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Artist-in-Residence Program Launches for 2016-2017 School Year

Artist-in-Residence Program Launches for 2016-2017 
Program Meets With Continued Growth and Success

The Arts Council’s Young Creatives: Artist-in-ResidenceProgram for the 2016-2017 school year began this week in the Lansing School District. This year the program has grown, adding additional scholarships and teaching artists, plus a soon-to-be-launched website. 

Bringing back art
A component of the Arts Council’s Young Creatives Program, the Artist-in-Residence Program was designed as a resource to support funding of supplemental art education in Lansing School District elementary classrooms, supporting classroom teachers with professional artists and encouraging arts integration with core curriculum. 

Community support
The program, which made its debut in 2015-2016 thanks to a Lansing Rotary Foundation grant, is being funded this year through a $15,000 grant from the Capital Region Community Foundation and a match through the Lansing School District. As a result of these funds, the Arts Council will launch an Artists-in-Residence website in mid-February, which features an artist roster, program FAQs, artist and volunteer applications and much more. The funds also allow for an increase in scholarships and teaching artists, taking the program from eight residencies to 14 in 2017.

Meet the Artists and Schools

Wanda Degen, musician: Wanda will teach two dulcimer residencies at Wexford Montessori Academy
Tia Imani Hana, vocalist, violinist, composer: Tia will teach one residency at Willow Elementary
Liz Wylegala, visual artist: Liz will teach one residency at Mt. Hope STEAM Elementary and one residency at Attwood Elementary
M. Jane Gamble, dancer: Jane will teach one residency at Willow Lions Academy
Diane Newman, dancer: Diane will teach one residency at Forest View Elementary
Petra Daher, new media storyteller: Petra will teach one puppetry residency at Cavanaugh STEAM Elementary
L. Paige Dunckel, children’s theatre: Paige will teach one puppetry residency at Vivian Riddle Elementary
Mila Theroux, visual artist: Mila will teach one residency at REO Elementary
John Hay, puppeteer: John will teach one residency at Lewton Elementary

Creative Collaborations 
The Arts Council is very excited to work with all of these wonderful artists to bring art to area students and looks forward to the continued growth of the program throughout the Greater Lansing Region. We are grateful for their participation and for the collaborative efforts of all the teaching specialists and principals from the Lansing schools, as well as the generosity of the Capital Region Community Foundation and the Lansing School District who make this program possible.