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Organization Information 1. [Artspace] at UNTITLED 2. Legal Name: Untitled Art Space Inc. (as listed on IRS Determination Letter) 3. Physical and Mailing Address: 1 NE 3rd St. OKC, OK 73104 4. Website: www.1ne3.org 5. Phone: 405-815-9995 6. Laura Warriner, Creative Director and Founder 405-834-6086 | laura@1ne3.org 7. Contact: Jessica Williams, Development 405-815-9995 | development@1ne3.org 8. Mission Statement: [Artspace] at UNTITLED is an environment designed to stimulate creative thought and new ideas through contemporary art. We are committed to providing access to quality exhibitions, education programs, performances, publications, and to engaging the community in collaborative outreach efforts. 9. Annual Operating Budgets in Separate Attachment 10. EIN: 36-4527630 11. IRS Determination Letter of 501 (c)(3) Status in Separate Attachment 12. [Artspace] at UNTITLED is not on GiveSmart OKC
Project Information 1. Mentorship Program for Oklahoma Schools 2. To expand the 3-year Mentorship Program for Oklahoma schools, [Artspace] at UNTITLED seeks $100,000 in grant support from Impact Oklahoma. This grant would fulfill our major goals: increasing the number of participating students, adding new supplies and technologies, increasing monthly mentors, and creating annual summer camp programming. 3. Grant Focus Area: Education – Increase Education Opportunities, Enhance the Quality of Education 4. County Served: Oklahoma 5. Estimate of Total Budget: School years 2018-19 and 2019-20 in attached excel document.
Problem: Accessible Arts Education in Oklahoma Recent national budget cuts have created a challenge for school art programs, pushing [Artspace] at UNTITLED to work harder for students as a community arts center. Recent studies show arts education programming in high-poverty, underperforming schools adds significant value to school-wide reform efforts. In fact, incorporating art into non-art subjects and providing extracurricular art options exponentially increases student achievement and attendance rates, improves reading and math proficiency, heightens ambition in students and teachers, and motivates students to pursue higher education after high school.1 [Artspace] continues these transformational efforts in Oklahoma with the Mentorship Program. Participating high school students with limited art exposure learn about printmaking and other art forms, create original art works in our studio for exhibitions, engage in creative dialogue, connect with local artists and educators, and prepare for their academic and professional futures. Each school chooses and commits its students to our 3-year intensive program. The program dramatically grew from four to ten school groups in 2017, pronouncing the need for innovative arts education. The Mentorship Program was initiated not to replace the classroom, but to instill a passion for the arts in teachers and students through our resources and community connections. The program has grown with each year since its inception in 2011, and we are no longer able to solely sustain this growth on our own. Due to budget constraints, we sadly turned down two schools requesting participation in our 2017-18 program. With more public school teachers requesting to join, [Artspace] feels a responsibility to expand our offerings and capacities for underserved students in Oklahoma City. 1
Booz Allen Hamilton: “Turnaround Arts Initiative: Summary of Key Findings.” http://www.pcah.gov/sites/default/files/Turnaround%20Arts%20Phase%201%20Final%20Evaluation_Su mmary.pdf
Target Population The Mentorship Program currently serves 120 students from 10 Oklahoma schools over a 3year period. Students from Mission Academy, Harding Fine Arts Academy, Southeast High School, Emerson North High School, Emerson South High School, Northwest Classen High School, Astec Charter School, Santa Fe South High School, Douglas High School, and Grant High School come from highly diverse economic and social backgrounds, with unique perspectives to offer and original ideas to pursue. Since 2011, [Artspace] has been transforming a diverse range of students’ lives through our 3year interdisciplinary education program. The Mentorship Program meets a variety of educational and developmental needs. Students from low-income families cannot otherwise afford extracurricular art classes or supplies outside of school. Other students from Hispanic backgrounds speak English as a second language, and the Mentorship Program helps them develop and utilize English through art and printmaking lexicons. Mission Academy students recovering from drug and alcohol addiction use monthly studio time as a healing practice, cultivating meaningful relationships with their work, peers, mentors and [Artspace] staff to find their place in life. Over 3 years, [Artspace] facilitates the creative, academic, and personal growth of each student in the program, continuing even after the program ends. This year, 8 students used their spring break from school to expand upon and improve their program projects. In the past, we’ve brought on 10 student interns in the summer who wanted more opportunities at [Artspace], and this year several high school interns use after schools hours to work in our studio. Art’s positive impact on teens cannot be understated. An expanded program with more mentors, resources, disciplines, programs and technologies will help us invite more innercity school groups to be transformed by this educational opportunity.
Project Purpose The Mentorship Program exists to transform Oklahoma students’ lives through art and to prepare them for a dynamic academic and professional future. Through our curriculum, mentors, exhibitions and events, Mentorship students have the rare opportunity to work with and as artists for 3 years in a professional studio. Once a month from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., each school group of 12 students spends time learning, developing, and creating with our Education Director and various mentors. We are dedicated to including any student with a passion for art, regardless of orientation, race, religion or background.
Although its foundation is printmaking, the Mentorship Program is an interdisciplinary program thanks to a variety of local artists who serve as mentors to students. Rather than solely focusing on the tactile skill of printmaking, we incorporate art history, theory, and contemporary art trends into the monthly curriculum, prioritizing an active dialogue and participatory atmosphere. [Artspace] provides an environment not only for students interested in art, but also for those who do not quite mesh with traditional classroom settings. Students that feel isolated in school make close connections with other peers in the program, which completely alters their perception of the world for the better. More than an educational initiative, the Mentorship Program focuses on interpersonal, confidence-building relationships between peers, teachers, artists and the community. The purpose of this expansion project is to involve more underserved schools in our multidisciplinary curriculum. With upgraded technologies, access to professional equipment, more mentor teachers, and opportunities for field trips and summer camps, this rare 3-year program will forever impact high school students, local artists, and teachers.
Goals and Outcomes The goal of the Mentorship Program is to provide innovative arts education to underserved Oklahoma high school students, preparing them for higher education and a dynamic future. We also serve local artists through monthly mentor positions, showcasing each artist’s specific skills and talents to our students. This program intersects with all of [Artspace’s] other programming, and our talented young artists bring continuous life and energy into our studio space each month. Artists in residence and print studio members benefit greatly from interacting with our curious and inquisitive Mentorship students, while providing them with unique ideas and opportunities to collaborate. We believe art enhances each student’s future outlook, whether or not they decide to pursue a career in the arts. Students form life-changing bonds with [Artspace] even after the program ends, often serving as interns in our building, working on their art after school, or volunteering their time during holiday breaks. The Mentorship Program provides multi-faceted opportunities for young minds, opening students to a world of possibilities through the arts. In expanding our program to include more mentors and students, our objectives include: 1. Providing students of all backgrounds with interdisciplinary arts education. 2. Enabling low-income, inner city, ESL, recovering or disabled students to participate in the printmaking process, from discussions to the creation of original works for display. 3. Connecting teachers to a wide array of technologies, individuals and community resources to bring into their classroom curriculum. 4. Inspiring and preparing students to pursue a higher education and career fueled by the arts.
Impact Oklahoma’s funds will help provide the following: •
Purchase of professional laser cutter, vinyl cutter, Heidelberg press
Prestigious colleges and universities like Columbia and Ohio University use these technologies, giving Mentorship students an edge in their college applications. High-end printers and etchers also encourage students to pursue trade careers, allowing them to specialize in a particular skill while empowering them to sustain themselves beyond a traditional higher education path. • • • • •
15 iPads to teach students relevant technologies in the arts Purchase of professional digital applications on iPads Bulk supplies (as listed in estimated budget) Regular monthly program mentors (artist teachers) Sustainable summer camp programming
While [Artspace] is self-sufficient in providing supplies for Mentorship students through grants and donations, our growing program is in need of replacements and additional supplies for more students. All Schools Mentorship Exhibition and Steamroller Festivals: These exhibitions and events are sponsored by various businesses and organizations in Oklahoma City, and supported through partnerships with local universities and other businesses. Both events provide extraordinary exposure for students, connecting them to working professionals and artists. The All Schools Mentorship Exhibition during Youth Arts Month in March showcases exemplary works from students in the form of a formal exhibition in all of [Artspace’s] galleries. Students learn how to frame, hang, light, and write about their works, while receiving vital exposure in the juried exhibition by national artists and curators. Over 250 guests visited 2017’s All School Exhibition opening night, encouraging our students to push their work to new levels. The Steamroller Festival each spring features the production of students’ large-scale wood block works. [Artspace] makes this festival a community block party in collaboration with downtown Oklahoma City businesses. Local colleges and universities visit and use our facilities for the day, while Mentorship students interact with art professors, college students, and professional artists. Thanks to our partnership with BIG INK and Speedball, we include a large woodblock print exhibition on display in [Artspace’s] main gallery and were able to supply all the required ink for the festival. Summer Programming Since starting the Mentorship Program, our dream has been to provide students with additional project-based instruction in a fun, collaborative setting during their summer break. This creates an opportunity for the students from all of the different schools to interact with each other on
multiple occasions. In the first year of the grant, we will create a summer 2018 camp focused on new media. This one-week camp for Mentorship students will bring in two stop-motion video experts, and students will create their own videos during that week. Students will write original stories, make props, coordinate and shoot their videos, and learn basic editing skills. Each student will receive a scholarship to attend this camp. In the second grant year, the summer camp will expand to two separate sessions. The first week will still focus on new media and digital art, while the second week will teach participants a more tactile, traditional art form like sculpture. It is our goal to eventually expand the summer camps to several sessions, inviting anyone from the community to participate. In addition, [Artspace] will set up a scholarship fund from donations for a selection of students that cannot afford our summer camps. Transportation To further our sustainability as a program, [Artspace] seeks to partner with other organizations like the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and 21c Museum Hotel to take Mentorship students on field trips and exhibition tours. The purchase of a shuttle bus in our second grant year would greatly improve these plans for our students, enabling us to provide them with safe, efficient transportation to and from different art sites. Since many students do not own their own vehicles, [Artspace] would be able to provide them with transportation. Most high school curriculums do not involve field trips, and we believe this transportation initiative would give more significance to the Mentorship program’s impact on students. [Artspace] is currently seeking a matching grant from a variety of different local dealerships focused on community education.
Short-Term and Long-Term Goals In 2017, [Artspace] accomplished the following: •
• •
Expanded Mentorship program from 4 schools to 10 high schools. Students receive quality lessons that blend archaic printmaking techniques with new technology. Classes are currently all taught by Education Director. Continued two major projects; annual exhibition and steamroller festival Addition a print exchange between all ten schools.
For the next several years, we will continue this growth with the following goals and outcomes:
• • •
Major goals for first grant year (2018-2019): Fill each month with a different mentor (teacher) for all 10 schools. Purchase Boss Laser Cutter, vinyl cutter, new printing technologies, and 15 iPads. Focus on showing how to use new technology with older printmaking techniques. Create and implement New Media summer camp program. Create scholarship fund for all students.
Major goals for second grant year (2019-2020): Program expands to 12 schools. Continue filling each month with a new mentor teacher. Continue 3 major projects: annual exhibit, steamroller festival, print exchange, and add a traveling component to the Mentorship Exhibition where student work travels around the state. Provide 18-24 person shuttle bus transportation for annual field trips to museums, seek matching grant from local dealerships. Incorporate one field trip for all schools to a state university art museum. We can also take schools separately to locations such as the OKCMOA and the 21c Museum Hotel. Expand summer programming to 2 one-week sessions: new media and sculpture.
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• • •
Beyond 2020 Two years of grant support from Impact OK will help [Artspace] continue making vital partnerships into the future. With financial support for mentors, a summer camp, additional resources, and technology upgrades [Artspace] staff can focus on building collaborative efforts with local and national arts institutions and museums. Our goal is to sustain the Mentorship Program through these strong partnerships, connecting our students to an even larger, more dynamic professional network while maintaining the initiatives Impact OK helps us jumpstart.
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Continue 4 major projects: annual exhibit, steamroller festival, print exchange, and traveling exhibition.
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Continue to modify project-oriented summer programming to expand summer camps, and broaden medium offerings and participant capacities.
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Expand Mentorship program to more schools. Donations and grant funding covers cost of supplies in addition to mentor artists. Education Director will teach the first and last classes, or completely fill each month with different mentors.
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Continue all major projects and field trips, partnering yearly with local museums and organizations. Incorporate one field trip to a major out-of-state museum (such as Dallas Museum of Art or Crystal Bridges Museum) into the academic school year as a part of the Mentorship program.
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Hire additional education staff member to focus solely on Mentorship Program, adding letterpress to curriculum.
Project Timeline: Mentorship Program Expansion Activity Grant Award Accepted -Purchase laser cutter, vinyl cutter, press, iPads and applications. -Confirmation of program schools. -Bulk paper order and finalization of syllabus, start of classes -Intro to [Artspace] and History of Printmaking -1st Project: Linoleum Stamps and Large Blocks -Monotype Month: Encaustics -2nd Project: 3 small monotypes and 1 large monotype -Bookmaking Month -3rd Project: Accordion-fold art books -Development of Artist Statements -4th Project: Digital Monotypes -Intro to Steamroller Festival -5th Project: Start large-scale relief prints for festival -Screen Printing with Digital Media -Learn the business of art -6th Project: Screen print on paper -Exhibition development and etching lessons -7th Project: Dry point etching on Plexiglas -All Schools Exhibition -New Media Month -8th Project: Collaborative digital art -Work on camp scholarships -Steamroller Festival -9th Project: Letter pressed thank you notes and indigo dying -New Media Summer Camp: Stop-Motion Video
2018-2019 Year
Key Person/Group Responsible
June 2018 July ‘18
[Artspace] Staff and Board Registrar, Education Director (ED), Creative Director (CD)
August ‘18
ED, CD
September ‘18
ED and Mentor
October ‘18
ED and Mentor
November ‘18
ED and Mentor
December ‘18
ED and Mentor
January 2019
ED and Mentor
February ‘19
ED and Mentor
March ‘19
ED and Mentor, All staff for exhibition
April ‘19
ED and Mentor, Development for scholarships
May ‘19
All staff and board
June ‘19
All staff, interns, volunteers, mentors
Activity -Evaluation and Assessment of 2018-19 Program -Laser cutter and press maintenance -Bulk order supplies -Program begins -Intro to [Artspace] and History of Printmaking -1st Project: Linoleum Stamps and Large Blocks -Monotype Month: Photographs -Letterpress: Automatic -Development of Artist Statements -4th Project: Digital Monotypes -Wood Block Month -Screen Printing with Digital Media -Learn the business of art -6th Project: Screen print on paper -Exhibition development and etching lessons -7th Project: Dry point etching on Plexiglas -All Schools Exhibition -New Media Month -8th Project: Collaborative digital art -Steamroller Festival -9th Project: Letter pressed thank you notes and indigo dying Summer Camp 1: New Media Summer Camp 2: Sculpture Assessment of 2019-20 Program
2019-2020 Year June 2019 July ‘19 August ‘19
Key Person/Group Responsible [Artspace] Staff and Board Registrar, Education Director (ED), Creative Director (CD) ED, CD
September ‘19
ED and Mentor
October ‘19 November ‘19 December ‘19
ED and Mentor ED and Mentor ED and Mentor
January 2020 February ‘20
ED and Mentor ED and Mentor
March ‘20
ED and Mentor, All staff for exhibition
April ‘20
All staff and board
May ‘20
All staff and board
June ‘20
All staff, volunteers, mentors