The Cathedral Arts Project has been approved for a $50,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to continue its work on the Landscape of Education in the Arts in Duval and introduce a new Arts in Schools Certification system allowing for more transparency in supporting equitable access to arts education.
“In my three-plus decades in education, I’ve learned we can’t see the arts as a separate component to a child’s education; the arts are education, and they carry aspects of learning that you can’t find anywhere else,” said Dr. Diana L. Greene Superintendent of Duval County Public Schools.
Along with partners from Duval County Public Schools and Florida Data Science for Social Good (FL-DSSG) at the University of North Florida, CAP will create an Arts in Schools Certification system for Northeast Florida, which will produce a roadmap for expanding quality and access in the arts. This will be a shared system for measuring and understanding equity in access and a tool to support principals’ decisions to grow arts instruction in their schools.
CAP arts-integration students from Hyde Grove Elementary
“We will continue to partner with the Cathedral Arts Project and assist with creating an Arts in Schools Certification system to measure the depth and breadth of arts education opportunities in the Duval County Public Schools,” said Dr. Karthikeyan Umapathy, Associate Professor in Computing at UNF.
This grant is one of 1,251 Grants for Arts Projects awards totaling nearly $28.8 million that were announced by the NEA as part of its first round of fiscal year 2023 grants. CAP is one of 44 arts organizations in Florida to receive a Grants for Arts Projects award, and one of only three organizations in the state to be awarded $50,000 or more.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support arts projects in communities nationwide,” said NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “Projects such as this one with CAP strengthen arts and cultural ecosystems, provide equitable opportunities for arts participation and practice, and contribute to the health of our communities and our economy.”
CAP to receive a grant award from the @NEAarts to continue the LEAD project and introduce arts certification for schools in the community. Click To TweetThe Arts in Schools Certification will show actionable pathways for schools to improve their arts offerings with families and community partners. This will generate a deep understanding of the arts education landscape while leveraging existing resources and community relationships as part of a high-quality education.
“We are honored to continue our partnership with DCPS and FL-DSSG to create the Arts in Schools Certification system,” said Dr. Lucy Chen, Vice President of Advocacy & Community Engagement for CAP. “This data-driven system will measure the depth and breadth of arts education opportunities in DCPS, providing a valuable tool for our community to drive change for access and equity in arts education.”
About Florida Data Science for Social Good:
The Florida Data Science for Social Good (FL-DSSG) program blends data science and technology design to inform and solve important social problems in Florida. We intend to accomplish this goal by partnering with nonprofit and public sector organizations in Florida, analyzing their data, and finding impactful solutions to social issues. The FL-DSSG program provides internships for students from diverse disciplines to work on these data science projects along with our community partners. Nonprofit and public-sector organizations receive data analysis and visualization reports supporting their work in the Florida communities. Florida DSSG is hosted at the University of North Florida (UNF).
About the National Endowment for the Arts:
Established by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the Arts is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. Learn more at arts.gov.
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