USU Art Program Appoints New Director
The Utah State University ArtsBridge program, under new direction this fall, will continue to infuse public schools in northern Utah with arts education.
Beginning in fall 2011, USU ArtsBridge will be under the direction of Sylvia Munsen, the newly appointed Beverley Taylor Sorenson Chair in Elementary Arts Education.
“The USU ArtsBridge program has consistently provided USU students and youth throughout the community an opportunity to develop their skills associated with the arts and let them flourish,” said Craig Jessop, dean of the Caine College of the Arts. “We have been pleased with this program’s history and look forward to its bright future, a future that will provide access to hands-on arts instruction to hundreds of school children throughout Cache Valley.”
USU ArtsBridge is an open-application, campus-wide teaching internship for highly motivated students who want to gain teaching experience in their artistic discipline to work with young students and utilize their art to impact the greater community.
“I am pleased to be a part of the exceptional work taking place in the Caine College of the Arts,” said Munsen. “Artistic experience magnifies the quality of life and I am deeply honored to support endeavors of greatness in the arts for children in our community.”
Laurie Baefsky, the first USU ArtsBridge program director, left the position June 30. Over her four-year tenure, USU ArtsBridge impacted more than 1,200 students in more than 60 classrooms through interdisciplinary hands-on arts engagement.
“Laurie has made a tremendous impact on the youth in the Logan area and we want to let her know how much we appreciate her willingness to educate youth about the arts,” said Jessop. “In addition, we are very excited for Sylvia to join our organization and share her exceptional talent with students both at USU and throughout the community.”
Programs and scholarship applications will be coordinated through the new USU ArtsBridge coordinator Holly Conger, who previously served as the USU ArtsBridge program assistant in 2010-11.
Using the arts as a powerful engagement tool to teach core subjects, ArtsBridge America is a nationally recognized arts education initiative that provides high-quality arts education to K-12 classrooms and community organizations. USU ArtsBridge, an affiliate of ArtsBridge America since 2007, grants service-based scholarships to exceptional USU students who, in turn, bring long-term arts residencies to school children who typically have little or no access to arts education. The USU ArtsBridge program pairs a USU faculty mentor with each USU ArtsBridge student-scholar, providing support to both the student-scholar and their hosting institution.
USU ArtsBridge is a joint community service program of the Caine College of the Arts and the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services.
Writer: Rachelle Nielson, Caine College of the Arts Production Services, 435-797-9203, rachelle.nielson@usu.edu
Contact: Denise Albiston, Caine College of the Arts Production Services, 435-797-1500, denise.albiston@usu.edu
Sylvia Munsen, the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Chair in Elementary Arts Education in USU's Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services, is the new director of the USU ArtsBridge program.
Children and teachers involved in the Zometool project connected with the USU ArtsBridge program in front of the Passacaglia sculpture in USU's Performance Hall.
SHARE
TRANSLATE
Comments and questions regarding this article may be directed to the contact person listed on this page.
