Sheldon's new Statewide Arts Connection offers teacher training

Statewide Arts Connection is a new educational outreach initiative offered by Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Funded by the Nebraska Arts Council, the program will offer three one-day teacher training workshops during the next school year to train teachers on how to integrate arts into the classroom. The workshops will provide instruction and materials that will support the National Standards for Arts Education. Each will coincide with the Sheldon Statewide exhibition, "Painting Music: Rhythm and Movement in Art," and will culminate in a trip to view the exhibition.

Suzanne Wise, executive director of the Nebraska Arts Council, said, "Arts education initiatives have always been a hallmark of Arts Council programming, and this partnership with Sheldon is an effective way to continue that tradition." Sheldon Curator Sharon Kennedy, who will direct the program in collaboration with Arts Are Basic, said, "We hope to fill a gap that has occurred with the reduction in art specialists in Nebraska, while at the same time demonstrate how the creative process can be so valuable in all disciplines."

The 2006-2007 workshops will be Oct. 13 at McKinley Center in North Platte, Feb. 2 at Columbus Art Gallery/Public Library, and April 9 at Stuhr Museum in Grand Island. The workshops, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., are free to teachers and will include educational materials and lunch. The first 20 registrants for each workshop will be eligible for substitute teacher reimbursement. On a first-come, first-serve basis, workshop attendees also have the option to bring Arts Are Basic teaching artist Michael Fitzsimmons into their school to coordinate classroom activities and prepare students for a music/art viewing experience and performance. Teachers attending the workshop may also apply for bus funds from the Nebraska Arts Council to pay for the cost of busing their class to see the exhibition.

To register for a workshop, submit name, school, discipline, grade level and contact information including e-mail address to skennedy3@unl.edu. For more information go to http://sheldon.unl.edu, click on Education and then click Statewide Arts Connection, or call (402) 472-3541. Registration information may also be faxed to (402) 472-4258 or mailed to Sheldon Memorial Art Gallery, 12th and R streets, Lincoln, NE 68588-0300.

CONTACT: Tom White, Public Relations Manager, Sheldon Art Gallery, (402) 472-1197