The Woodlands Children’s Museum is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) for a Challenge America award of $10,000. This grant will support arts programming through the Periwinkle Arts In Medicine program at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center at Texas Children’s Hospital. In total, the NEA will award 257 Challenge America awards totaling $2,570,000 that were announced as part of its first round of fiscal year 2024 grants.
“The NEA is delighted to announce this grant to The Woodlands Children’s Museum, which is helping contribute to the strength and well-being of the arts sector and local community,” said National Endowment for the Arts Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD. “We are pleased to be able to support this community and help create an environment where all people have the opportunity to live artful lives.”
The two-year grant will allow museum staff to visit Texas Children’s Hospital’s Main Campus and Woodlands Campus once a month to provide thoughtfully curated art projects for patients and their families. Through the process of art-making, young children and adolescents are often better able to cope with their feelings, adjust to adversity, and reduce anxiety. Providing an opportunity to express creativity can also assist in normalizing the hospital environment through play.
“We are very grateful for the support of the NEA and our partnership with Texas Children’s,” stated Angela Colton, the museum’s Executive Director. “Art can impact health and well-being at all stages of life, and this grant lets us reach children who are in need of assistance and may encourage them to express emotions and foster healing.”
The Woodlands Children’s Museum has previously partnered with Texas Children’s Hospital and The Periwinkle Foundation to host its annual Making a Mark® exhibition of art and creative writing by children touched by cancer and blood disorders at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center. The NEA Challenge America grant will allow this partnership to expand and strengthen outreach opportunities.
“We are grateful for the art educators from The Woodlands Children’s Museum,” stated Carol Herron, Periwinkle Arts In Medicine Program Coordinator at Texas Children’s Cancer and Hematology Center. “The staff bring age-appropriate activities that are fun, educational and creative. Children leave clinic with a project they are proud of and a memory of a fun day.”
For more information on other projects included in the NEA’s grant announcement, visit arts.gov/news.
