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Art education on Maui gets a boost from Monsanto Hawaii grant to Maui Arts & Cultural Center
(October 17, 2004) - Thousands of Maui children will continue to develop an appreciation for the arts, thanks in part to a $20,000 grant from Monsanto Hawaii to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center's "Partnering for Arts and Education" Program.
Arts education at the MACC is designed to encourage teaching and learning about visual and performing arts for students grades K through 12. The program includes: "CanDo! Days" (art immersion field trips); professional development for teachers; mentoring and training for artist educators; student art exhibits; school band concerts; and visiting artist residencies. Each year, over 20,000 school children from Maui, Molokai and Lanai participate in this program.
"We are very grateful and pleased when community-minded businesses like Monsanto Hawaii recognize the importance of arts education, and support our efforts on behalf of all the school children in our community," said Susana Browne, education director at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center. "The foundation of the MACC's arts education program is professional development for teachers. After attending two of our workshops this year, a seventh grade science teacher from Kalama Intermediate wrote a play about photosynthesis for her students to act out. Thanks to support from Monsanto Hawaii, these kids will better understand 7th grade science."
The MACC's arts education program has been nationally recognized for comprehensiveness, effectiveness and positive impact on the community. It was one of only eight model art education programs selected for inclusion in "Acts of Achievement: The Role of Performing Arts Centers in Education," a publication of the Dana Foundation, a renowned philanthropic organization in Washington, DC.
"We were impressed by the quality and scope of the MACC's educational program and the tremendous number of local students who benefit from it," said Paul Koehler, Monsanto Hawaii's manager of seed supply on Maui. "We're thrilled we are able to support an organization like the MACC that is dedicated to the community and to our youngsters."
Bruce McBratney, technology lead at Monsanto Hawaii, co-presented the MACC donation with Koehler. "My wife and I love Maui, as do our kids. It's wonderful to have the arts education program at the MACC for the school children, and we're happy to be able to support it."
Monsanto Hawaii's grant to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center is part of the company's on-going commitment to develop and support local programs in education, allied health, environmental studies and sustainable agricultural.
The Maui Arts & Cultural Center is Hawaii's finest and most comprehensive visual and performing arts complex. Celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2004, the $32 million complex encompasses two theaters, an outdoor amphitheater, art gallery, pa hula, classrooms and meeting spaces. The Center is a popular venue for professional concerts and stage productions, art exhibits, community shows, and educational activities.
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