Aspen/Snowmass, CO (October 9, 2019) — Anderson Ranch Arts Center received a two-year, $50,000 grant, awarded by the Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation to support its High School Scholarship Program. The award will provide a total of 24 Roaring Fork Valley and western slope area high school students with once-in-a-life time opportunities to participate in Anderson Ranch workshops in 2019 and 2020.
This summer, 11 young artists from Coal Ridge High School, Grand Valley High School and Rifle High School traveled to the Ranch campus to participate in workshops ranging from printmaking and painting to furniture making.
When asked about her experience at the Ranch, Kiona, a 2019 scholarship recipient shared, “I am so grateful to have been a part of this program. During my time at the Ranch, I learned the basics of wood working and how to 3D sculpt out of wood! I loved it so much! This was a chance for me to prepare for my future and college and I am so happy that this opportunity was open for me. Anderson Ranch has taught me to never be afraid to explore new things. I can never thank you enough!”
“Together, the Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation and Anderson Ranch are creating opportunities for local students to develop personal and professional skills, while in a creative environment that offers long-term mentorship and support,” explained Peter Waanders, President and Chief Executive Officer. “Thanks to the foundation’s generous support, young artists from low-income areas in the Aspen-Parachute Corridor have the chance to experience all that Anderson Ranch Arts Center has to offer.”
Scholarships underwrite all art making-experiences for one-week summer workshops, including tuition, housing, meals in the Ranch Café and studio supplies. Scholarshop recipients include 12 junior and senior-level high school students per year from three participating regional high schools: Coal Ridge High School in New Castle, Grand Valley High School in Parachute and Rifle High School in Rifle. As the High School Scholarship Program’s largest supporter, the Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation is an integral partner in growing the number of High School Scholarship opportunities and increasing accessibility to Anderson Ranch’s educational offerings.
“The High School Scholarship Program provides underserved youth with wonderful opportunities for art education and professional skill development. The foundation is proud to support Anderson Ranch’s efforts to engage students who may not otherwise have this opportunity,” notes Lori Dresner, President of The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation.
Thanks to the Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation’s ongoing support, young artists are leaving the Ranch with an entirely new outlook on art-making and careers in the arts. Like for Maryann who expressed, “This experience has taught me so much, I’m in shock. I’ve learned so much about who I am as an artist, and the future I want to have in the arts. The exposure I’ve gained to the art world is such a priviledge. The amount of gratitude I have is too heavy to express. You’ve allowed me to fall in love with art over and over again. Thank you so much for my scholarship to Anderson Ranch.”
ABOUT THE VERA AND JOSEPH DRESNER FOUNDATION
The Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation is dedicated to transforming lives in profoundly positive ways through grants focused on health, youth and family, and animal welfare. By working with organizations in their focus areas, the Vera and Joseph Dresner Foundation works to create opportunity, have community impact, and promote wellbeing. Learn more at https://www.dresnerfoundation.org.
ABOUT ANDERSON RANCH ARTS CENTER
Founded in 1966, Anderson Ranch Arts Center is a premier destination in America for art making and critical dialog, bringing together aspiring and internationally renowned artists to discuss and further their work in a stimulating environment. Nestled in the Rocky Mountains of Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado, the Ranch hosts extensive workshops for aspiring, emerging, established artists, children and teenagers in eight disciplines, including Photography & New Media, Ceramics, Painting & Drawing, Furniture Design & Woodworking, Sculpture, Woodturning, Printmaking and Digital Fabrication. In addition to the Summer Series: Featured Artists & Conversations, the Ranch hosts engaging events throughout the year including: the Recognition Dinner, held in honor of Anderson Ranch’s National Artist Award and Service to the Arts Award honorees; the Annual Art Auction & Community Picnic, a thirty-six-year-old tradition which features works of local, national and international artists; and a year-round Artists-in-Residence Program, fostering artistic growth for emerging and established visual artists. For more than 50 years, Anderson Ranch Arts Center has been working to enrich lives with art, inspiration and community. Learn more at www.andersonranch.org or 970/923.3181.
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