Arts Quincy receives grants totaling $74,000 to begin classroom program, restart programs for seniors

QUINCY — Arts Quincy is the recipient of two grants totaling $74,000 from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Partners in Excellence Grant and Community Arts Access Program.

These funds allow Arts Quincy to broaden its scope and outreach, benefitting numerous students, including those in underserved rural areas. The grants also will facilitate the reinstatement of programs targeting veterans and senior populations which were temporarily suspended during the COVID crisis.

The grants from the Illinois Arts Council come as a boost to Arts Quincy’s mission of fostering creativity, arts education and community engagement throughout the region. The grants will play a pivotal role in expanding access to arts programs.

The initial grant allocation will be put towards Arts Quincy’s annual outreach initiative, Instant Arts Classroom Program. It provides students opportunities to engage with various art forms such as dance, music, theater, visual arts, literature, history and architecture.

The Instant Arts program opens in September to Adams County teachers who apply for funding to host arts organizations for an in-school performance or activity, bring teaching artists into the classroom for hands-on lessons or take students on a field trip to historic sites, museums, galleries and venues to experience arts and culture. Instant Arts Classroom Program serves thousands of pre-K through 12th grade students each year at over a dozen public, parochial and non-traditional schools throughout the county. The grant will allow Arts Quincy to expand this program as well as its After School Arts Program, which began in 2021.

The grants also enable Arts Quincy to reinstate programs that were temporarily suspended during the COVID crisis at the Illinois Veterans Home and senior living facilities. These initiatives play a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of life for veterans and seniors.

In a press release, Laura Sievert, Arts Quincy executive director, said, “We are immensely grateful to Illinois Arts Council for their unwavering support and confidence in our organization’s vision. With these grants, Arts Quincy will connect more students and seniors to more arts opportunities, and we are thrilled to expand and revive programs that hold a special place in our hearts.”

To be included in Arts Quincy’s Resource guide as an individual teaching artist, contact Jaycie Womack Spake, programs manager, at office@artsquincy.org or call 217-222-3432.