Friends of Art Works for Kids is a grassroots initiative created to ensure that Utah’s school children receive the benefits of high-quality, integrated arts instruction through the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. Using the Art Works for Kids teaching model, the program integrates art into the core curriculum, effectively increasing student performance in every subject—from language arts and social studies to math and science.
Recognizing the dramatic impact the Art Works for Kids model has had on elementary schools across the state, the 2008 Utah State Legislature passed a bill to fund the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. Under the direction of the Utah Arts Council and the Utah State Office of Education, and in collaboration with the state’s leading research universities, the program provides quality arts learning in Utah elementary schools. This cooperative effort is now operating in more than 50 schools and 20 districts across Utah and is currently serving approximately 30,000 students.
In 2010, the state legislature voted to provide just enough funding to continue the program through the 2010-2011 school year. During the upcoming 2011 legislative session, Friends of Art Works for Kids and other supporters will return to the legislature and request continued funding for this successful program.
To spread the word about the benefits of this program—both to local communities and to the Utah Legislature—Friends of Art Works for Kids needs the help of parents, teachers, and other community leaders.
We need you! To learn how you can become a friend, visit: Get Involved.
Collaboration on Every Level
To ensure the highest quality arts instruction in the state’s elementary schools, Utah’s flagship universities (Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, the University of Utah and Utah State University) are collaborating with the Utah State Office of Education and other organizations to provide professional development opportunities for the arts specialists in each school, and to manage the research and evaluation of the school’s art education programs. Through financial support provided by the Sorenson Legacy Foundation, each of these universities has initiated arts-specific research, chair and/or facilities programs to strengthen their arts education initiatives.