Orlando Museum of Art receives $10,675 donation from SunTrust Foundation...

Suntrust Donation Graphic

April 10, 2015

Orlando Museum of Art receives $10,675 donation from SunTrust Foundation to support Youth ArtReach program

Orlando, Florida -- Thanks largely to a donation of almost $11,000, the Orlando Museum of Art will offer new and ongoing learning opportunities for at-risk/low-income students, OMA director and CEO Glen Gentele announced today.

SunTrust Foundation has pledged $10,675 to fully support the Orlando Museum of Art's Youth ArtReach program, effective Summer 2015. The program will operate from August 2015-April 2016 at three to-be-determined Central Florida locations.

"We are grateful for SunTrust Foundation for joining the Orlando Museum of Art in supporting local underprivileged children through the arts and culture," Gentele stated. "Thanks to SunTrust Foundation’s financial support, the Museum's education department will provide young students with opportunities to connect with positive, structured and quality creative outlets and develop lifelong learning skills such as critical thinking, communication, visual literacy and problem-solving."

David Fuller, president of SunTrust Bank’s Central Florida division, speaking on behalf of The SunTrust Foundation, added: “SunTrust is proud to support Orlando Museum of Art’s Youth ArtReach program to assist children in Orlando's lower-income communities. This initiative aligns with our commitment to supporting youth education programs and building stronger communities.”

ArtReach will provide six (6) outreach studio art workshops at each location, based on art in the Orlando Museum of Art's permanent collection, and two (2) field trips per year from each location to the Museum for students to view original art on weekends or school holidays. Each attending student will receive an art kit that includes basic art supplies, which will allow them to continue to create art at their place of residence. Kits will consist of supplies such as watercolor paint sets and paper, sketchbooks, pencils, crayons and glue sticks.

The program is expected to serve up to 180 students annually during the 2015-16 academic school year.

As part of the program, the Orlando Museum of Art will send instructors to each location, to teach students how to create with various art utensils. Organizers hope the classes will foster healthy communication and relationships, develop compassion, a sense of purpose and acceptance as participants gain empathy for fellow classmates of various age and abilities.

SUNTRUST FOUNDATION: The SunTrust Foundation’s mission is to support nonprofit organizations and institutions engaged in activities promoting education, health and human services, culture and art, and civic and community involvement that contribute to the social and economic development of the communities we serve.

ORLANDO MUSEUM OF ART: Founded in 1924, the Orlando Museum of Art is a 501(c)(3) educational institution whose mission reflects the continued growth of Florida, ardent community support for the arts, and the Museum’s role as a leading cultural institution in the region. Since its inception, the Orlando Museum of Art’s purpose has been to enrich the cultural life of Florida by providing excellence in the visual arts. To meet this objective, the Museum has dedicated itself to collecting, preserving, and interpreting notable works of art; to presenting exhibitions of local, regional, national and international significance; to develop first-rate educational programs; and to presenting creative and inclusive programs to reach every segment of a diverse community.

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