2013-370 Arts - Chapel Hill Carrboro Children's Musum 2013 Spring Art Grant Agreement $1,500 (2)

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Kidzu Children's Museum 2013-2014 OCAC General Support Application Narrative Artist-in-Residence Pilot Program--Activity Description In the coming year,we are also very excited to pilot Kidzu's first Artist-in-Residence program at our University Mall "Launch Pad"site. Inspired by successful residency programs at other national children's museums such as the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh and the Omaha Children's Museum,this program will engage a local artist in conducting art projects with Kidzu visitors on-site at our facility. It will also provide opportunities for children to watch and assist a professional artist creating art at our museum,integrating creative products of Kidzu visitors into a collaborative work of art that will become part of Kidzu's collection and will remain on display at the museum. For our first foray into this arena,we plan to offer one,3-month residency that will include hands-on art-making with Kidzu visitors on a monthly basis during our Free Sunday events,to ensure maximal access to children in need. In a new initiative for Kidzu,at least one event will target children with special needs. We anticipate serving 150-350 visitors via this program,with thousands of additional visitors participating in simple,self-directed art projects that will be designed by the artist to provide related,drop-in art activities on days when the artist is not present. We plan to pilot this program with artist Jeannette Brossart,with whom we have a long-standing,highly productive relationship that has blossomed over three years of collaborations on Kidzu outreach workshops. We anticipate that she will design and create a collaborative,sculptural mosaic project.This work could also provide inspiration for the installation at the Wallace Plaza of the many tiles already gathered in our mosaic outreach program. Ms.Brossart is well-known for her vibrant public art installations and for her expertise in facilitating workshops with children and adults. During the past three years,she has expanded her knowledge with three educational workshops focusing on curriculum integration and inclusion strategies for people with disabilities. Since 2011,she has facilitated over twenty mosaic residencies and numerous workshops for people of all ages(3-83). She is a current CAPS and NC ARTS Council teaching artist and continues to create her own sculptural and 2D mosaic artworks most notably for the North Carolina Botanical Garden Annual Sculpture Show and City of Salisbury Sculpture Show. As detailed below,we intend to extend this opportunity to a wide range of other community artists in the future. Engaging Local Artists in Planning to Expand Kidzu's Arts Outreach and Residencies--Activity Description Kidzu has a rich tradition of partnering with local artists to create exhibit elements,collaborate on programming,and to participate in the design and planning of our new museum. In keeping with our goal of functioning as a"creative laboratory"at Kidzu's University Mall transition site,we will engage a diverse group of community artists and arts leaders as advisors over the coming year. This team will review our outreach program and pilot residency initiative and offer recommendations on how to expand and grow these initiatives to engage a diverse array of artists.We intend to host one or more think-tank sessions with this group. We will use their input to shape future initiatives involving local artists in Kidzu. See the enclosed list of individuals who have expressed interest in participating in this team of artistic thought leaders.We intend to expand this list in the coming year.The lessons learned from this process will also provide insights for a broader"Community-in-Residence"initiative that we are planning. We recently submitted a grant to a national funder for this initiative,which will foster community creative collaborations across fields,engaging creative professionals from a wide range of disciplines(including the arts,sciences,and other fields)in sharing their talents with Kidzu's visitors and benefitting from the creative inspiration of the children and families of our community. 6) Description of any lone range or strategic planning by your organization. Kidzu has completed a substantial amount of long-range planning over the past several years including conducting detailed educational planning and master planning for our new museum and developing comprehensive business plans. In November 2012,Kidzu's Board of Directors,staff,and advisors also collaborated to update the museum's Strategic Plan,participating in a"SWOT"analysis,identifying critical issues,and determining action steps to position Kidzu for success as we plan and create our expansion museum(see enclosed). In addition,in 2013,we have been actively engaged in short-range(2-3 year)planning to ensure that we effectively pilot creative and educational initiatives in our interim site to lay the groundwork for success in our expansion museum. 7) List of the top three challenges that your organization faces in 2013-14 with brief description. In the coming year,we will face the ongoing challenges of concurrently sustaining our current museum,piloting and prototyping initiatives for our future museum,and designing,developing,and raising funds for our future,permanent facility. We do have significant experience managing these concurrent challenges. One strategy that we have found particular successful is to integrate these efforts as much as possible,piloting approaches that benefit both current and future visitors,as we shape and refine our designs and plans for the new facility. The proposed grant project is one example of this integrated approach. We are also fortunate to have a$1.5 million challenge grant for our new facility from the Oak Foundation(in addition to a planning and design grant from this same foundation that underwrites the salaries of our Curator of Exhibits and Education and Grants Director). The additional funds raised through the challenge grant in the coming year will provide critical momentum and funding for the new museum. However,these funds are restricted to supporting our future museum. Our resources are quite stretched as we navigate this transition. We have a pressing,current need for dedicated funds to provide innovative creative education to our community's children and families now,prior to the opening of our permanent museum.Thank you for your consideration of this request and for your belief in Kidzu's creative vision and plans for the future. 3