Local Arts Education Advocate Presents University of Utah with $1.25 Million to Help Educate Elementary School Music Teachers.

SALT LAKE CITY -- Art Works for Kids Founder Beverley Taylor Sorenson Endows Presidential Chair for College of Fine Arts. 'Comprehensive Art Education is Essential to Every Child's Success,' said Sorenson.

Today it was announced that Beverley Taylor Sorenson, philanthropist and arts education champion, has donated $1.25 million to the University of Utah's College of Fine Arts to endow a permanent chair in its School of Music.

The new faculty position will be filled by an artist-scholar charged with improving the education of elementary school music teachers and with promoting elementary school art education through partnerships with the university, school districts, the community and parents. The endowment will be named the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Presidential Endowed Chair for Elementary Music Education.

"We are grateful for this enormously generous gift that will help ensure high-quality art education for the children of Utah and, indeed, of the entire nation," said Michael K. Young, president of the University of Utah. "Finding innovative and imaginative ways for elementary school teachers to reach and teach children who are in their most formative years will be a great benefit to all of our children. This chair will also significantly improve our ability to attract and train highly qualified music teachers throughout the state."

A Salt Lake native, Sorenson graduated from the University of Utah's education program, served an internship at the university's Stewart School and taught kindergarten at a Quaker school in Brooklyn, N.Y. Over the years, Sorenson has been a tireless advocate of arts education for children, dedicating countless hours and substantial resources to this cause. In 1995, she founded the independent, non-profit organization Art Works for Kids, which began as a pilot program to promote music, dance, visual art and drama in six Utah elementary schools. Today, Art Works for Kids serves thousands of elementary school children and teachers by supporting innovative, sequential arts education programs in schools and communities through grants, support services and advocacy work.

"Arts education should be in every Utah elementary school because it is crucial to the success of children as individuals and as citizens," said Sorenson. "Art unveils a child's individual talents, builds self-esteem and fosters collaborative behavior, and even improves performance in other subjects. And because no one organization can bring high-quality art education to the entire state, we are creating partnerships like the one announced today with the University of Utah, which will help train more qualified teaching artists who can make a real difference in the classroom. We look forward to working together to give the children of this state the education they need and deserve."

Raymond Tymas-Jones, dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Utah, noted, "In the years to come, this endowment will make a tremendous, positive impact on the lives of children and the community. Immersing children in the creative process of music engenders self-confidence with endless possibilities. We are indebted to Mrs. Sorenson for her vision and generosity."

About the University of Utah

Founded in 1850, the University of Utah, Utah's flagship institution of higher education, is a major academic, research, and health sciences university. The University offers majors in 72 subjects at the undergraduate level, along with more than 50 teaching majors and minors, and more than 90 major fields of study at the graduate level. The University seeks to educate the individual and to discover, refine, and disseminate knowledge. The University strives to create an academic environment where the highest standards of scholarship and professional practice are observed and where responsibilities to students are conscientiously met. The right of free inquiry is zealously preserved; diversity is encouraged and respected; critical examination and creativity are promoted; and intellectual integrity and social responsibility are fostered.

About Art Works for Kids

Art Works for Kids is a non-profit granting and advocacy organization that helps Utah children by supporting innovative, sequential arts education programs in schools and communities. Founded in 1995 by Beverley Sorenson, Art Works for Kids serves as a catalyst and advocate for quality arts education by providing grants and support services to universities, school districts, individual schools and community organizations. Art Works for Kids also assists educational entities in developing funding and support systems within their own communities to help ensure their long-term success. For more information, visit www.artworksforkids.org.