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William Randolph Hearst Foundation
Awards Grant to
Rotunda Gallery Education Programs

The Rotunda Gallery is pleased to announce that it has received a $50,000 grant from the William Randolph Hearst Foundation for its arts in education programs including its innovative Teacher Training Workshops and its in-school Mini-Museums.

The Rotunda Gallery, located in downtown Brooklyn, is the borough's premiere alternative exhibition space, showcasing the work of emerging Brooklyn-affiliated artists. The Gallery presents four thematic group exhibitions of contemporary a year. Through its arts in education programs the Rotunda Gallery introduces 6,000 Brooklyn school children to contemporary art each year.

"Their ability to work with local artists really distinguishes the Rotunda Gallery from other arts programs," says Ligia Cravo, Program Officer at the William Randolph Hearst Foundation. "They provide a refreshing perspective and make art come alive. The Rotunda Gallery Teacher Training Workshops are top-notch. With these high quality workshops, the Rotunda Gallery is able to multiply its impact on public school students."

"Contemporary art is an ideal vehicle for reaching students from a variety of backgrounds and a powerful way to stimulate creative thinking," says Meridith McNeal, Rotunda Gallery Director of Education. "The art of our time touches on the entire range of human experience, often speaking directly to the issues that confront us in contemporary life. Today's art also represents many more cultural influences and multiple perspectives than are found in much of the history of Western art and uses an extraordinary range of material from found objects to house paint."

The Rotunda Gallery began offering its education program in 1984. Initially, the program consisted of single classes making field trips to the Gallery for tours of the exhibition, followed by discussions and artmaking workshops. In 1989 the Gallery added a new program called Mini-Museum - 10-week artists' residencies in Brooklyn public schools. The education program is flexible and easily tailored to meet the individual class and school needs. The Gallery began conducting single Teacher Training Workshops for teachers and/or administrators in 1995; Teacher Training Workshops have since expanded to include gallery visits and tours of artists' studios. Workshops emphasize instructional methods that can be easily adapted for classroom use.

As a measure of their standing in the arts, the Gallery has consistently received support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a highly-competitive federal program that awards grants to the nation's most outstanding museums and non-profit galleries. The education program receives funding from prestigious foundations such as the Education Foundation of America, the Sally and Milton Avery Foundation, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation and the New York Community Trust. In addition, with funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment of the Arts' Challenge America Fast Track, the Gallery is collaborating with I.S. 49 in Bushwick to create a comprehensive arts education program with a strong professional development component.

Philanthropist William Randolph Hearst founded The Hearst Foundation, Inc. and the William Randolph Hearst Foundation in 1945 and 1948, respectively. The Foundations' charitable goals reflect the philanthropic interests of their founder and are concentrated in the areas of Education, Health, Culture, and Social Service. Both Foundations are independent, private philanthropies operating separately from the Hearst Corporation.

The Rotunda Gallery is located at 33 Clinton Street, Brooklyn Heights. Hours are Tuesday-Friday, Noon - 5 PM and Saturday, 11 AM - 4 PM. Admission is free. Information: 718-875-4047x11; or www.brooklynX.org/rotunda.