Government of Yukon
Government
News archives
FOR RELEASE #07-276
December 19, 2007
Artist in the School Program Expands
WHITEHORSE – Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor has announced that the Artist in the School program will begin in the new year offering enhanced art programming and art instruction to Yukon students.
"This year, there will be more Yukon artists visiting classrooms than ever before," Taylor said. "The Yukon government remains committed to providing well-rounded education to our youth. It is through programs such as this that we are able to foster individual creativity and expression, and nurture a lifelong appreciation and involvement in the arts."
The Yukon government has allocated an additional $75,000 in funding to the Artist in the School program, bringing the departmental budget to $100,000 for art instruction to Yukon students.
The increased funding will result in enhancements to the program including increased hourly wages for artists, more hours of instruction in the schools, opportunities for innovative projects and extended programs, a comprehensive resource guide book on art education programming, and additional outreach to rural schools.
The program is being delivered by the Yukon Art Society. Program submissions by artists are underway and it is expected that artists will be in the schools delivering their programs beginning in January.
"Through the Artist in the School program, and under the guidance of a professional artist, school children learn about, and come to appreciate, the artistic experience and what it means to create art," Yukon Art Society Program Administrator Marlene Collins said. "The Yukon Art Society is excited to be administering the program this season. We look forward to participation from all Yukon communities, with students undertaking special arts projects in addition to regular programming."
The Department of Tourism and Culture contributes more than $2.6 million annually for arts and culture in Yukon through a variety of programs and services.
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Background information below:
| Contact: | |
| Roxanne Vallevand Cabinet Communications (867) 633-7949 roxanne.vallevand@gov.yk.ca | Karen Keeley Communications, Tourism and Culture (867) 667-8304 karen.keeley@gov.yk.ca |
Artist in the School program – background information
The Yukon government has committed to enhance the Artist in the Schools program to increase the availability of arts instruction in Yukon schools.
Arts education is provided through many programs in the Yukon, each of which is unique in its learning focus and its impact on students. Arts and learning is often categorized in three spheres: learning in the arts, where students learn skills about a particular art form; learning about the arts, which deepens students’ appreciation for art and the history of an art form; and learning through the arts, which involves using art to learn about concepts in other subjects, such as language arts and social studies.
The arts and learning programs offered by the Departments of Education and Tourism and Culture complement one another, so that students are learning in, about, and through the arts. The Department of Education’s Art Ed-ventures program involves the involvement of teachers as well as students, and has a strong “learning through the arts” focus by using art to explore core curricular subjects.
Artist in the School provides students with art instruction in a variety of art forms: literary, visual and performing. This approach of “learning in the arts” fosters individual creativity and expression, as well as nurturing an environment for “growing the arts”, where children are comfortable with engaging in artistic practices and consuming cultural activities.
The program has also provided employment to professional artists for over 20 years. This model of arts education is commonly delivered by arts councils in Canada.
The program is funded by the Department of Tourism and Culture through a $100,000 contribution agreement with the Yukon Art Society, which administers the program.
From left to right Lynne Sofiak, organizer for Artists in the school program with Minister Taylor and Jeanine Baker, Artist.
