Living Sky School Division No. 202 in North Battleford has been awarded a $10,000 ArtsSmarts grant from the Saskatchewan Arts Board “to have kindergarten students dance feelings and ideas about the environment with dance artist Ashley Johnson.”
Johnson is resident guest dancer with LSSD, teaching creative dance. Her work explores ways to provide students with the language to express the dance concept verbally and through movement, according to the division’s website.
ArtsSmarts Saskatchewan says it offers arts and education grants to schools, artists and community partnerships for innovative projects in any art form that bring K-12 students and professional artists together. This program is offered through a partnership among the Saskatchewan Arts Board, Saskatchewan Ministry of Education and SaskCulture Inc. ArtsSmarts Saskatchewan belongs to a national network of ArtsSmarts programs across the country.
At the most recent grant deadlines, the Saskatchewan Arts Board awarded funding to more than 125 individuals and organizations, totaling more than $955,000. Arts board funding supports a variety of initiatives, including organizations that provide ongoing programs in the arts, the creative work of professional artists, community art projects and the engagement of professional artists to work in schools with students and teachers.
The Saskatchewan Arts Board was established in 1948 as the first agency of its kind in North America and second in the world to the Arts Council of Great Britain. In the decades since then, it has continued as a leader in Canada and builds on this strong tradition to meet ongoing opportunities for public investment in the arts community. The Arts Board recognizes, encourages and supports the arts to enrich community well-being, creativity, diversity and prosperity. For more information on programs and services, visit www.saskartsboard.ca.
