The Festival of Arts Foundation recently awarded grants to enrich visual, musical and performing arts education in public schools and organizations that support artistic expression.
The Boys & Girls Club received $8,000 to support the club’s art studio, where members explore a wide variety of art mediums and curriculum that includes history and criticism. “These programs help foster young people’s creativity, confidence and capability to contribute to the world,” club Director Pam Estes said.
At Laguna Beach High School, the band, ceramics, dance and visual arts and the performing arts departments received $2,500 each.
Similar grants helped fund clinics with professional musicians and small scholarships to seniors pursuing musical studies, said music teacher Jeremy Chung. The grant will fund supplies for 120 ceramics students, teacher Somer Selway said. And go for the same purpose in visual arts, said teacher Bridget Beaudry-Porter. The grant will make possible guest choreographer and artist in residence opportunities, said dance teacher Estee Carrizosa. In theater, the grants fund sets, costumes and other materials, said Mark Dressler.
At Thurston, which received $1,500, students will be able to continue creating photo and video work, said multimedia production class teacher Andy Crisp.
The Laguna Dance Festival received a $2,000 grant to support master classes for dancers 12 or older to learn from professional working dancers or choreographers. “This grant will enable us to attract top-quality teachers from the professional dance world for intensive workshops that help aspiring dancers hone their craft,” said executive director Joy Dittberner.
