Erie Arts & Culture is proud to announce a milestone – its 500th artist residency! This momentous achievement has been in the works since 1994 when Erie Arts & Culture became one of four founding partner organizations for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) Arts in Education (AIE) Partnership.
The Partnership has since grown to include 14 partner organizations across the state. Collectively, Partners leverage funds received from the PCA to support in-depth arts experiences for children and adults, and arts education training opportunities for educators. Erie Arts & Culture administers the AIE Partnership in Crawford, Erie, Lawrence, Mercer,
Warren and Venango counties.
During residencies, artists work collaboratively with staff or volunteers from the site hosting the residency to integrate art with learning objectives and lead participants through a creative process. In addition to teaching their art form, teaching artists use reflection, research, presentation, and production of art to enhance learning. Residencies typically last 10-20 sessions.
Holly Nowak, former Arts in Education Director at Erie Arts & Culture, commented on this wonderful achievement, “I’m thrilled to hear we hit this milestone and honored to have been part of this team who made it happen for Erie Arts & Culture.” She went on to say that, “Erie Arts & Culture was one of the first AIE Partners selected by the PCA to lead the AIE Program for northwest Pennsylvania, and now we know why! Congratulations to a great organization with an awesome team. One of my favorite quotes by Margaret Mead is now more appropriate than ever. ‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’”
The 500th artist residency was hosted by the Eastside Grassroots Coalition (EGC) and facilitated by teaching artists Tom Ferraro and Ed Grout. February through April, Tom and Ed worked with youth from the Urban Erie Community Development Corporation (UECDC), House of Mercy, and JFK Center to design and paint three separate murals. The main goal of the residency was to create and install public artworks that contribute to a sense of belonging among residents and encourage them to take pride in their neighborhoods.
The three murals have been installed in the EGC’s target area along Buffalo Road and will be ‘unveiled’ during a walking tour on May 9 starting at UECDC, and then continuing on to Rodger Young Park, and lastly, Potratz Flower Shop & Greenhouses.
Who:
Eastside Grassroots Coalition
What:
Mural Unveiling and Walking Tour
Where:
Walking tour begins at UECDC
2046 East 19th Street | Erie, PA
When:
Thursday, May 9, 2019 | 6:30 pm
About Erie Arts & Culture’s Arts in Education Program:
Total monies invested in artist residencies
$2,283,802
Total number of residency days
10,199 (28 years)
Number of youth and adults served
77,589
