Partnering with the community to bring Spark arts programming to the classroom

May 11, 2007, San Francisco -- SPARKed, the innovative educational outreach component of KQED's award-winning television art series, Spark (Wednesdays at 7:30pm on KQED 9), proudly announces the Spark Arts Education Partnership Program. SPARKed received proposals from a wide range of Bay Area organizations and schools with ideas of how to incorporate Spark into lesson plans for all levels of learning. As more and more students lose their access to the arts, SPARKed is thrilled to partner with ten groups so strongly committed to providing a complete education.

This year's Spark Arts Education Partnership Projects run between May 1, 2007 and December 1, 2007. Each partner takes a different creative approach as they bring Spark content to their students in a new and unique way. From welding sculptures to cartoon art, each Spark segment and theme can be used to teach and inspire a whole new generation of Bay Area artists.

The 2007 Spark Arts Education Partnership Projects are:

San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art will integrate Spark content during The Landscape War exhibition, which includes the work of six Spark-featured artists. The exhibit opens November 9, 2007.

San Francisco Arts Education Project will use Spark video and educational content in an in-depth professional development workshop for classroom teachers and teaching artists.

Zaccho Dance Theater will facilitate a "Spark Week" in the fall 2007 semester with workshops run by performers featured on Spark.

The Crucible will incorporate Spark content into a welding workshop taking place in May for middle school girls.

World Savvy will feature Spark video and educational content in professional development workshops serving local teaching artists.

Rooftop School & StageWrite Productions will join forces as Rooftop focuses on the art of storytelling. Student and professional development workshops will use Spark video and educational content.

The Lyceum of Monterey County & The Community Partnership for Youth will use Spark content in Art and Music Intensive (AMI) Programs in summer 2007 and science programs in the fall semester.

Life Learning Academy High School will highlight Spark video and educational content into a three-week unit on cartoon art, and train advanced art, photography, and music teachers to incorporate Spark content into their curricula on an ongoing basis.

San Francisco Art Institute City Studios will highlight Spark through screenings and artist visits with the students May through December in the pre-professional and pre-collegial arts study program.

Cleveland Elementary School will incorporate Spark content focusing on traditional art forms into an artist-residency program lasting from April through December 2007.

SPARKed is comprised of KQED staff, arts educators, artists, and partnerships with local arts organizations. To download Educator Guides or for more information about SPARKed and Spark, visit www.kqed.org/spark.

Major support for Spark is provided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, supporting creativity and innovation in the arts since 1967, by The James Irvine Foundation, expanding opportunity for the people of California, by Diane B. Wilsey, and by the KQED Campaign for the Future Program Venture Fund. Additional support is provided by Meridee Moore and Kevin King, Helen Sarah Steyer, Phyllis C. Wattis Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

About Spark
Spark, a co-production of KQED Public Television and the Bay Area Video Coalition (BAVC), is a three-part initiative in the arts that combines a weekly television series shot in HD airing Wednesdays at 7:30pm (with repeats Fridays at 11:30pm) on KQED 9 and Sundays at 4:00pm on KTEH/KCAH, an extensive website, and a multifaceted educational outreach component. Spark blazes a trail through the diverse and prolific Bay Area arts community, featuring in-depth profiles of hundreds of local artists and arts organizations.

About KQED
KQED (www.kqed.org) is a service of Northern California Public Broadcasting, Inc. (NCPB), with over 780,000 weekly radio listeners and more than 1,000,000 monthly viewing households. KQED Public Television 9, one of the nation's most-watched public television stations during primetime, is the producer of local and national series such as Quest; Check, Please! Bay Area; Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way; and Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures. KQED's digital television channels include KQED HD, KQED Encore, KQED World, KQED Life and KQED Kids, and are available 24/7 on Comcast. KQED Public Radio, home of Forum with Michael Krasny, Pacific Time, and The California Report, is the most-listened-to public radio station in the nation with an award-winning news and public affairs program service (88.5 FM in San Francisco and 89.3 FM in Sacramento). KQED Education Network brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents and the general public through workshops, community screenings and multimedia resources. KQED Interactive offers video and audio podcasts and live radio stream at www.kqed.org, featuring unique content on one of the most-visited station sites in public broadcasting.