Sharon Arts Awarded Grant to Expand Youth Scholarship Opportunities Through Bean Family Foundation

Sharon, NH://  Empowered by a $5,000 grant from the Bean Family Foundation specifically to support Jaffrey-area youth and teen learning in the arts, the Sharon Arts School of Art and Craft strives to meet the needs of young artists for visual arts learning in a nurturing environment, as schools nationwide continue to cut arts funding.  In response to the significant increase in requests for scholarship aid (requests doubled in 2010), Sharon Arts has sought funding from a number of local, regional, and national grantors in the hopes of meeting the demand for aid.

“Making our educational programs financially accessible is a high priority for our organization,” explained School Director Alexandra Wall. “We want to make it very easy for anyone to take classes with us, no matter their personal financial circumstance.” “Scholarship support like that of the Bean Family Foundation grant helps us to remove any financial obstacles to making our programs accessible in these difficult economic times- broadening the reach to artists of all ages and abilities in our community!”

Youth programs at Sharon Arts this Winter include an After School Clay Club, teen glass lampworking, and a youth ARTventure vacation camp week in February. Students 13 years of age and up are welcome to attend regular adult classes. Low-commitment one-day workshops are also available in addition to intensive weekly classes.

Anyone in need of financial assistance who is interested in learning at Sharon Arts can apply for a scholarship, and the application process is easy and convenient. The scholarship application and winter 2011 course catalog are available online at sharonarts.org – registration is open. “Combining scholarships with reduced tuition from our Volunteer Earn & Learn program can significantly reduce learning expenses, and provide a direct outlet to involve and benefit our student constituents,” commented Ms. Wall.

Adult Winter classes and workshops include open studio figure drawing, contemporary art, composition, “Finding Your Artists’ Voice,” as well as a variety of painting, ceramics, digital arts, drawing, theory and technique. Weekly classes begin January 17th. For further information about Winter classes or scholarship opportunities please call 603-924-7256.

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About Sharon Arts

The mission of Sharon Arts Center, a non-profit organization, is to engage the community in the artistic process, to support and serve artists and craftspeople, and to foster the relationship between artists and the community through education, exhibitions, the promotion and sale of art and craft, as well as through special programs and events.

Sharon Arts Center offers a wide variety of art classes and programs in the school facility in Sharon, NH, a Fine Craft Gallery, a Juried Artist Member Gallery, and an Exhibition Gallery in the Depot Square facility.

The Sharon Arts Fine Crafts Gallery is located in Depot Square in Downtown Peterborough. Store hours are: Monday – Saturday, 10am to 6pm, Sunday, 12 noon – 6pm.

Sharon Arts is sponsored in part by the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, The Susan A. and Donald P. Babson Charitable Foundation, and the Grimshaw-Gudewicz Charitable Foundation.