N.C. GlaxoSmithKline Foundation Makes $2M Grant to N.C. Museum of Art for Educational Resources

Feb. 21, 2012 - PRLog -- RALEIGH, N.C.—Governor Beverly Perdue, N.C. GSK Foundation Chairman Bob Ingram and Cultural Resources Secretary Linda Carlisle joined N.C. Museum of Art Director Lawrence J. Wheeler today to announce a $2 million grant to the Museum, representing a multi-year commitment through 2016.

The funding will support a series of professional development programs and Web resources (www.artnc.org) to assist North Carolina teachers in the integration of art across the disciplines in grades K-12.

The project (“The Big Picture”) provides professional development resources, workshops, and distance-learning courses to help K–12 teachers of all disciplines learn art-based strategies for promoting student achievement and enhancing their motivation to learn. Other project components include: free triannual educator expos; an annual teaching fellowship award; student exhibitions at the Museum; and an enhanced version of the award-winning ArtNC Web site, which features integrated lesson plans, online professional development tools, and opportunities for sharing best practices with peers.

The Big Picture programming is designed around teaching concepts — such as investigation, perception, communication and problem solving — that are critical aspects of instruction across grade levels, subject areas, content, and skills; it also directly relates to NCMA works of art and their historical contexts.

“The N.C. GSK Foundation is delighted to provide funding for the Museum to apply across educational disciplines,” said Marilyn Foote-Hudson, executive director, N.C. GSK Foundation. “This new approach to learning will inspire North Carolina children to learn and thrive.”

“Education has always been part of the fabric of who we are as a people in North Carolina, and it's the key to our future,” said Gov. Bev Perdue. “Innovative programs like ‘The Big Picture’ are two-fold. They help sharpen teachers’ professional skills and instill the creative and critical thinking skills that our children will need to be 21st-century leaders.”

“Public-private partnerships are vital to our work at the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources,” said Secretary Linda A. Carlisle.  “This generous gift from the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation is a strategic investment in our state’s cultural infrastructure.”

For the last decade, the North Carolina Museum of Art has designed programs for select schools that integrate the visual arts across the curriculum for grades K–12. Outside evaluations document that these programs give students the critical and competitive advantage of being actively engaged in their own learning. They become deeper thinkers, demonstrate greater confidence and express a strong sense of accomplishment in the classroom. This new funding will allow the Museum to amplify programming and extend these same benefits to more than 150,000 teachers and students statewide.

“Our educational programming is nationally recognized for its innovation and positive impact in the communities we serve. Art integration inspires teachers who in turn inspire creative thinking in their students,” said Lawrence J. Wheeler, NCMA director. “We are deeply grateful to the Foundation for their commitment to this powerful vision for a more creatively inspired future for the children of our state.”

The grant represents a significant leadership gift to the NCMA Foundation’s $50 million Our Transformation campaign to support programs, endowment, and operations. It is one of the largest gifts given to the campaign to date.



About the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation:
The North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation supports activities that help meet the educational and health needs of today’s society and future generations. The Foundation wards traditional and Ribbon of Hope grants to organizations with programs focused in North Carolina, which promote the advancement of education, science, and health.


About the North Carolina Museum of Art:
The North Carolina Museum of Art’s permanent collection spans more than 5,000 years, from ancient Egypt to the present, making the institution one of the premier art museums in the Southeast. The Museum’s collection provides educational, intellectual, recreational, and cultural experiences for the citizens of North Carolina and beyond. The 164-acre Museum Park showcases the connection between art and nature through monumental works of environmental art. The Museum offers changing national touring exhibitions, classes, lectures, family activities, films, and concerts. Admission is free to the Museum and Museum Park; fees are charged for special exhibitions and some programming. (919) 839-NCMA | www.ncartmuseum.org.

The North Carolina Museum of Art, Lawrence J. Wheeler, director, is located at 2110 Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh. It is the art museum of the State of North Carolina, Beverly Eaves Perdue, governor, and an agency of the Department of Cultural Resources, Linda A. Carlisle, secretary.

About the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources:
The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources annually serves more than 19 million people through its 27 historic sites, seven history museums, two art museums, the nation’s first state-supported  Symphony Orchestra, the State Library, the N.C. Arts Council, and the State Archives. Cultural Resources champions North Carolina’s creative industry, which employs nearly 300,000 North Carolinians and contributes more than $41 billion to the state’s economy. To learn more, visit www.ncculture.com.

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The N.C. Department of Cultural Resources is the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina’s social, cultural and economic future. www.ncculture.com