Children prepare for Fourth Grade Arts Day

On Wednesday all fourth grade students attending public schools in the Region One School District will come together on The Hotchkiss School campus for a day filled with a variety of visual and performing arts experiences. The day will include 12 different workshops and three performances. This is the twenty fourth year that The Arts Fund for Region One has organized and presented this intensive day long program.

“Once again we can proudly say that every student who has attended 4th grade in Region One has experienced the unique immersion in the visual and performing arts that Arts Day provides. Going into our 24th year, The Arts Fund hopes to continue to provide each and every student with a broader perspective on what the arts can be, and with a truly memorable experience that will boost their interest and drive to find the artist within themselves,” said Brad Faus, chair of

The Arts Fund for Region One. “Teachers, students, and families tell us that this is a long awaited highlight of the year. We owe a great deal of thanks to all committee members and underwriters who help recreate this event for students to experience a wide variety of arts offerings in a comfortably focused setting,” Faus added.

There will be 12 workshops offered, including; felting, Russian egg design, collage, modern dance, Hip Hop, percussion, improvisational theatre games, and more. The workshop artists include; Amber Cameron, Ben Coalter, Henry Klimowicz, Danielle Mailer, Lisa Marson, Austin Dailey, Geoff Stewart, Jennifer Markow, John Marshall, Diane Schapira, and Joel Schapira. The region’s approximately 120 fourth graders, divided into groups of 10-12, will participate in two workshop sessions.

In addition, all students will attend three showcase performances during this day-long event. Ginga Brasileira with cultural energy and a historical music and dance program in Walker Auditorium. Hip Hop Dimensions will perform at the noon hour with a program featuring the history of this form of popular music through and interactive performance. The final showcase of the day will feature excerpted musical numbers from presented by the Housatonic Musical Theatre Society.

Fourth Grade Arts Day is organized and financially supported by The Arts Fund for Region One, Regional School District 1, teachers and professional artists, and many local businesses throughout the region. Sponsors of Fourth Grade Arts Day in recent years have included Litchfield Bancorp, Salisbury Bank and Trust, National Iron Bank, Elyse Harney RE, North Canaan PTO, Sharon PTO, Kent PTO, The Hotchkiss School Art Program, Salisbury Band, Ascendant Compliance, Interlaken Inn, and Founder’s Insurance. The mission of The Arts Fund for Region One is to increase arts opportunities for all children of the six towns of the Northwest Corner of Connecticut and further enhance the public schools’ curriculum. The Arts Fund accomplishes this by providing financial support for visiting artists, student trips to arts events, Fourth Grade Arts Day, professional development for teachers, and scholarships for workshops, summer programs, and instruction.