Ideas to inspire
from the winning entries
for PTA Cultural Arts grants
STORAGE OPTION:
Create student art portfolios, giving young artists a place to store their prized works and providing family and teachers with a timeline of their progress in knowledge and skill level.
FAMILY FUN:
Hold family and community art workshops focused on different art styles or media. Find workshop leaders by noting that the opportunity offers professional or student artists valuable public exposure, budding teachers some hands-on experience, or just a lot of smiles and good will for artistic PTA volunteers.
WOW FACTOR:
Working with your administration, plan and execute an entry mural at school, giving cultural weight and importance to what are often very plain views presented by our hallowed halls of learning.
BRING IN THE ARTS:
Support excellent programs that come to the school, such as the “Living Voices” presentation. Preview a variety of programs if possible and target them to the best fit for curriculum and maturity.
WORDS TO LIVE BY:
Augment your literacy program with a storyteller night, read-a-thon program, book swaps, and other reading encouragement. Use sale proceeds from a book fair to add more excellent books to the library and classrooms.
GET RESOURCEFUL:
Develop with your council a cultural arts database for the school district or county to enable members of every PTA school to access art-based opportunities for students, teachers, and parents.
BRUSHING UP:
Provide basic art skills for your students by holding after-school art classes, sending volunteers around to classrooms, or providing grade-targeted arts materials to teachers.
ARTS ALL OVER:
Advocate for and help fund, if possible, school and community performances by area cultural, dance or musical groups.
ARTS STARTS:
Advocate for and help fund implementation of an art docent program for the entire student body at your school.
ARTS ENTWINED:
Pursue opportunities for interactive plays for your school and community.
MATERIAL SUPPORT:
Help buy art materials and supplies for all schools in your council. Let it be known that PTA schools have awesome arts support.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE:
Conduct a school districtwide arts project on the theme of inclusive schools. The artwork would be used to create art cards to be used as a fundraiser to fund continued art projects.
