​Silvermine Arts Center Awarded Colgate-Palmolive ICE Grant

From Silvermine Arts Center: Colgate-Palmolive ICE (Inner City Education Fund) has awarded Silvermine’s Art Partners program a $5000 grant, continuing its generous grant program to benefit Silvermine’s outreach education for Norwalk students at Nathan Hale Middle School.

Sally Phipps, Director of Global Contributions, Colgate-Palmolive, commented: "Arts education is such an important part of development for children. This important building block is so often overlooked in schools, so the work of Silvermine to supplement enrichment through the arts is truly paramount. They are helping to build our future."

“Silvermine is deeply grateful to Colgate-Palmolive for their generosity and commitment to children. This renewed funding ensures Silvermine can build upon its successes. Silvermine’s Art Partners serves nearly 1000 under-resourced youth annually” said Rose-Marie Fox, Board Chair, Silvermine. Fox noted that both Silvermine Art Partners and Colgate’s Bright Smiles Bright Futures programs are celebrating 25-year anniversaries.

The Colgate-Palmolive funds make possible a weekly after-school studio art class that runs through the fall and spring semesters and provides a safe and welcoming environment. The students call it their “Art Club.” They arrive at 2:50 pm, and Art Partners provides a snack for the students while the they chat and gather their materials. The class begins at 3pm and runs till 4:30. Guided by a professional Silvermine Teaching Artist, students explore drawing, painting, and sculpture in a variety of media.

Students sign up for the class each semester, and there is always a waiting list. These students only have access to a few art classes a year, and this unique program offers in-depth studio art instruction weekly. The program has been running for over 12 years, providing skill-building art classes for 6th, 7th and 8th grade students.

“Not only do the students assemble a portfolio of work to carry them into high school art classes and beyond,” said Sophia Gevas, Director of Outreach Education at Silvermine, “they build self-confidence and awareness that enhances their academic education. The 90-minute classes allow for in-depth personal instruction. Students are taught collaboration skills through projects that require them to either work together, or assist each other. At the conclusion of each project, a peer-critique process teaches subtle lessons in comportment, requiring each student to talk about their own work before critiquing another’s art work.”

“I am comfortable talking about my artwork now. I’m able to see new perspectives in my work,” said a 7th grader talking about his experience in the program. One parent wrote to Silvermine to say “We also cannot thank you enough for funding the program. This is a true gift of love! You are exposing children to a high level of instruction from a superior artist at no cost and at a convenient location.”

Since 1992, Silvermine Arts Center's Art Partners Program has been providing professional Teaching Artists to design and execute exciting arts classes to under-served students in Stamford and Norwalk public schools. The distinctiveness of Art Partners centers on the quality of the teaching artists and their close collaboration with classroom teachers or program directors to augment student academic achievement.

Silvermine Arts Center is one of the oldest artist communities in the United States. Its five­acre campus in New Canaan, Connecticut, consists of a nationally renowned artist guild, an award­winning school of art offering classes for all ages, an arts and fine crafts shop, and a gallery offering over twenty contemporary and historic exhibitions annually. Silvermine is a non­profit 501c3 organization that also offers an educational outreach program, Art Partners, and hosts lectures, film screenings, and special events.

Gallery Hours: Silvermine Galleries are open Wednesday through Saturday, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.For more information, call (203) 966­9700 ext. 20 or visit the website: www.silvermineart.org. 1037 Silvermine Road, New Canaan, CT 06840 

Photos courtesy of Silvermine Arts Center (Sally Phipps, Director of Global Contributions at Colgate-Palmolive, far right, standing next to Rose-Marie Fox, Board Chair, Silvermine, and Colgate team.)