Friends of the Cardinal Center Receives Award for Arts Week

The Ohio Art Educators Association (OAEA) Western Region has honored the Friends of the Cardinal Center with their Distinguished Business for Art Education award. The award was accepted on behalf of the Friends by Brett Clark (Cardinal Center Summer Arts Coordinator) at the OAEA Western Region annual awards luncheon held June 22nd at the Dayton Art Institute. The Friends received the award for its Arts Week! program launched in the summer of 2015. The first program was attended by 27 young artists in grades 5-7 who spent five mornings creating three projects on the theme of habitats. Julie Brewer, Greenville City Schools Art Instructor, designed and taught the week’s program. The week wrapped up with an exhibition of the students’ work. The 2015 Arts Week! was funded by a grant from the Darke County Endowment for the Arts.

The Friends of the Cardinal are building on their success by expanding the 2016 Arts Week! program to include grades 3 to 12. Currently, there are 54 students signed up to take advantage of the program, which is offered completely free to Darke County students. This year’s theme is identity. Arts Week! runs from 10am to 3pm from August 8 to 12 ending with a public exhibition of students’ work from 6-8pm on August 12th. The grades 6-8 section is filled to capacity, but there are still a few spots open in the 3-5 and 9-12 sections. Interested students can still register by contacting Brett Clark at bpclark309@gmail.com no later than August 4th.

The 2016 Arts Week! is made possible by grants and donations from the following: Darke County Endowment for the Arts, Village of Gettysburg Youth Fund, Greenville Rotary Club, Greenville National Bank, Tom & Barb Menke, Keller Grain & Feed, Denlinger Enterprises, Second National Bank, Francis Furniture, and B&D Pizza.