Partners in the Arts now accepting applications for 2013-14 awards

Partners in the Arts, a program of the School of Professional & Continuing Studies, is now accepting applications for its 2013-14 PIA Awards. The awards support arts integration projects developed by preK-12 teachers to carry out in their schools. PIA Award amounts range from $1,500-$10,000.

PIA Awards fund projects that use a wide range of art forms, including visual, performing, digital and literary, to teach the preK-12 curriculum. Projects should make lasting changes in how the curriculum is taught and build students’ ability to learn through collaboration, innovation, and critical thinking. PIA Awards cover the cost of visiting artists, supplies, and some additional expenses needed to implement projects.

Partners in the Arts is the region’s premiere arts integration program, training educators to use the arts to teach all subjects. Since the program was founded in 1994, it has provided more than two million dollars in resources to regional schools. PIA’s annual Joan Oates Institute prepares teachers to create their own specialized unit and lesson plans for integrating arts in every classroom. The plans can form the basis for PIA Award applications but any educator in a school system that is a member of the PIA Consortium is eligible to apply for awards.

Letters of Intent for awards are due December 7, 2012. Invitations to submit a full proposal will be sent in mid-January, with final proposals due March 11, 2013. Information about applying for a PIA Award and the Letter of Intent form are available on the awards page of the Partners in the Arts website. Descriptions of previously funded projects can also be found there.

PIA staff members are available to work with applicants to develop their projects and to provide award workshops to large and small groups of educators. Please contact Partners in the Arts at pia@richmond.edu or (804) 955-4016 to discuss project ideas or arrange for a free workshop.