After three long years of planning and fundraising, cARTie, Connecticut’s newest (and only!) 501©3 mobile art museum, is set to pilot this Fall with three elementary schools in the Valley, in addition to ten others across the state.
cARTie is humbled in the process to be a recent recipient of a $1,500 Needs and Opportunities Grant from the Valley Community Foundation, in partnership with the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, as well as a $500 Grant from the Derby-Shelton Rotary Club.
The Valley Community Foundation, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and Derby-Shelton Rotary Club are landmark philanthropic organizations supporting the quality of life across the Valley.
cARTie aims to spark fulfilled lives full of art by starting with youth. cARTie’s pilot programming involves inviting classes of PreK‑2 students aboard its retrofitted 20’ bus-turned-mobile-museum for an interactive and participatory museum-gallery experience. This first year, cARTie will partner with motivated and engaged elementary schools like Booth Hill Elementary School in Shelton, and Mead and Prendergast Elementary Schools in Ansonia.
This pilot programming is made possible by recent grants awarded to cARTie by the Derby-Shelton Rotary Club, as well as the Valley Community Foundation in partnership with the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven.
“The Valley Community Foundation (VCF) is happy to provide this funding support to cARTie to make the arts come alive for young children in the Valley,” said Sharon Closius, VCF President and CEO. “Helping to nurture a sense of curiosity and wonder at an early age helps to set the stage for a lifetime appreciation of artistic expression and engagement. We wish them much success in this new endeavor.”
cARTie’s Co-Founder and Executive Director, Clare Murray, adds: “We are so grateful for the Valley Community Foundation, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and the Derby-Shelton Rotary Club. It’s with their faith in our mission and vision that we are so eager to get our museum on the road, reaching more than 600 PreK‑2 students in the Valley alone this Fall.”
About cARTie
cARTie is a ‘reimagined museum’ that brings the museum field trip to schools; it deconstructs the traditional White, eurocentric model of what an art museum is by making sure all Connecticut youth see themselves represented in the works of art on display, featured artists, and experiences they have while visiting. cARTie activities are two-fold: (1) to offer inclusive internship and exhibition opportunities to a diverse population of high school arts students and (2) to provide critical museum-based learning opportunities that enrich and deepen early education, while meeting core standards, to PreK‑2 students who otherwise may not have access to robust arts programming. To learn more about cARTie, please visit www.cartie.org. Follow cARTie on Facebook and Instagram @CTcARTie!
