August 17, 2015 - CHAMPAIGN, Ill.
Susan Gleason believes funding for the arts is vital, so she teamed up with three other art teachers from Centennial, Central and Urbana High Schools on a proposal for Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation’s new It’s My I.D.E.A.Collaborative Grant. Gleason, along with Jill Lagerstam from Urbana, Shannon Percoco from Centennial, and Carol Lynn Comparetto from Central will receive $2,700 to create a shared cultural experience for 100 local art students.
Gleason and her team are thrilled to be the first It’s My I.D.E.A. Collaborative Grant recipients. “We believe the collaboration not only between the art educators, but between the students is going to be very exciting,” says Gleason. “It feels great to have this type of support and be able to find ways to supplement and enhance our students’ classroom experiences.”
As part of this grant, students from all three local public high schools will spend a day at Krannert Art Museum where they will explore the museum collections, gather inspiration for future artwork, and participate in a panel discussion with museum curators and local practicing artists. Students will return to their home school studio where they will create a work of art inspired by a piece from the museum.
Over the course of the school year, the students will continue to collaborate and plan together using technology such as Google Classroom and Edmodo. The culminating event will be a cross-district, student led art show at Lola’s Brush at Indi Go Gallery.
Gleason explains that one of the goals of their proposal is to expose students to a variety of art-related careers such as curator, artist, museum educator, caterer, event planner or gallery installer. Gleason adds, “A large portion of the students served by the grant come from a low socioeconomic background and this may be their first or only experience in some of these areas.”
Champaign Urbana Schools Foundation designed the new It’s My I.D.E.A. Collaborative Grant to provide opportunities for educators from both Urbana and Champaign districts to share innovative ideas and enhance the educational opportunities for students across the community. The mission of the Foundation is to build a stronger community by developing and supporting innovative programs to make all C-U public school students college/career ready.
More information on this and other C-U Schools Foundation programs is available via the organization's website.
