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The Katonah Museum of Art Receives $10,000 from Westchester Community Foundation for Smart Girls Program

The Katonah Museum of Art (www.katonahmuseum.org) has received a $10,000 grant from the Westchester Community Foundation to support Smart Girls at the Katonah Museum of Art, an innovative program designed to improve the self-esteem, and communication and critical thinking skills of at-risk girls ages 8-17. The program is currently being offered at the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Westchester in Mt. Kisco. The grant money will be used to bring the same program to the girls club at Asociacion Las Familia de Tarrytowns.

“Smart Girls is all about getting girls engaged with art on a personal level,” says Ellen Williams, Education Coordinator at the Museum. “The girls make art, talk about art, study art, and teach their families and community about art. Through the program, the girls learn public speaking skills and interview skills, as well as career possibilities in the arts. It’s a total experience for them.”

Smart Girls at the Katonah Museum of Art introduces “tween” and teen-aged girls to art and museums while enabling them to embrace their individuality through interpreting, making, and responding to art. In twelve two-hour sessions, the girls will participate in hands-on art projects including creating an autobiographical piece called “The Museum of Me.” After learning about the role Museums play in the community, the girls will be trained by docent mentors to give guided tours of the exhibition that opens in January 2011–Drawn/Taped/Burned: Abstraction on Paper – for their families and peers

About the Westchester Community Foundation
For over thirty years, the Westchester Community Foundation (www.wcf-ny.org) has worked to improve the quality of life in Westchester by evaluating and addressing community issues, promoting responsible philanthropy, and connecting donors to critical, local needs. The foundation enables people with philanthropic interest to easily and effectively support the causes they care about – immediately or through their estate plans.

About the Katonah Museum of Art
The Katonah Museum of Art, through innovative exhibition and education programs, promotes the understanding and enjoyment of the arts for visitors of all ages. The Museum presents diverse exhibitions that explore ideas about art, culture and society.

www.katonahmuseum.org

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