Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation

Berkshire Taconic Arts and Humanities Funds Now in Place for Every Student in Columbia County

October 4, 2010

SHEFFIELD, MA—Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation announces that it has established Arts and Humanities Funds for all six public school districts in Columbia County. Each fund has been created through the generosity of an anonymous donor who has challenged the school communities to build permanent endowments for the benefit of their students. The donor will match dollar for dollar up to $45,000 for the Chatham, Germantown, Kinderhook/Ichabod Crane, New Lebanon, and Taconic Hills school districts and up to $90,000 for the Hudson City School District.

“These funds were established because of the donor’s belief that the arts and humanities are a critical part of every child’s development, boosting their critical thinking skills and expanding their ability for innovation. The money will support our teachers in connecting children with the vast cultural resources in and outside of our region,” said Jennifer Dowley, president of Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.

The donor has also given money to each fund for grantmaking over the course of five years. Once the five years have passed, and the challenges have been met, the funds will begin to spend a portion of their endowments, calculated annually.

Projects made possible by Berkshire Taconic Arts and Humanities Funds in Columbia County

The following is a sample of activities supported by the funds. You can apply online, and get more information about any of the funds to support new projects.

Chatham
Fiction of Edith Wharton
During this week-long course, high school students will read three of Edith Wharton's short stories, along with her novel, Summer, about a young woman living in this area in the late 19th century. They will discuss the author’s life, especially in the Berkshires, and the course will culminate in a visit to the Mount, her home in Lenox, Mass.

Next application deadline: April 20, 2011

Germantown
Artistic Communities Around the World
Students will gain an understanding and better awareness of foreign cultures through presentations and speakers about of various art and music styles from around the world.

Next application deadline: March 30, 2011

Hudson
6th Grade: All 6th graders and their parents will be given the novel, Bystander, by James Preller and the author will lead workshops for both 6th graders and their parents. Carlo Adinolfi (Concrete Temple Theater) will work with 8th and 11th grade students to adapt the Preller novel for puppet-theater. Their audience will be 6th and 2nd graders primarily, but all students will be invited to the performances. The school will use the novel/puppet-play as a launch point for guidance discussions on bullying.

11th Grade: 25 Wacom Bamboo Pen and Touch components will be purchased to complement the current computer art facility. These units allow student to draw without a mouse on their computers and create top-notch graphic art and anime. Barbara Slate, a local graphic artist, will work with students and teachers to adapt novels and plays to help create their own original works.

Kinderhook/Ichabod Crane
Portfolio Day Field Trip
Each year, Sage College organizes an event where representatives from approximately 25 colleges review the art portfolios of junior and senior high school students. The college representatives discuss with each student the strengths of their portfolio and what they would need to improve upon in order to be considered for admittance to college. The Fund will support a field trip to Troy for the review.

Next application deadline: April 30, 2011

New Lebanon
Discovering the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Students will study the history of the Met, as well as research artwork contained in the museum and the lives of those artists. Each student will find one work of art to concentrate on for a painting. They will travel to New York to the museum to see the actual painting and write a critical paper on the work.

Next Application deadline: October 8, 2010

Taconic Hills
On October 25, the fund will host the second Arts and Humanities Career Night Expo at Taconic Hills, bringing in artists, graphic designers, architects, writers and musicians to discuss their careers with students. All Columbia County schools are planning to send students to the event, as well as Pine Plains, Rhinebeck and Red Hook districts in Dutchess County.

Next Application deadline: November 1, 2010

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation supports the administration and development of these arts and humanities funds.

You can donate online to the Arts and Humanities Funds in Columbia County, or by calling 413.229.0370.

Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation builds stronger communities and improves the quality of life for all residents of Berkshire County, MA; Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY; and northwest Litchfield County, CT. Berkshire Taconic connects donors with causes they care about by administering and investing their charitable funds. Thanks to its generous donors, in 2009 Berkshire Taconic distributed nearly $7 million in scholarships and grants for programs in the arts and education, health and human services, and environmental protection. Berkshire Taconic is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

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