Columbia Museum of Art Receives Grant in Support of STEAM Programming
May 17, 2017
Dominion Foundation grant helps bring art and science experience to SC students
The Columbia Museum of Art is honored to receive a grant from the Dominion Foundation in support of its LEAF (Linking Ecology and Art of Floodplains) program created in partnership with the Congaree National Park. The grant underwrites the CMA art component of the field trip.
Photo: Dominion External Affairs Representative Kristen M. Beckham presents a check to CMA Interim Director Lynn Robertson
“We are so thankful to the Dominion Foundation for their generous support of our award-winning LEAF program,” says Lynn Robertson, CMA interim director. “In fostering a community of 21st-century learners, it’s important to remember that the arts and sciences go hand in hand – both are about applying creative thinking and design skills. The STEAM educational movement recognizes that critical connection.”
LEAF is one of the CMA’s foremost STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) initiatives and provides students with hands-on exposure to the ecology of their state as well as quality arts education. Since its inception in 2007, LEAF has served thousands of third-grade students and hundreds of educators in this dynamic initiative that meets state standards for both science and visual arts curricula.
The LEAF program supports crucial development skills in many areas, including creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. Opportunities for hands-on and outdoor learning activities have been proven to help students’ motivation and ability to make connections outside of the classroom. Many students in Richland County are deemed at risk, and the CMA is committed to bringing these valuable art experiences to schools in need. The Dominion Foundation’s generous grant, $5,000 in total, has made it possible for the CMA to continue to offer the arts component for the LEAF program to schools free of charge for the 2017 – 2018 school year.
Dominion (NYSE: D), is one of the nation’s largest producers and transporters of energy. The Dominion Foundation is dedicated to improving the physical, social, and economic well-being of the communities served by Dominion companies, including Dominion Carolina Gas Transmission. The Foundation supports nonprofit causes that meet basic human needs, protect the environment, support education, and promote community vitality.
To learn more about LEAF, visit http://www.columbiamuseum.org/cma_stories/learning-leaf.
For more information about Dominion, visit www.dom.com.
