VERO BEACH — The Vero Beach Art Club has a long standing relationship with art education throughout Indian River County. The Club has donated three to five high school scholarships each year to graduating seniors going on to art courses; twenty summer school art camp scholarships each year to the Vero Beach Museum of Art, and many members volunteer as teachers of local art programs at schools and senior centers.
In this tough economy where art classes and programs are being cut in schools, the VBAC decided in May to approve an educational funding program named “Arts for Smarts.” This fund would go directly to the main art teacher at each of the 13 traditional public elementary schools in the county including Vero Beach, Gifford, Fellsmere and Sebastian. Many art teachers have been forced to pay for supplies out of their own pockets for their students which they can hardly afford. Supporting public art education is a key part of the mission of the Vero Beach Art Club so it was decided to help art thrive by paying for some of the supplies needed.
The Vero Beach Art Club Education Chair, Dawn Mill, is also negotiating some discounts with local craft stores to see if the dollars can be stretched even further. The money, $100 per school, will go directly to the art class teacher to supply the various arts and craft projects they will do that year. Mills, who has worked with many of the schools in the past, says that these classes work on a bare bones budget and any funds they receive will impact the students and their teachers. The Art Club would love to do more and add more schools to the program but they are limited in what they can give too. Her hope is that the program would find community support or a business patron that would like to help them expand the program down the line but for now, she knows that the money the VBAC is donating will benefit the children to foster their love for art.
To get involved or donate to the fund, call 772-231-0303 or email vbac@vbmuseum.org.