Arts Guild New Jersey awarded new grant for art education programs

RAHWAY — Arts Guild New Jersey has announced the award of a $5000 grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities for the New York Tri-State Area. This grant, half from the tri-state branch of the organization and half from RMHC Global, was awarded for expenses pertaining to the 2014 Arts Guild New Jersey Art Education programs for children.

During the winter, spring and fall, Arts Guild New Jersey presents 8-week sessions of classes for children, ages 7-11, and teens, ages 12-16. These popular classes include Drawing for Teens, Expressive Drawing for children, Sculpture for children, Anime/Manga Cartooning for Teens and Cartooning for Children. For four weeks during the summer, Kids and Teens Summer Art Workshops are offered. Each children’s workshop runs for 5 days for 1 ½ hours per day. The Teen Sessions run for 5 days for 2 hours per day. Fees vary. Children’s Workshops include: painting, drawing, sculpture, storytelling and Cartooning and Teen sessions include Manga Cartooning, Painting and sculpture. In summer 2013, 225 students participated in the summer program.

Arts Guild New Jersey also provides six to eight weeks of free weekly art instruction to 4- and 5-year old children enrolled in the Rahway Public School District Pre-K program. The program serves as many as 200 Pre-K children each school year. The organization’s mission calls in part for the promotion of life-long learning in the arts for people of all ages. Students range in age from 4-years-old to late seventies or eighties and classes offered are among the most affordable in all of New Jersey at venues of this kind.

“We are delighted to receive support from Ronald McDonald House Charities for children’s art education. Our art education programs are growing and we have been seeking new sources to support this recent new growth and expansion. We aim to serve adults and children at all levels of experience and we believe that it is important to provide these kinds of learning opportunities for the growing numbers of people who are expressing interest in learning about art,” says Arts Guild NJ Executive Director, Lawrence Cappiello, “ Ronald McDonald House Charities does tremendous work all over the country supporting arts opportunities for children – it’s an invaluable service worthy of recognition.”

“As an expressive medium, art is beneficial to the development of children as it enhances their ability to express themselves,” said Christopher Perry, Ronald McDonald House Charities New York Tri-State Area’s Executive Director. “In keeping with our organization’s Mission of supporting programs that directly improve the well-being of children, we are proud to support the Arts Guild New Jersey’s Art Education programs for children.”

ABOUT ARTS GUILD NEW JERSEY
Arts Guild New Jersey, located at 1670 Irving Street in downtown Rahway, is a non-profit multidisciplinary center for the arts, which provides quality arts programming for the benefit of residents of Northern and Central New Jersey. Each year the Arts Guild presents a series of fine art exhibitions, winter, spring and fall art classes and workshops for adults and children at all levels of experience and a popular kids’ and teens summer art workshop program. Other arts and cultural events and programs are offered throughout the year. For more information about the learning opportunities at Arts Guild NJ, or about Art Exhibitions, Artist Career Training and other activities please visit www.agnj.org or email [email protected].