Instant Arts Classroom Funds Need Your Help

Arts Quincy is asking community support to grow their Instant Arts Classroom Funds. Since 1996, Arts Quincy has granted over $200,000 to teachers in Adams County, and last year alone, these funds allowed around 7,500 students to take part in one of 110 arts experiences. These grants helped teachers to bring an art or music teacher into their classroom, take their class to see a theatrical performance live, try a dance class, check out a museum or take part in other arts activities. This year the program will expand to help cover transportation and supplies.

Instant Arts Classroom Funds are vital in bringing arts into the classroom to keep the art in the schools.   Thanks to the generosity of arts organizations and local artists offering services at discounted rates, just $150 will sponsor an arts experience for an entire class. Arts Quincy hopes to raise an additional $10,000 this year, to double the impact of the program.

The Quincy Public Schools are only able to employ only four art teachers in a district with over 6,500 students. There is no art teacher for grades K–3. Drama is a completely unfunded until junior high school, and music is dependent on fundraisers to continue to offer such robust programming in multiple disciplines. Similar funding concerns face the parochial and county schools, who often don’t have the resources to offer classes in all of these areas.

Arts participation has been shown to:

• Deter behavioral issues, regulate aggression, teach empathy & communication skills
• Improve concentration & problem solving
• Correlate with higher academic performance across all subjects
• Build self-esteem & confidence
• Create a sense of belonging that can help prevent suicidal ideation in teens & young adults
• Develop in-demand creative skills for high-tech careers of the future

All donation amounts for this program are appreciated, and any individual or business that sponsors an entire classroom for $150 will receive recognition in an upcoming issue of Arts Quincy Magazine. To donate, please visit artsquincy.org and click on “Sponsor a Classroom”, or call 217-222-3432. Grant applications for teachers can be submitted September 19-23. For more information on how to apply, visit artsquincy.org.