The full story
By adding matching gifts from other local and national foundations over the past year, the Kronkosky Charitable Foundation grant will produce a total gift commitment of $750,000 for UTSA’s Young Artist Programs, a news release stated.
UTSA Arts was established in 2022 to support community arts education, public-facing performances and exhibitions, and arts-based research and partnerships designed to widen people’s accessibility to the arts. UTSA Arts’ Young Artist Programs provide high quality visual arts education services primarily to low-income children and teens in San Antonio, the release stated.
A closer look
UTSA officials said their Young Artist Programs have become one of the largest visual arts education programs designed for low-income students in San Antonio.
In 2023-2024, the Young Artist Programs served 2,500 K-12 students, and significant growth is expected in the 2024-2025 academic year, UTSA officials said.
The programs focus on such areas as summer activities for kids and teenagers, interaction between children and their parents, grandparents and other caregivers, and teaching design solutions to students at four San Antonio ISD schools in a low-income region.
What they’re saying
Heather Shipley, UTSA provost and executive vice president for academic affairs, said the Young Artist Programs at the UTSA Southwest Campus have been developed over 50 years by professional arts administrators at the former Southwest School of Art.
“Arts programs have the potential to teach children and teens valuable skills for future success including critical thinking, creativity and emotional intelligence,” Shipley said in a statement.
