Youth Art Instructor Bethany Wray worked with 2nd graders today. In this dynamic art lesson they applied what they are learning in their current International Baccalaureate unit about Force & Motion to create pendulum paintings in art.

Pendulum painting teaches kids about the forces of motion and gravity with a new painting technique by exchanging the paint brush for a swinging pendulum.

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In 2019, Methow Arts received a grant from Icicle Fund to support a Youth Arts Initiative (YAI) for students in the Methow Valley Elementary School. The Initiative is a three-year pilot grant that has a goal of increasing the dosage of professional arts education specifically in sequential art learning and basics and elements of art for early grade levels, establishing a foundation in the arts for later years.

Funding is used to:

1. Support arts education during the school day through contracted professional teaching artists in designated grades. The proposed programs work in alignment with the WA State Arts Learning Standards.
2. Provide sequential learning, curriculum development, and art integration strategies into each district.
3. Provide funding for Methow Arts to establish formal Art Plans within each school district, and explore additional funding to sustain programs at the same level after the three year period.

“We’re grateful to for the opportunity provided by the Icicle Fund to work in partnership with Methow Arts to integrate the arts in grades K through 3,” said Tom Venable, Methow Valley School District Superintendent. “The three-year grant will allow us to strategically invest in the development of learners who understand the critical concepts of art and the design cycle principles. Our students and staff are so fortunate!”