ShadowLight Productions Receives California Arts Council “Artists in Schools” Grant
The California Arts Council, a state agency, announced that it plans to award $10,200 to ShadowLight Productions as part of its Artists in Schools program.
The Artists in Schools program supports projects that integrate community arts resources — artists and professional art organizations — into comprehensive, standards-based arts learning projects for California's students. This year, the California Arts Council’s Artist in Schools program will allow 144 arts organizations to hire 580 teaching artists that will serve a total of more than 43,000 students in 323 schools across California.
This award will support our Shadow Theatre Arts Education residency program at four San Francisco Bay Area Schools during the 2016/2017 school year. Our professional teaching artists will instructmulti-week shadow theatre residencies at our partner school sites (in San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley), all of which will culminate in original shadow theatre projects created and performed by participating students. Students will engage in our unique shadow theatre form, which blends theatre, literary and visual arts, dance, film, animation and music. These immersive residencies are part of the partnering schools' arts integration efforts and are tailor-designed in collaboration with each school site coordinator.
“When we reflect upon our mission and the ancient shadow theatre traditions upon which we stand, we realize that the essence of our legacy lies in sharing: inspiring the next generation to take part in the long lineage of Shadow Theatre traditions. Disseminated by master artists, Shadow Theatre is traditionally a community-building art form. With this as our inspiration, we will continue to train young shadow theatre artists and performers in workshops and in our major productions, and by immersing public school students in the art form through our residency program and DVD series.” - Larry Reed
The news of ShadowLight’s grant was featured as part of a larger announcement from the California Arts Council, which can be viewed online at http://arts.ca.gov/news/pressreleases.php.
“California Arts Council grants provide vital support for projects in diverse communities across our state,” said Craig Watson, Director of the California Arts Council. “This was an historic year of state arts support. We are proud to invest more than $8.5 million in funding 712 grant projects that will stimulate local growth and prosperity, and meet the needs of our communities through deep engagement with culture and creative expression.”
The California Arts Council will continue to grow the reach of its programs in the coming year, as the result of a significant one-time state arts funding increase for 2016-17 announced last week.
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Founded in 1972 (incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1994) by filmmaker, theatre artist Larry Reed, ShadowLight Productions’ mission is to expose the general public to shadow theater and other art forms. As one of the very few professional shadow theatre companies in the world, we strive to demonstrate a wide spectrum of Shadow Theatre to audiences of all ages and backgrounds, and our arts-in-education program lies at the heart of our mission. For more information, visit: www.ShadowLight.org
The mission of the California Arts Council, a state agency, is to advance California through the arts and creativity. The Council is committed to building public will and resources for the arts; fostering accessible arts initiatives that reflect contributions from all of California's diverse populations; serving as a thought leader and champion for the arts; and providing effective and relevant programs and services. Learn more at www.arts.ca.gov.