Mayor’s Office of Communications
55 Trinity Avenue, Suite 2500 • Atlanta, Georgia
30303
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 09/10/12
News Release
Atlanta Launches the Cultural Experience Project for the 2012-2013 School
YearCity of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs Introduces 3,000 8th Graders to the Fox Theatre
ATLANTA – The Office of Cultural Affairs launched the 2012-13 Cultural Experience Project
today at the Fox Theatre. 3,000 Atlanta Public School 8th grade students attended The King and I thanks to a generous
donation of tickets from Theater of the Stars.
The City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs started the Cultural
Experience Project to give every Atlanta Public School student, from Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade, the opportunity
to experience the city's premier arts and cultural venues. The vision is for every student in Atlanta Public Schools to have
at least one onsite experience at an arts and cultural venue each year. The goal is for the students to have an education-enhancing
encounter that directly ties to Georgia Learning Performance Standards and curriculum goals.
“The city of Atlanta
is proud to partner with such generous sponsors and our cultural partners in this venture. As it is often said, our community
as a whole is strengthened through public-private collaborations, especially those initiated on behalf of our youth,”
said Ceasar C. Mitchell, Atlanta City Council President.
“The Cultural Experience Project model ensures that
all APS students can access Atlanta’s cultural assets regardless of family finances, where they live, or what school
they attend,” said City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs Director Camille Russell Love. “We want every child
to have opportunities at no cost to them. Even transportation is funded through a generous grant from Turner Broadcasting.”
Other experiences this school year include Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, The High Museum, The Atlanta
Opera’s Carmen, and Georgia Shakespeare’s Macbeth. Admission costs are covered by sponsors including
Zeist Foundation, Loridans Foundation, Kendeda Fund, and the National Endowment for the Arts Shakespeare in American Communities
program.
"The Cultural Experience Project provides powerful educational experiences for all Atlanta Public School
students and provides real-world connections for classroom learning while opening students’ hearts and minds to new
intellectual and aesthetic horizons. Many students would never otherwise experience the rich cultural life of our city, and
because of this program, new generation of citizens will grow up knowing how to take full advantage of the cultural, civic
and artistic wealth here in Atlanta,” said Raymond Veon, Interim Director, Fine and Performing Arts Department, Teaching
and Learning, Atlanta Public Schools.
In its first seven years, the Cultural Experience Project has provided over
233,000 cultural experiences that enhance classroom learning to the district’s elementary, middle and high school students.
The City of Atlanta envisions the opportunity for 100% of its students to experience the wealth of Atlanta's cultural venues
as a part of a “best in class” education through Atlanta Public Schools.
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For more information about the City of Atlanta, please visit http://www.atlantaga.gov or
watch City Channel 26. Follow the City of Atlanta on Facebook and Twitter @City_of_Atlanta. Follow Mayor Reed on Facebook
and Twitter @Kasim Reed
The Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs (DPRCA) enhances the lives of City
of Atlanta residents and visitors by offering programs, services and activities that encourage participation in recreational
activities, leisure and cultural experiences. DPRCA has earned the distinction of being accredited by the National Recreation
and Parks Association, the highest honor bestowed on a parks system, and sets it apart from thousands of other parks systems
throughout the nation.
