This Arts Council-funded Project is entitled Art Bus.  The project was proposed by Professor Larry Goedde of UVA’s Art History Department.

This Arts Council Grant is to fund the second year the Art Department has provided a FREE bus to Washington, DC museums for students. UVA Faculty members provide scheduled in-depth tours at various museums that students are invited to attend.

In addition to the personal and informal interactions on the bus between students and faculty, these unique faculty led tours expand object based learning to the museum context and encourages students to explore exhibitions related to their interests and research. The Art Bus also provides a number of students with their first exposure to national museums, and for some, their first visit to the nation’s capital.

The Art Bus contributes to teaching students about the importance and ongoing practice of supporting the arts in our communities, as well as seeing and interacting with a variety of historic and contemporary practices of making. Moreover, it further promotes the idea the UVA is committed to teaching the Arts through experience, object based learning as well as strong academic classroom engagement. The goal of the Art Bus project is to fill the bus with students and provide meaningful experiences!

The Arts Council provides advocacy, advice, and support in the Arts at the University of Virginia. It strives to develop and strengthen the bonds of interest and participation among the Arts Departments, their associated programs,  and their alumni and friends; to advocate on their behalf; to advise and assist with communications; and to help raise funds in support of academic programs, facilities, and special events. Among its multitude of arts advocacy efforts, the Council awards annual Arts Council Grants. These grants have, and continue to play an instrumental role in a number of  residencies, workshops, project and research-based endeavors proposed across Arts Grounds annually. This series of articles will highlight each funded project and serve to inform the UVA community of their unique timelines, progress and outcome reports.