Posted on February 27, 2012

North Carolina Museum of Art Receives $2 Million From GlaxoSmithKline Foundation

The North Carolina Museum of Art has announced a four-year, $2 million grant from the GlaxoSmithKline Foundation in support of arts education programming that will benefit more than 150,000 teachers and K-12 students in the state.

The grant will support the museum's Big Picture project, a series of professional-development programs, workshops, and online distance-learning resources designed to help K-12 teachers in all disciplines learn art-based strategies for promoting achievement among students and enhancing their motivation to learn. The project also includes tri-annual educator expositions; an annual teaching fellowship award; student exhibitions at the museum; and a dedicated Web site featuring integrated lesson plans, online professional development tools, and opportunities for sharing best practices.

Awarded as part of a $50 million capital campaign, the grant is one of the largest contributions to the museum since the public phase of the campaign was announced in 2010. "The [foundation] is delighted to provide funding for the museum to apply across educational disciplines," said GSK Foundation executive director Marilyn Foote-Hudson. "This new approach to learning will inspire North Carolina children to learn and thrive."