The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has received $750,000 in grants to support and expand its UTSA Arts’ Young Artist Programs.
Earlier this summer, UTSA appointed Emilie Amrein as the Founding Director of UTSA Arts, a program dedicated to community arts education, presenting performances and exhibitions, and arts-based research and partnerships. As a part of its offerings, UTSA Arts provides Young Artist Programs that make quality visual arts education available to low-income children and teens in San Antonio.
In a press release, Melissa Mahan, UTSA Associate Vice Provost explained that prior to the COVID-19 pandemic the Young Artist Programs served 5,000 students. Many organizations are still recovering from the effects of the pandemic, including reduced financial support and attendance numbers. During the 2023 fiscal year, the Young Artist Programs served 2,500 kindergarten through 12th grade students, and the organization expects significant growth for the current fiscal year.
While the Young Artist Programs have evolved over the past 50 years, the current programs include: Saturday Morning Discovery, a multi-generational family program that provides exposure to the arts; Summer Arts Studios, in-person classes for children and teens at UTSA Southwest studios; Kids Initiating Design Solutions, a partnership with four San Antonio Independent School District schools where local experts volunteer their time teaching students about architectural design and urban planning; the Teen Intensive Studio Program, a program to support middle and high school students in the development of their portfolios by engaging them with instructors and guest artists; and the new Artist-in-Residence program, which builds connections between teaching artists and local schools to create installations and collaborative projects.
Heather Shipley, UTSA Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, spoke about the program’s history and its importance. She explained, “The Young Artist Programs at the UTSA Southwest Campus have been developed over the course of five decades by the professional arts administrators at the former Southwest School of Art and have become one of the largest and most outstanding visual arts education programs established for low-income students in San Antonio. Arts programs have the potential to teach children and teens valuable skills for future success including critical thinking, creativity, and emotional intelligence.”
UTSA Arts Young Artist Programs. Photo courtesy of The University of Texas at San Antonio.
The grants received were initiated by a $500,000 grant made by the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, which supports organizations in Bandera, Bexar, Comal, and Kendall counties. UTSA added matching gifts from other local and national foundations over the past year to total $750,000 in support for its Young Artist Programs.
Marie-Claire Valdez, the new Director of the Young Artist Programs remarked, “This incredible support will enable us to benefit students by providing more access to arts instructors, new high-quality programming, and to create new community partnerships.”
Laura Vaccaro, CEO of the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation, noted “In the years following the pandemic, we’ve seen less philanthropic dollars flowing to arts organizations. We hope that this gift will inspire others to see the value of investing in arts education for all students and the profound good that comes from building vibrant communities.”
Learn more about the Young Artist Programs via UTSA’s website.
