MOULTRIE, Ga. — The Colquitt County Arts Center has received a Vibrant Communities Grant from the Georgia Council for the Arts (GCA). These funds will support partnerships between the Arts Center, Moultrie Service League, and Colquitt County Board of Education in order to bring fourth grade students to the Arts Center for Kaleidoscope Kids’ Days during this school year.

“We are proud to once again be able to award the Vibrant Communities Grant to 78 entities in 52 counties across the state,” said Georgia Council for the Arts Executive Director Karen Paty. “This grant program seeks to advance art projects that support non-profit organizations, government entities, colleges/universities, libraries and schools in their efforts to present cultural opportunities and arts experiences in their communities.”

The Georgia Council for the Arts awarded 78 entities in 52 counties nearly $300,000 in funding, according to a press release. GCA received 100 applications from libraries, schools, arts centers, cities, historical societies, community theaters, Boys & Girls Clubs and more.

Following the National Endowment for the Arts precedent, the Georgia Council for the Arts used Peer Review Panels to adjudicate applications. These panels included fellow professionals who are experienced in the arts discipline or type of grant being reviewed; or are Georgia citizens with a record of involvement in arts activities, experience, and knowledge.

Colquitt County Arts Center was awarded $5,000 to assist in bringing all fourth grade students in the county to a one-day event at the Arts Center.

“For the past several years, second grade students have participated in this program, so there is great excitement to add fourth grade classrooms to Arts Center programming,” the Arts Center said in the press release. “Each class gets one entire school day at the Arts Center, in order to receive visual and art history education and work with hands-on fine art activities.”

Art instructor Harvie Ann Cox will give students a tour of the center, discuss works of art and various media, and complete several art projects that students may take home at the end of the day. The Colquitt County Board of Education will provide the transportation to and from the Arts Center, and Moultrie Service League members will volunteer to work with students. Parents are also invited to attend the day of fun with their children.

“The Colquitt County Arts Center is grateful to the Georgia Council for the Arts for this opportunity to bring the community together in order to share a fun art-filled day with students,” the press release said.  

The Georgia Council for the Arts is a division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development whose mission is to cultivate the growth of vibrant, thriving Georgia communities through the arts. GCA provides grant funding, programs and services statewide that support the vital arts industry, preserve the state’s cultural heritage, increase tourism and nurture strong communities. Funding for Georgia Council for the Arts is provided by appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.

To learn more about the Vibrant Community Grant and the upcoming Kaleidoscope Kids’ Days, please contact the Colquitt County Arts Center at 229-985-1922, stop by the office at 401 Seventh Ave. S.W., visit www.colquittcountyarts.com, or follow the Arts Center on social media.