Arts Reading Program

Outreach • Arts for Kids • Artscape/Camps • Reading Program

Arts Reading Program
You might wonder why the Arts Council needs financial and in-kind support from the community and so we are going to take the time to highlight one of our outreach programs that benefits from our events and membership money.

The Arts Reading Program was created and is administered by the Greater Augusta Arts Council. The Greater Augusta Arts Council partners with the Morris Museum of Art and the Junior League of Augusta to deliver this program.

Of the 35 schools in Richmond County, only 5 have visual arts teachers on staff. This program responds to a need in Richmond County Public Schools for art experiences for students. The Arts Reading Program is targeted to third grade students and explores the arts through connections with language arts to provide students with an educational experience that is both meaningful and exciting. Through monthly hands-on art activities and children's literature, students are introduced to famous artists and their works and to the arts of other cultures.

The Arts Reading Program is currently in two different elementary schools: Meadowbrook and Sue Reynolds and serves approximately 300 children.

The Arts Reading Program consists of 9 lessons. The structure of each lesson is as follows:

The volunteer introduces and reads the book
The volunteer views and discusses the art reproductions with the students
Students will create an art project that is linked to the book
Volunteer will review the objectives of the lesson and the vocabulary words.

The lessons are taught by volunteers from the Junior League of Augusta who are trained by the Greater Augusta Arts Council and the Morris Museum of Art. We are currently looking to expand the program by giving children 3 books and by partnering with the libraries in each school to encourage students to read on their own.

Why is our Arts Reading Program important to the CSRA?

This program is important because research shows that when books are available in the home children do better in school. Also, students who are not reading on grade level by the end of 3rd grade are much less likely to graduate from high school.

Georgia in particular has some startling statistics in regard to literacy and education:

One in five of our children lives in poverty and 61% of low-income families do not have a single book suitable for a child
A third of our children come to school unprepared to learn
Georgia has the nation's 3rd highest rate of high school drop outs
One in four adults in Georgia operates at a low literacy level
Illiteracy and low-literate workers cost Georgia businesses $7 billion each year

We feel that our program helps combat the epidemic of illiteracy in our state. Our program helps instill a love for reading and art in the children who participate, a love that will extend well into the future.

For more information, contact Grace Bowles or call 706.826.4702.