Arts Horizons Special Education Academy Awarded 2011 Flutie Foundation Grant

Arts Horizons’ Special Education Artist Academy (SEAA) is a proud 2011 recipient of the Flutie Foundation Grant.

The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation is dedicated to increasing awareness and improving the quality of life for people and families living with autism. Part of their mission is to fund advocacy programs as well as educational, therapeutic, and recreational opportunities. Annually, the Foundation awards grants to non-profit organizations and schools that provide services, education and advocacy for children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

SEAA, now in its 5^th season, will use this grant to continue its intensive training for teaching artists through theater, dance and visual arts programs for students with autism in NYC Department of Special Education, District 75.  Training includes mentorship, practicum experience and professional development for best practices in special education and the arts. To learn more and see a video about SEAA, click here.

We would like to thank the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for supporting our efforts!

For more information contact, Dena Malarek:

Dena Malarek,
Director, Special Populations and NYC Residencies
dena@artshorizons.org
NJ Phone: 201-567-1766 * 108
NY Phone: 212-268-7219 * 108
Fax: 201-567-5312

AIE West Caldwell Graphic Arts Residency

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For the third annual “Student to Student Mentoring” program, mentors from James Caldwell High School were paired up with students from Washington Elementary School. This year, the program promotes literacy within the district by pairing 21 special education high school students with 28 special education elementary students for a letter writing campaign and a shared interest in reading.

In addition to this year’s new literacy theme, the program was steered in a fun creative direction. Sponsored by the Caldwell-West Caldwell Education Foundation, the program’s expansion allowed the student mentors to write children’s books that were later illustrated by students enrolled in the James Caldwell High School’s computer graphics classes. The classes were led by art teacher, Mea Amacher with support from resident artist, writer and illustrator, Irene Kelly.

An Artist -in-Education (AIE) grant funded the book project and was secured by Robin Keil, the program’s advisor and special education teacher and Amacher. The AIE program is carried out through a partnership between the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a Partner Agency of the national Endowment for the Arts, and a consortium made up of Arts Horizons and Young Audiences New Jersey.

The finished children’s books will be on display at the Caldwell Public Library in March 2012.