FREE FOR STUDENTS WHO RESIDE IN ARANSAS COUNTY, ARTSPACE PROVIDED 3,000 CONTACT HOURS IN FREE ART EDUCATION

(ROCKPORT, TX) The 25th edition of ArtSpace Summer Art Camp concluded Friday, July 22 with a total enrollment of 293 students, a 16% increase over last year’s attendance of 252.  The free program provided 3,000 free art education contact hours and employed 6 staff members and interns which pumped over $20,000 into the local economy.

ArtSpace is free for students who attend school in Aransas County, and $100 for those who attend school outside the County. Twelve camp sessions lasting one week each were open to children who will enter grades 1st through 8th this fall semester. This year’s theme was Storytellers engaged children to tell stories through art in a variety of mediums.

For the sixth consecutive year, Rockport Center for the Arts collaborated with Southwest School of Art in San Antonio by employing three Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) students and in 2022 one Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) student from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. “The four interns, Jane Wanek, Joey Rivera, Olivia Wilkerson-Carter, and Valentino Silva-Williams worked very hard to infuse their own artistic expertise into the camp curriculum,” says Kathleen Clark, Education Coordinator. “These are paid internships, and their lodging was completely underwritten thanks to the many generous grants ArtSpace receives every year,” states Clark.

Research shows that students who engage in arts education perform better in the classroom, on standardized tests and are less likely to drop-out or experience truancy.  Early arts education helps students develop self-discipline, confidence, cooperation, and self-motivation needed for high achievement in school.

This year ArtSpace received support from the Earl C. Sams Foundation, the Texas Commission on the Arts, The Margaret Sue Rust Foundation, the Les and Mary Puckett Children’s Foundation, the Texas Women for the Arts, the Charities for America, the Piecemakers By the Bay Quilt Guild, the Behmann Brothers Foundation, Prosperity Bank, and individual donors.

The rewards of ArtSpace to the community cannot be overstated. The camp provides local children with free access to high quality instruction in art history, art theory, culture, and the visual arts; all of which helps students improve overall emotional wellbeing and performance in school. “This year the response towards ArtSpace from the community has been extremely positive” says Clark.

About The Southwest School of Art

The Southwest School of Art is a nationally recognized leader in visual arts education, offering a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree as well as studio art programs for adults, children, and teens.  Classes and workshops in many disciplines are taught by a permanent faculty and leading artists in cutting-edge facilities located in downtown San Antonio. The historic site, nestled along the famed San Antonio River Walk, was originally the site of the Ursuline Convent and Academy, the city’s first school for girls. In addition to its teaching mission, the Southwest School of Art offers world-class contemporary art exhibitions as well as lectures and symposia with visiting artists.  In 2015, the Southwest School of Art celebrated the 50th anniversary of its founding.

About University of Nebraska-Lincoln …

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s School of Art, Art History & Design is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) with highly regarded undergraduate and graduate fine arts programs. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks the Ceramics program in the top ten. Being part of a leading land-grant research university offers their students endless learning opportunities across the humanities and sciences. The diversity of our educational programs, with international engagements around the world including the Antiochia ad Cragum Archaeological Research Project in Turkey, provides extraordinary historical and cultural examinations. UNL’s students work closely with nationally and internationally recognized faculty to advance knowledge and benefit from a world-class art collection at the Sheldon Museum of Art.

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