Scranton, PA – Lackawanna County Commissioners Michael J. Washo, Corey D. O’Brien and A.J. Munchak, in cooperation with Maureen McGuigan, Lackawanna County Deputy Director for Arts and Culture, and William Browning, Lackawanna County Deputy Director for Children and Youth, recently awarded nine grants for the county’s new A.R.T.S.S. Engage! program for children and youth.

Those awarded the state-funded grants will develop afterschool, weekend or summer programs in the areas of the arts, recreation, theater, song and stories. The A.R.T.S.S. Engage! program was created in response to a desire by Commissioners Washo and O’Brien to provide the county’s children and youth with opportunities to engage in the arts.

“At the end of the day, this is all about that one child who will say, ‘that program made me want to be an artist.’ We’re hoping, one child at a time, to take the children of today and turn them into the leaders of tomorrow,” Commissioners O’Brien and Washo said.

The commissioners turned the idea over to Mr. Browning and Ms. McGuigan, who came up with the final concept. Many successful programs for at-risk young people have an arts component, Mr. Browning said. While at-risk youngsters are one group that is targeted for the program, all county children and young people are encouraged to participate.

2008 A.R.T.S.S. Engage! Grantees

Boys and Girls Club - $3,431.82
A fine arts program for children of various ages who will work on visual arts such as drawing, pastels, watercolors and mixed media in a three-hour class once a week from November 2008 through May 2009.

City of Scranton - $34,100.00
The city of Scranton will hold a multi-age mural arts program starting in spring 2009 to paint five murals at city pools. Students will have a one-week workshop with Heart to Art to create a portable mural and two weeks to create the murals at each site.

Dickson City Civic Center - $13,640.00
Folktales from Around the World is a ten-week summer program for students ages 5 through 12 to explore cultural diversity through music, dance and theater.

Employment Opportunity and Training Center (EOTC) of Northeastern, PA - $16,805.16
A program for 8 through 14-years-olds at Skyview Apartments for 16 arts sessions from November 2008 through June 2009 featuring mural design, quilting, and art from recycled objects.

Everhart Museum - $24,211.00
Youth4Art is a 12-session program for middle school students to work with an artist in residence to create art and to engage with the Everhart’s exhibits.

Northeastern Educational Intermediate Unit #19 (N.E.I.U. #19) - $34,100.00
ArtSave and Arts Alive is a weekend and summer program running from January 2009 through August 2009 for teenagers to study photography, media arts, painting, music, dance and theatre with professional artists.

Scranton Civic Ballet - $10,230.00
Let’s Go With the Flow is a three-week summer program for students ages 10 through 14 to study dance and photography in conjunction with learning about local rivers and heritage.

Scranton Public Theatre - $34,100.00
Scranton Public Theatre will run a year-round theater program for high school students to develop and produce scripts by working with theater professionals.

United Neighborhood Centers - $34,024.30
Illumination Youth Arts Program is a January 2009 through June 2009 creative writing and photography program that will be held several days a week at locations throughout the county for various age groups to study writing and photography.

For more information about A.R.T.S.S. Engage! programs, contact Ms. McGuigan at 570-963-6590 or at mcguiganm@lackawannacounty.org.