Gracias San Antonio: Children are Citizens Project is a classroom-based opportunity for local artists to collaborate with Pre-K 4 SA. Volunteer artists collaborate with classrooms on a city-inspired art project. Children learn about San Antonio’s landmarks through City Explorations and use their experiences for inspiration. Once completed, children showcase their art pieces at an exhibition.
Artist Responsibilities
- Connect with the Teacher: Schedule a meeting to discuss your plans and learn about the children’s interests. A minimum of three 30-minute classroom visits are required.
- Introduce the Medium: Demonstrate your chosen art medium in a fun and easy-to-understand way. Let the children experiment and explore!
- Reflect and Create: Talk to the children about their experiences and how they might want to express themselves through art. Encourage their creativity and ideas.
- Keep it Fun and Engaging: Remember, young children have short attention spans. Make the sessions enjoyable, interactive, and hands-on.
- Show Your Passion: Your enthusiasm for art will be contagious! Let the children see how much you love creating and exploring.
More About GRACIAS SAN ANTONIO
Gracias San Antonio is grounded in the belief that children are not just future citizens, they are citizens at this moment in time, with the right to express their opinions and civically engage in San Antonio. All Pre-K 4 SA children have the opportunity to vote for a nonprofit, explore the best of San Antonio’s landmarks, and bring their inspirations to life through art right in their classrooms.
Since 2013, the project has raised more than $40,000 for the following nonprofits: Good Samaritan Community Services, San Antonio Humane Society, Any Baby Can of San Antonio, Children’s Shelter, Child Safe, St. Pj’s Children’s Home, Therapy Animals of San Antonio., the THUR Project and Daisy Cares.
GRACIAS Timeline
October – Artist Recruitment and City Explorations
Pre-K 4 SA hosts Call for Artist Meet and Greet, where local artists learn about the program and meet teachers.
Teachers invite their classroom and their families to engage in City Explorations around San Antonio to help children learn about their city. San Antonio becomes the classroom, and the children are the explorers as they visit local parks, historic city sites, art exhibits, monuments, and local establishments. These explorations allow children to gain ideas and inspiration for their art collaborations with their classroom artists.
November – Voting
The day before election day, Pre-K 4 SA’s Family Cafés are transformed into voting polls. American flags and red, white, and blue streamers adorn the polls, and children cast their votes one by one as they choose their nonprofit.
January and February – The art creation process begins.
Pre-K 4 SA strongly believes that by engaging students in art experiences at a young age, children deeply develop their thinking, creativity, and learn to express themselves. Therefore, local artists join children in the classroom to create authentic art pieces using a variety of artistic mediums to express the children’s perspective of their city and the places they explored.
April – Exhibit and Auction
Art enthusiasts and all citizens of San Antonio are invited to view art pieces at a local gallery. The community can bid on and secure their favorite piece of art through an online auction.
Winning bidders will be notified and have the option to pay online or by phone, have the artwork shipped, or arrange pick up at a Pre-K 4 SA Education Center in May.
Are you an artist interested in partnering with us? Email: pre-k4sa@sanantonio.gov
