U.S. Bank Awards Grant to Lancaster Museum and Public Art Foundation in Support of Green MOAH Initia
Yesterday, at the Lancaster Museum of Art and History (MOAH), the Lancaster Museum and Public Art Foundation (LMPAF) was presented with a $5,000 grant from U.S. Bank. The funds will be used in support of the museum’s award-winning Green MOAH Initiative.
The Green MOAH Initiative utilizes art and environmental education as a creative catalyst for leading greener, more sustainable lives in the Antelope Valley. Project topics include recycled art, urban farming and gardening, sustainable design, water harvesting, and renewable energy such as wind and solar power.
“U.S. Bank is an outstanding City Partner,” said Mayor R. Rex Parris. “We are grateful for their commitment to Lancaster, as evidenced by their faithful support of such community programs.”
The U.S. Bank grant supports the 2014 Green MOAH Initiative project entitled CrossWINDS: The Intersection of Art and Sustainable Energy, which takes art and environmental education into the schools and community. CrossWINDS is an innovative hands-on community engagement project designed to teach young people to harness the wind by making kinetic sculptures that produce renewable energy. The project promotes art activities which raise awareness concerning environmental issues. The project also builds new audiences for the arts by serving low income and underserved school children, neighborhoods and families.
The partnership between the Lancaster Museum and Public Art Foundation and U.S. Bank ensures the successful completion of the pilot project led by MOAH along with local high school art and physics departments. The goal is to create a new network of educated citizens who themselves can teach future generations about sustainability.
"We are thrilled to support the Green MOAH Initiative,” said Ben Maish, Executive Board Member of LMPAF and Assistant Vice President of U.S. Bank in Lancaster, CA. “The Green MOAH Initiative fits within the U.S. Bancorp Foundation’s funding priorities for Education and Cultural and Artistic Enrichment.”
Specifically, U.S. Bank supports programs which increase accessibility to innovative multidisciplinary art education projects which help low-income, at-risk students succeed in school and build life-long skills—which are also core goals of the Green MOAH Initiative.
The Green MOAH Initiative is based on California Common Core Standards, National STEAM curriculum standards (integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Design, Math in K-20 education) and National Museum Accreditation Standards.
Since its inception in 2012, the Green MOAH Initiative has reached an estimated 2,543 students with a minority enrollment of 86% and economically disadvantaged enrollment at 78% (of total enrollment numbers) plus thousands of community members. By partnering with schools, community groups, families, businesses and individuals, MOAH provides a platform for creating a greener, brighter future by offering access to innovative arts programming in North Los Angeles County.
The Lancaster Museum of Art and History is dedicated to strengthening awareness, enhancing accessibility and igniting the appreciation of art, history and culture through dynamic exhibitions, innovative educational programs, creative community engagement and a vibrant collection that celebrates the richness of the region. 665 W. Lancaster Blvd. Lancaster, CA 93534 Phone: 661.723.6250. lancastermoah.org
