Project QuickStart is designed to support project grants of up to $1000 for schools and school districts that are planning to conduct a short term residency experiences with specific Illinois artists during a school year. Priority is given to first-time applicants to the Illinois Arts Council.
- The purpose of this funding opportunity is to encourage schools to build new relationships with the state's artistic community.
- The proposed project should meet a specific community or curricular need identified by current staff and/or expand the artistic opportunities for the targeted group of students. Activities are limited to hands-on workshops, classes, demonstrations and lectures.
- Performances for large audiences must be linked with specific programs for a smaller group of students.
- Projects in any artistic discipline are eligible for funding. The QuickStart funds will support an artist to work on-site up to six days over no more than a six week period to complete the project. Each project should be designed by the selected artist and sponsoring school/school district to provide a creative, hands-on experience for a defined group of participants.
- Applicants cannot request funding to use employees as the artists for Quickstart projects.Artists who are currently employed by the school district in any capacity are not eligible to be the project artists.
Examples of Programs
- A visual artist is contracted for three days by an elementary school to inservice teachers on how to create murals that involves groups of children who have researched historical events that occurred in their community.
- A poet is brought in by a school librarian to conduct a weekly writing workshop involving parents and children that culminates in a public reading of their work created over six weeks.
- A theater artist works after school with a language arts teacher to direct a community performance of a one-act play written by students.
