BRUNSWICK — Arts Are Elementary has issued its annual Call for Proposals for Artists-in- Residence for the 2015-16 academic year. All residencies will take place during the school day in Brunswick’s public elementary schools and in St. John’s Catholic School. Applications are available on the Arts Are Elementary website at artsareelementary.org. Proposed residencies must tie into the Brunswick School Department curriculum. This information can be found on the BSD website at brunswick.k12.me.us/curriculum. Applicants are encouraged to include a literacy component to their proposals.

Applications may be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to Kristi Hatrick, Arts Are Elementary, P. O. Box 882, Brunswick, ME, 04011. Applications are due Sunday, March 1. The Arts Are Elementary Board will complete the artist selection process by the end of April. All applicants will be contacted shortly thereafter as to the results.

Arts are Elementary strives to give students a varied experience of artist residencies throughout their tenure in elementary school — for example, if their resident artist for kindergarten focused on singing and songwriting, their artist residency for first grade would focus on a different artistic medium. Details about recent artist residences may be found on the Arts Are Elementary website.

Begun by a group of artists, teachers and parents seeking to increase the artistic opportunities for Brunswick’s elementaryaged kids, Arts Are Elementary has been providing in-class artist residencies for 35 years. Teachers and administrators alike report that AAE residencies improve student attention spans, boost self confidence levels, get kids “fired up” to learn, and enhance their study of curricular subjects. Students ask “when are you coming back?” at the end of our artist sessions, eager to pick up where they left off with painting, dancing, sewing and creating. Residencies often culminate with community performances or exhibits.

For more information please contact Kristi Hatrick at (207) 725- 1232 or [email protected], visit our website at http://www.artsareelementary.org, or “like” the organization on Facebook.