dance, Visual Arts)
• Zephyr Dance, Chicago, IL (Dance)

Click here for descriptions of each of the partnerships (PDF).

National Guild Executive Director Jonathan Herman said: "Over the past two decades, the National Guild has identified best practices for arts education partnerships that have powerful, long-term effects on students, faculty, institutions, and communities. MetLife Foundation's Partners in Arts Education Program supports partnerships that not only provide outstanding arts instruction but model effective partnership practices for the field. Since its launch in 2005, the program has directly benefitted thirty-eight community arts education organizations, more than 160 public schools and 47,000 students."

"MetLife Foundation is proud to again partner with the National Guild on our shared commitment to making quality arts education accessible for children across the country," stated Dennis White, president and CEO of MetLife Foundation. "We believe that arts education is critical to promoting learning and increasing understanding of the world and its diverse cultures. We are pleased to support these outstanding organizations and their programs."

In addition to the individual grants, MetLife Foundation's Partners in Arts Education Program will sponsor the Arts in Education Partnership Institute (November 9, 2011) at the Guild's annual Conference for Community Arts Education in Boston, MA. The goal of the Institute is to provide community arts education organizations the tools, training, and know-how to develop successful arts education partnerships.

Other resources available through MetLife Foundation's Partners in Arts Education Program include Partners in Excellence: A Guide to Community School of the Arts/Public School Partnerships from Inspiration to Implementation and Profiles in Excellence: Case Studies of Exemplary Arts Education Partnerships. Both are available free-of-charge through the Guild's website, www.nationalguild.org; hard copies may be purchased by phone at (212) 268-3337 ext. 16.

The National Guild for Community Arts Education supports and advances access to lifelong learning opportunities in the arts. We foster the creation and development of community arts education organizations and programs by providing research and information resources, professional development and networking opportunities, advocacy, funding, and high-profile leadership. Our member organizations collectively serve more than 1.2 million students, employ 16,000 teaching artists, and reach an additional five million Americans each year through performances and exhibitions in rural, suburban and urban communities across the nation. Their impact on the lives of students and communities they serve is enduring and profound. www.nationalguild.org

MetLife Foundation was established in 1976 to carry on MetLife's longstanding tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. The Foundation is committed to building a secure future for individuals and communities worldwide. Through programs focusing on empowering older adults, preparing young people and building livable communities, MetLife Foundation increases access and opportunities for people of all ages.  Since it was established, MetLife Foundation has made more than $500 million in grants and $75 million in program related investments. For more information visit www.metlife.org.

Contact: Jay Samios
(212) 268-3337 ext. 12
[email protected]

Peggy Atherlay
(212) 578-1525
[email protected]

SOURCE National Guild for Community Arts Education