Project ARTstART, directed by Rich Deely, trains high school students, working with college mentors, to provide exhibit-based art lessons for elementary school students. By bringing high-quality, art appreciation classes and activities to the Claremont school system, we hope to inspire, promote understanding of art and highlight Claremont’s rich artistic history.
Richard Deely
Launched in the fall of 2011, Project ARTstART recruits high school and college students as teachers and mentors. These ARTstART Teens are trained as docents to offer multi-visit arts appreciation lessons to elementary students, in the classroom, and in local museum settings. ARTstART Teens learn how to plan presentations that employ Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) and interact with art educators, artists, curators, and students from the Claremont Colleges.
ARTstART‘s roster now totals 45 high school students and three college mentors to enable ARTstART to serve 4-6th grade classes at Sycamore, Oakmont and Vista del Valle elementary schools with student-planned and presented arts appreciation activities and field trips.
An independent museum consultant with over 15 years’ work in the museum field, Rich Deely has worked as an educator in art, history, and science museums in New York, North Carolina, and California. Originally from New York City, Rich has BA degrees in both history and communications from the University of Notre Dame, and a master’s degree in Museum Education from Bank Street College of Education in Manhattan.
Project ARTstART is produced solely by the Claremont Museum of Art (CMA) in partnership with the Claremont Unified School District (CUSD); participating schools — Mountain View, Oakmont, Sycamore and Vista del Valle Elementary Schools and Claremont High School; and funded by generous donations from the LA County Arts Commission; The Flourish Foundation; The Ruth & Joseph C. Reed Foundation for the Arts; City of Claremont CBO Grant; the Claremont Rotary Club; and Scripps College Fine Arts Foundation. Major donors also include two CMA members.
ArtStART Photos
2014-15 Photo Gallery | 2013-14 Photo Gallery | 2012-13 Photo Gallery
Related Links
March 3, 2014 – Oakmont students experience the sculpture of Betty Davenport Ford with Project ARTstART
May 29, 2012 – Student Exhibition highlights achievements of Project ARTstART