For Immediate Release: July 25, 2008 Elaine Mariner, elaine.mariner@state.co.us, 303-892-3870 Council on the Arts Hires Arts Education Manager New position supports arts education as a strategy for student success

DENVER (July 25, 2008). As part of its strategic efforts to provide more support to schools and communities that want to integrate the arts and creative learning as a strategy for student success, the Colorado Council on the Arts has hired Sheila Sears as the agency’s new Arts Education Manager. Sears, who starts on August 5, will help plan and implement priorities and procedures for the agency’s arts education grants and services. Sears will also act as liaison to appropriate programs within the Colorado Department of Education, the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Department of Education and other government agencies.

Sears brings to the Council extensive knowledge of and leadership in non-profit arts and education organizations in Colorado. Most recently, Sears has worked with a variety of non-profits in arts, education, and community services through her own consulting company. Past professional experience includes the positions of Executive Director of Young Audiences of Colorado and Fremont Center for the Arts, and Education Director for Walden Family Playhouse. For the past three years, she has acted as the Arts Education Consultant for the Colorado Council on the Arts, helping restore CCA’s youth-focused programs and facilitating statewide grant counseling and review. She also has served as a consultant to the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program for the Colorado Department of Education. 

The Colorado Council on the Arts, a division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, combines state funds with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, and invests in communities across the state to ensure that the cultural, educational and economic benefits of the arts are enjoyed by thousands of Colorado youth and millions of Colorado citizens and visitors every day. For more information see www.coloarts.org.

The mission of the Colorado Council on the Arts is to promote the cultural, educational and economic growth of Colorado through development of its arts and cultural heritage. Funding is provided through an annual appropriation from the state’s Gaming Fund and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

###