July 16, 2009 Amon Carter Museum Receives Grants from King Foundation and Erwin E. Smith Foundation

School children sit on the floor of a Carter gallery in front of several paintings.

Fort Worth, TX, July 16, 2009—The Amon Carter Museum announces that it has recently received generous grants from The Carl B. and Florence E. King Foundation and the Erwin E. Smith Foundation.

With a $25,000 grant, the King Foundation is supporting the museum’s educator programs, which include interactive workshops that explore the museum’s collection and special exhibitions, training sessions tailored to individual districts, programs for pre-service teachers, and materials related to American art available for free loan to educators through the Teaching Resource Center.

“Supporting education is one of the foundation’s top priorities,” says Michelle D. Monse, president of the King Foundation. “We are proud to help fund the Amon Carter Museum’s extensive education programs, as they magnify the impact of the museum’s collection and enrich the community.”

“Last year, the Amon Carter Museum reached more than 4,500 educators,” says Stacy Fuller, head of education at the Carter. “The King Foundation grant will allow the museum to not only increase the number of local teachers served but also provide additional classroom resources.”

The Erwin E. Smith Foundation grant of $10,000 will allow the museum to broadcast Cowboy Close-Up, an interactive student videoconference. With the grant, the museum can provide a free broadcast for 40 schools, as well as provide participating schools with copies of the children’s book Cowboy with a Camera: Erwin E. Smith, Cowboy Photographer and other classroom resources.

The Erwin E. Smith Foundation, which works to foster an appreciation for Smith’s photography and advance the understanding of the history of the open-range cattle industry in the Southwest, has been a generous supporter of the Amon Carter Museum for several years. The Foundation previously funded the development of the Cowboy Close-Up videoconference, as well as online collection and teaching guides. Approximately 7,500 students have been reached through the Erwin Smith-focused videoconferences since 2008, according to Fuller.

For more information about the Carter’s education programs, please visit cartermuseum.org.