Mar 22, 2021 3 min read

An arts-in-education initiative is expanding into Greene County with the approval of $95,000 in grants.

The Fayette County Cultural Trust received a $20,000 grant from the EQT Foundation and a $75,000 grant from the Benedum Foundation for the expansion of their Rural Arts Collaborative (RAC) initiative into Greene County.

The RAC initiative was created to infuse a diverse arts education approach into existing curriculum, enhance social and cognitive learning for students and contribute to sustained partnership amongst educators, artists and students in schools experiencing cutbacks or entire elimination of their arts programs.

“The schools and the superintendents have been really favorable with integrating the arts with different disciplines,” said Carmelle Nickens, the founder of RAC.

The program includes an artist residency for a full semester or a full year at a school. A lead teacher works with the artist on project-based learning, which results in a public art piece, performance or video to create some lasting form of art that will be part of the students, school and community.

“That public outcome is one of the things we require,” Nickens said. “Not only is it good for students by fostering engagement and dedication and ownership and pride with what they’re doing, but it’s great to see how the community benefits.”

She said the grant allows the artist resident to be at the schools at no cost to the school districts.

“At this point, I can say the Rural Arts Collaborative has served over 70 schools in Western Pennsylvania and close to 20,000 rural students,” Nickens said. “I’m very proud of that.”

Since 2013, the program has taken place in schools across the region like Connellsville Junior High School, Frazier High School, Laurel Highlands Middle School, Burgettstown High School and Ringgold Middle School.

For the first time, the program will go to five Greene County school districts including Carmichaels, Jefferson-Morgan, West Greene, Central Greene and Southeast Greene.

Nickens said the superintendents with those districts are currently deciding which artists they would like to have in the schools. Over the summer, they’ll also identify what grade levels will participate.

She added that the school districts may have either two artist residents in the fall next year and three in the spring, or three in the fall or two in the spring.

“But either way, it will be in the academic year of 2021 and 2022,” Nickens said.

A former educator, Nickens said the arts not only enhance learning abilities in math, science and other disciplines, but art’s hands-on experience fosters the 10 primary skills that are essential for learning across the board like creativity, confidence, problem solving, perseverance, focus, nonverbal communication, receiving constructive feedback, collaboration, dedication and accountability.

“The Fayette County Cultural Trust is very grateful for all the support that the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation and EQT have given the Rural Arts Collaborative program throughout the years,” said Daniel Cocks, the executive director of the trust, which is the fiscal agency for the RAC. “This is an important project that brings area rural artists into a classroom setting teaching students different art forms.”

For more information on the RAC, visit www.ruralartscollaborative.org/.