MACC Grant Comes Ahead of Arts in Education Week

Susana Browne of MACC with Grant Y.M. Chun of A&B Properties (left), and Rick Volner, Jr. of HC&S. Alexander & Baldwin has given $10,000 to support Maui Arts & Cultural Center’s “CanDo! Days” – a well-known and much-loved facet of The MACC’s overall arts education program. Arts education at The MACC extends the learning potential of more than 10,000 Maui County students annually. Courtesy photo.

The Maui Arts & Cultural Center is the recipient of a $10,000 grant from Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. to support its nationally-recognized arts education program, CanDo! Days for Maui students in grades 1-5.

The grant comes just ahead of the start of National Arts in Education Week, Sept. 13-19.

The grant was presented at a recent Arts Education Advisory Committee Meeting, whose members include Maui’s Complex Area Superintendent and several area principals and teachers.

“We are very appreciative to Alexander & Baldwin for their long-standing commitment to arts education for Maui students,” said Susana Browne, MACC’s education director in a press release announcement.

According to Browne, A&B has given annually since 1996, and in total has provided $260,000 just to support MACC’s Partnering for Arts Education program, which CanDo! Days is part of.

“A&B is pleased to remain among MACC’s consistent supporters,” said Grant Y. M. Chun, A&B Properties vice president, and Maui representative on the State Board of Education. “We’ve provided support for the past 19 consecutive years, based on our belief that arts education is an important building block in a child’s development and that this MACC facility is a vital gathering place for the Maui community,” said Chun.

In the last school year alone, more than 6,500 Maui school children took part in CanDo! Days at the MACC, including students in Hāna, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi.

These art immersion field trips include hands-on sessions in the visual arts, drama, movement, and rhythm. According to representatives at the MACC, the classes are taught by professional artists, and lessons are all standards-based and connected to science curriculum.

Each year more than 350 island teachers also participate in MACC’s professional development workshops to integrate the arts into the classroom curriculum.

MACC representatives say national research has proven that “integrating the arts into classroom curricula results in greater retention of information and increased academic and social skills.”

“Arts education programs at The MACC encompass many aspects of performing and visual arts, all of which help engage students’ attention and result in more effective learning for grades K-12,” the announcement said.