May 01, 2019
ArtStarts in Schools is pleased to announce that we have distributed $444,024.12 in Artists in the Classroom grants for the 2018-19 school year. The grants funded 122 projects for schools across the province to bring artists into their classrooms including 18 large scale projects of up to $10,000.
Through these projects,
The projects span British Columbia from Penelakut Island to Smithers to Winlaw for students from kindergarten to grade 12. Artistic disciplines range from mask-making to creative writing to textiles. The 122 projects competed in a merit-based assessment of artistic quality, student engagement, curricular connections and project scope. Each project is unique; you can see a full listing of these projects below.
We were happy this year to be able to provide 100% funding coverage for school in the First Nations Schools Association of BC (FNSA). As a result, we funded 8 projects at FNSA schools, bringing artistic experiences to 443 students.
Here is just a taste of some of the projects:
Story Trails – Welcome Gate
Ditidaht Community School, Port Alberni
$10,000
"Ditidaht Community School (DCS) is implementing land-based education into the curriculum for the purpose of connecting students to their traditional territory, developing teamwork skills, job-readiness skills, and cultural immersion.
As part of our new ‘Story Trails’ program, students will work together to build a trail through the forest that will serve as a community recreation resource.
The students will create interpretative signs, painted rocks, and other artworks to establish the trail as a sacred space.
The centerpiece for the trail will be a carved Totem Pole entrance gate that the students will create under the tutelage of a Master Carver. The Totems will feature symbols of their territory. Because the trail leads towards the direction of the ancestral homelands of Clo-oose and Whayc, the theme of the trail will be that ‘it leads towards home,’ which is a very important symbol for the students to recognize and acknowledge.
Students will carve and paint the Totems and participate in every aspect of their creation, over a number of months. Carving the Totems will also serve as an important school-day activity that can be worked into their classroom activities and scheduled accordingly."
Big Hands, Little Hands, making time with hands
Begbie View Elementary, Revelstoke
$1,505
“This project will be a start to finish exploration of clay as an artistic and functional material in our sundial project. Making the sundial out of clay will be the grand finale of a unit on celestial bodies in science. After learning about how the Earth, sun, and moon interact to create the seasons, time, tides, etc, students will make a paper mockup template of the sundial and take hourly measurements to create hour locations. Their paper mockup template will then be transferred onto clay. Students will use a number of ceramic techniques to add detail, the arm, and artistic patterns. The creative imaginations of the students will be given free reign over design and cosmetic designs. After firing and glazing there will be an art show for their creations. At the show my students will use their sundials to demonstrate to other students in the intermediate wing how to use the sun to tell time and how celestial bodies interact with one another. Students will also share the best practice mechanics of ceramics as well as how their imagination is represented in their finished product. The finished sundials will then be taken home.”
The Voice is a World
Reynolds Secondary, Victoria
$3,500
"Students in the Flexible Studies Program will engage with artists Jillian Christmas and Lucia Misch to create spoken word poems in response to the questions: What is “story”? Which stories get told? Which remain unheard? Who can tell these stories and how?
Students will use creative writing as a tool to reflect on, critically examine, and express their points of view on the subjects explored in their year-long HUMANities curriculum in the Flexible Studies Program: how story interacts with history, appropriation, and power, and how we as individuals can expand our approaches and understandings of stories—our own and those of others—in service of creating a more just and equitable society."
Contemporary & Historical Indigenous Art & Culture
Eagle Harbour Montessori School, West Vancouver
$3,500
“The project introduces students to Northwest Coast Indigenous artistic culture as a living culture evolved from historical Indigenous cultures. The project will run throughout the 2018/2019 school year. It will be led by Haisla Collins, a local Indigenous mixed media artist.
This project impacts students by:
-Building a more sophisticated understanding of contemporary Indigenous culture.
-Developing new artistic skills under the direction of professional Indigenous artists.
-Empowering students to teach reconciliation and understanding of Indigenous culture by sharing their artistic creation and the teachings it represents with their families.
The project also meets the goals of the grant by providing a platform for a local Indigenous artist to extend their practice through creating an elementary school art and history program.”
Artists in the Classroom grants offer up to $3,500 for small scale projects and grants of up to $10,000 for large scale projects. Artists, teachers, principals and PAC representatives in British Columbia are eligible to apply. There are two deadlines for the 2019-20 school year: May 31 and Oct 22.
AIC grants are disbursed by ArtStarts in Schools and funded by BC Arts Council and the Government of British Columbia's Creative Futures program.
School Name |
City |
Project Title |
Amount Funded |
A S Matheson Elementary |
Kelowna |
Confident Learners as Story Creators |
$2,450.00 |
Alpha Secondary |
Burnaby |
Coast Salish Story Panel at Ecole Alpha Secondary |
$3,500.00 |
Alternate Community Programs |
Prince George |
Pottery Project - Exploring Identity |
$3,500.00 |
Begbie View Elementary |
Revelstoke |
Big Hands, Little Hands, making time with hands |
$1,505.00 |
Bonaccord Elementary |
Surrey |
The Mindfulness Project |
$1,638.00 |
Boston Bar Elem-Sec |
Boston Bar |
Breakdancing in the Classroom |
$800.00 |
Bowen Island Community School |
Bowen Island |
BICS Welcome Carving |
$8,000.00 |
Brent Kennedy Elementary |
Crescent Valley |
Climate Change Mind Bombs! |
$3,213.00 |
Britannia Elementary |
Vancouver |
Dance - Pacific Storm |
$1,456.00 |
Britannia Secondary |
Vancouver |
Filmmaking Mentorships |
$10,000.00 |
Burnaby Mountain Secondary |
Burnaby |
Shrek the Musical |
$9,300.00 |
Burnsview Secondary |
Delta |
No One of Us Alone |
$3,500.00 |
Caledonia Sr Secondary |
Terrace |
A Window To… |
$3,500.00 |
Canyon/Lister Elementary |
Canyon |
Pottery in the Classroom |
$975.00 |
Comox Valley Waldorf School |
Courtenay |
Screen Printing classroom art |
$6,312.00 |
Confederation Park Elementary |
Burnaby |
Seeing our Voices |
$3,500.00 |
Cove Cliff Elementary |
North Vancouver |
Coast Salish Weaving Project |
$3,290.00 |
Cowichan Valley Open Learning |
Duncan |
Finding our Voice |
$10,000.00 |
Crawford Bay Elem-Sec |
Crawford Bay |
Movement, Dance and Rhythm with Emily Honegger |
$2,030.00 |
Crystal View Elementary |
Victoria |
Dancing Through a Coding Journey |
$3,500.00 |
David Hoy Elementary |
Fort St James |
Local Indigenous Arts and Crafts |
$10,000.00 |
David Thompson Secondary |
Vancouver |
New Shoots: Nurturing Vancouver’s Teen Writers |
$3,500.00 |
David Thompson Secondary |
Vancouver |
Visual Storytelling with Film |
$523.00 |
Ditidaht Community School |
Port Alberni |
Story Trails – Welcome Gate |
$10,000.00 |
Eagle Harbour Montessori School |
West Vancouver |
Contemporary & Historical Indigenous Art & Culture |
$3,500.00 |
Ecole des Glaciers |
Revelstoke |
L’ecole des Glaciers Expressive Dance Project |
$1,440.00 |
Ecole Margaret Jenkins |
Victoria |
Artists in the Classroom |
$3,200.00 |
Ecole Pauline Johnson |
West Vancouver |
Le Projet de Luciole |
$3,490.00 |
Edmonds Community School |
Burnaby |
Lax to the Max |
$4,027.00 |
Ellison Elementary, Vernon |
Vernon |
Visions for the Future |
$2,030.00 |
False Creek Elementary |
Vancouver |
The Puppet Musical Project |
$3,414.00 |
Fernie Secondary |
Fernie |
'Time and Place' Fernie BC |
$3,500.00 |
First Nations High School, Hazelton |
Hazelton |
Drawing Inspiration |
$3,500.00 |
Florence Nightingale Elementary |
Vancouver |
Water, Justice, Thunderbird |
$3,500.00 |
Florence Nightingale Elementary |
Vancouver |
Written By & Starring YOU |
$924.00 |
Forsyth Road Elementary |
Surrey |
Tohio! Storytelling on the Wing of Proverbs |
$10,000.00 |
George Jay Elementary |
Victoria |
Sounding our Futures |
$3,230.00 |
George Jay Elementary |
Victoria |
10 Days, 200 Writers at George Jay Elementary |
$3,490.00 |
Gilpin Elementary |
Burnaby |
The Snow Queen |
$3,500.00 |
Guildford Learning Centre |
Surrey |
Hip Hop Roots Series |
$1,120.00 |
Gwa'sala-'Nakwaxda'xw School |
Port Hardy |
Our Living Culture-Traditional Cedar Bark Weaving |
$10,000.00 |
Hartley Bay School |
Hartley Bay |
Gitga'at Weaving and Cultural Arts |
$3,500.00 |
Highland Secondary |
Comox |
Project Isolation |
$2,150.00 |
Highland Secondary |
Comox |
Screen the World |
$2,740.00 |
Highland Secondary |
Comox |
Global Interdependence Art Connections |
$1,050.00 |
Hillview Elementary |
Vernon |
Exploration of the Syilx legend |
$1,540.00 |
Isabella Dicken Elementary |
Fernie |
Drawn on Nature; natural materials in art |
$3,500.00 |
J Alfred Laird Elementary |
Invermere |
Images and Identity |
$1,908.12 |
J V Humphries Elem-Sec |
Kaslo |
Intermediate Ab-Ed. Drum Making Project |
$2,489.00 |
J V Humphries Elem-Sec |
Kaslo |
JVH Cube – K-12 School Community Felting Project |
$3,488.00 |
James L Webster Elementary |
Trail |
Friendship Dance |
$525.00 |
John Oliver Secondary |
Vancouver |
Layers of the Self: exploring identity through art |
$1,950.00 |
John Oliver Secondary |
Vancouver |
The Art of Belonging |
$1,820.00 |
Kenneth Gordon Maplewood School |
North Vancouver |
The Firefly Project |
$3,490.00 |
Kerrisdale Elementary |
Vancouver |
Weaving Currents of Change |
$3,500.00 |
Kitimat City High |
Kitimat |
Exploring Indigenous Art Forms |
$3,500.00 |
L A Matheson Secondary |
Surrey |
Still Here: Black Histories and Futures in BC |
$4,772.00 |
Langdale Elementary |
Gibsons |
Fairy Tale Mash-Up |
$3,500.00 |
Langley Fine Arts School |
Fort Langley |
Songwrighting Workshop with Laura Kwerk |
$2,547.00 |
Lord Nelson Elementary |
Vancouver |
Twirl, Slide, Blur |
$1,981.00 |
Lord Tweedsmuir Elementary |
New Westminster |
Who am I? Building Identity through Puppets |
$3,500.00 |
Lucerne Elem-Secondary |
New Denver |
Once Upon a Mattress |
$3,500.00 |
Manoah Steves Elementary |
Richmond |
Weaving the past into the future |
$1,232.00 |
McBride Centennial Elementary |
McBride |
Finding Our Voices |
$1,229.00 |
Mitchell Elementary |
Richmond |
The Bird Project |
$3,500.00 |
Moscrop Jr Secondary |
Burnaby |
Inside the Mask - A deeper perspective on Mask |
$3,150.00 |
Mount Sentinel Secondary |
South Slocan |
Shadow Boxes; The Poetic Theatre of Me |
$2,303.00 |
Mount Sentinel Secondary |
South Slocan |
Medley of Art |
$2,450.00 |
Muheim Memorial Elementary |
Smithers |
PROJECT MEMORY: I am here |
$3,500.00 |
Nanoose Bay Elementary |
Nanoose Bay |
Self-Discovery: Imagination, Building and Design |
$3,479.00 |
Nanoose Bay Elementary |
Nanoose Bay |
The Three C's of Effective Communication |
$3,339.00 |
Nathan Barton Elementary |
Gincolth |
Cultural Identity |
$9,781.00 |
New Westminster Secondary |
New Westminster |
Rocksolid Social Justice Theatre |
$3,500.00 |
Nootka Elementary |
Vancouver |
Little Heroes: Comedic Character Showcase and Prod |
$3,346.00 |
North Island Distance Education School - iclass |
Courtenay |
The Duchess’ Bath |
$3,500.00 |
North Island Distance Education School - iclass |
Courtenay |
Finding Harmony |
$3,500.00 |
Oak Bay Secondary |
Victoria |
Ryan Oliver Big Band Interpretation & Jazz Concept |
$3,000.00 |
Oak Bay Secondary |
Victoria |
Exploring Diversity and Power through movement |
$2,450.00 |
Oaklands Elementary |
Victoria |
Oaklands Totem/Legacy Project |
$10,000.00 |
Pacific School of Innovation and Inquiry |
Victoria |
Community Collaborative Creation |
$3,250.00 |
Pemberton Secondary |
Pemberton |
Professional Visual Journaling Tattoo |
$3,224.00 |
Pender Islands Elem-Sec |
Pender Island |
Uniting Gulf Island Schools Through Music |
$9,310.00 |
Penelakut Island School |
Penelakut Island |
My life on an island by the children of Penelakut |
$3,500.00 |
Penelakut Island School |
Penelakut Island |
Sing.Dance.Drum |
$10,000.00 |
Quarterway Elementary |
Nanaimo |
Exploring Our Feelings Through Drama |
$1,120.00 |
Queen Mary Community Elementary, North Vancouver |
North Vancouver |
The Firefly Project |
$1,675.00 |
Queen Mary Elementary, Vancouver |
Vancouver |
Growing Together |
$3,500.00 |
Quilchena Elementary, Vancouver |
Vancouver |
World-building and book binding project |
$2,125.00 |
Redfish Elementary |
Nelson |
Animating A Relationship with Nature |
$868.00 |
Reynolds Secondary |
Victoria |
The Voice is a World |
$3,500.00 |
Roberts Creek Elementary |
Roberts Creek |
Fibre Forward: Excursions in the Textile Arts |
$2,800.00 |
S J Willis Educational Centre |
Victoria |
Traces of Topaz |
$2,017.00 |
Saltspring Elementary |
Saltspring Island |
Creative Nature Connection in Our Own Backyard |
$3,500.00 |
Saltspring Island Middle School |
Saltspring Island |
Voices of Spring |
$3,500.00 |
Selkirk Montessori School |
Victoria |
Stories Alive |
$1,654.00 |
Sensisyusten House of Learning |
Westbank |
Gourd Animal Masks |
$2,500.00 |
Simon Cunningham Elementary |
Surrey |
Fashion Machine |
$3,500.00 |
Snc'c'amala?tn School |
Vernon |
These are All My Relations |
$3,500.00 |
South Canoe Outdoor Learning School |
Salmon Arm |
Sense of Place Songs |
$2,996.00 |
South Sa-Hali Elementary |
Kamloops |
Body Music Performance Intensive |
$3,500.00 |
Sparwood Secondary |
Sparwood |
Voices Unite |
$595.00 |
Sparwood Secondary |
Sparwood |
Blacksmithin in a Coal Town |
$3,500.00 |
Spencer Middle School |
Victoria |
Na’ Tsa’ Maht (One Mind - One Spirit) |
$3,500.00 |
St Mary's School, Chilliwack |
Chilliwack |
History and Exploration of Dance |
$3,094.00 |
St Patrick's School, Victoria |
Victoria |
Exploring Identity through Art and FPPL |
$3,500.00 |
Summerland Montessori School |
Summerland |
Moving tales: Rhythm, movement, and storytelling |
$2,100.00 |
Sunrise Alternative School |
Vancouver |
Agency and Connection through Art |
$2,007.00 |
Suwa'lkh Learning Centre |
Coquitlam |
Interactive Play and sharing circle: INHERITANCE |
$3,500.00 |
Tahayghen Elementary |
Masset |
Creature Concepts |
$3,500.00 |
Tecumseh Elementary |
Vancouver |
Our Names, Ourselves |
$895.00 |
The Whole School |
Winlaw |
Considering The Whole |
$3,500.00 |
Thunderbird Elementary |
Vancouver |
New Garden, Fresh Eyes |
$3,500.00 |
Trafalgar Elementary |
Vancouver |
UNESCO Utopia school mural & song |
$3,500.00 |
Trafalgar Middle School |
Nelson |
Working Together on Global Issues |
$1,736.00 |
Tsawalk Learning Centre |
Gold River |
Well Being Blankets Connecting Media and Fibre art |
$10,000.00 |
Valemount Elementary |
Valemount |
Masking Emotions |
$1,322.00 |
Vancouver Technical Secondary |
Vancouver |
Karaoke Video Pool |
$3,500.00 |
Wellington Secondary |
Nanaimo |
Tim Sars Trio at Wellington Secondary |
$2,870.00 |
West Vancouver Secondary |
West Vancouver |
Flipping Perspectives of Space, Place, & History |
$10,000.00 |
Westside Montessori Academy |
Vancouver |
Exploration in Drawing and Painting |
$2,800.00 |
Winlaw Elementary School |
Winlaw |
History of Discrimination in the Slocan Valley |
$3,500.00 |
Witset Elementary Secondary School |
Smithers |
Moving Forward Without Hesitation |
$10,000.00 |
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