(Greensboro, NC) GreenHill is proud to announce it has been awarded $19,380 from Lincoln Financial Foundation. Since 2011, GreenHill has served approximately 21,000 individuals through the support of Lincoln Financial Foundation. With this support, GreenHill will continue to grow its Artworks program which provides free group visits and workshops to underserved members of the community. The program is designed to provide high-quality art experiences in order to develop visual literacy and aesthetic awareness.  

The Artworks program provides free group visits and workshops to students attending Title 1 schools, enrolled in programs through Guilford Child Development, United Way Thriving at Three programs, or other organizations serving low-income children and families. Group visits are a two-part program introducing student and educator participants to the artistic process through discussions of the artworks by North Carolina artists in GreenHill’s exhibitions and through applied learning in the studios. GreenHill’s education staff provides participants tools for analyzing and interpreting works of art and practice using them during group discussions of artwork. The studio environment is set up to encourage discovery, idea generation and problem-solving through self-directed art making, using the "Studio Thinking" framework developed by Harvard's Project Zero. 

Workshops for Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club members and clients of the Autism Center for Life Enrichment (ACLE) are offered free of charge through the Artworks program.  To enrich this access, GreenHill has translated core materials into French, Spanish and Arabic, which are available at GreenHill as well as the website (www.GreenHillNC.org ) made possible by  funding from The Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro. While students may speak English as a second language, their parents may be less fluent--translations will encourage families to come back together and know that they are welcome in any language. 

Lifelong learning through the visual arts has been at the forefront of GreenHill’s mission since its inception in 1974. Children who live at or below the poverty level have limited access to activities outside of the school setting, especially in the arts.  In Greensboro and the surrounding area, the achievement gap between low-income children and their “more advantaged” peers is greater than 70% of major US cities. In addition to a growing achievement gap, there exists a widening “opportunity gap” to high-quality activities, such as museum visits and art classes. 

According to a 2012 NEA report, “The Arts and Achievement in At-Risk Youth: Findings from Four Longitudinal Studies,” underserved students ''who have access to the arts in or out of school also tend to have better academic results, better workforce opportunities, and more civic engagement. GreenHill’s executive director, Laura Way says, “We are committed to access to the visual arts for all, and through the Artworks program funded by Lincoln Financial Foundation, and other supporters, we are breaking down financial barriers that limit some in our community from having high-quality art experiences.” 

Lincoln Financial Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Lincoln Financial Group, believes in empowering people to live greater lives, which advances culture and empowers greater positive change. Its grant is part of Lincoln Financial’s annual $10 million investment in its local communities’ youth education, economic and workforce development, human well-being and arts programs. 

About Lincoln Financial Foundation  
The Lincoln Financial Foundation, established in 1962, is a nonprofit organization formed and supported by Lincoln Financial Group. Under the Foundation guidelines, grants are made in the areas of arts, education, human services and economic/workforce development.  

About GreenHill 
GreenHill is located at 200 North Davie Street, in the Greensboro Cultural Center.  GreenHill is the center for NC art and promotes the visual arts of North Carolina by engaging a broad community of artists, adults and children through dynamic exhibitions and educational programs while providing a platform for exploration and investment in art. For more information visit www.GreenHillnc.org.