aauw arts presenter program

aauw arts presenter program

“When we stimulate the imagination and creativity, we stimulate the mind and spirit”

Jane Alexander, Chairperson, National Endowment for the arts, 1993-1997

The Art Presenter Program, founded in 1973 by the Monmouth branch of the American Association of University Women, is a volunteer program in visual art appreciation which is conducted in area schools, K - 6, throughout the school year from October through May.

The Art Presenter Program serves as a model for community involvement in the schools through the participation of volunteers who include parents, grandparents, retired teachers, college students, and other friends of children.

Since the programs inception in 1973 the Arts Presenter Program has received financial support from parent/teacher and community organizations. Partial funding has been provided by the Art$ Dollar$ Re-grant Fund of the Buchanan Center for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.

How does it work?
Each volunteer Art Presenter visits an assigned classroom each month during the school year to explore an art work with the student.
A portfolio of related materials accompanies each work and serves as a resource for students, teachers, and presenters.
Students frequently participate in a creative art activity related to the presentation.

Educational Value
• Research shows that children with an education in the arts are ultimately better students.
Students develop visual literacy - - an understanding of the artist’s use of color, line, shape and texture.
Students gain an understanding of a wide range of artistic styles and art movements: primitive, impressionism, surrealism, classical, abstract, traditional and more.
Students gain multicultural perspectives by studying art representing Eskimo, Thai, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, African and Polynesian cultures as well as American and European classics.
Students exercise thinking skills as they observe, express, and support opinions about the arts.

The impact on a student is palpable. In seven years, a student moving from kindergarten through sixth grade will see nearly all pieces in the Art Presenter Collection. The program compliments the instruction of elementary teachers and brings the museum to an audience in a community not located near a large city with a major museum. Students, presenters and teachers also benefit from the life-long learning opportunities in art through the participation in the program.