The Community Outreach Committee of PPAC Announces ARTS Scholarships 2023 Program
Providence, RI – The Community Outreach Committee of the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) is pleased to announce that applications for the ARTS Scholarships 2023 program are available as of today, Wednesday, February 1, 2023 at https://www.ppacri.org/scholarships
Approximately fifty students in 6th through 8th grades will each receive up to $600 in scholarship funding to have the exciting opportunity to access summer arts-related educational programs. PPAC is pleased to offer this increased funding of $600 for the first time this year. Scholarship winners will be honored at a ceremony at PPAC on Wednesday, May 24, 2023.
The ARTS Scholarships 2023 program is made possible by the generous support of The Textron Charitable Trust, PPAC’s Annual Fund donors, and the sponsoring families of memorial ARTS Scholarships, with support from WPRI 12 and the Ocean State Charitable Trust.
Eligible students must be in grades 6th, 7th, or 8th, or the home school equivalent at the time of submitting their application and reside in Rhode Island. Applicants must have an interest in the arts and demonstrate need.
All applications and supporting materials must be submitted online by Saturday, April 1, 2023. For more information or to request a paper application, please contact Ricky Gresh, PPAC’s Director of Special Projects, at scholarships@ppacri.org or 401.574.3105.
In 1996, with a portion of the proceeds from the First Annual Greater Providence Gospel Fest (a production of the Providence Performing Arts Center which featured local, volunteer gospel choirs), the PPAC Marketing Department, working in collaboration with the Community Outreach Committee, created the ARTS Scholarships program. This scholarship fund has been earmarked to assist students with an interest in studying the arts.
“The talents and interests of our scholarship recipients must be encouraged and developed as they begin to explore their individual potential,” said P.J. Prokop, PPAC Director of Marketing. “When we began the ARTS Scholarships program 27 years ago, we could not have foreseen its impact and success in providing access to arts education in our state. As of this announcement more than 650 ARTS Scholarships have been awarded to creative students.”
Recent scholarship recipients have attended summer programs spanning the breadth of artistic pursuits at The Rhode Island School of Design, Blue Door Studios, Moses Brown School, Brae Crest School of Ballet, Newport Art Museum, Festival Ballet Providence, the Young Actor’s Summer Institute at Trinity Rep, the Rhode Island Writing Project, Nancy Stephen School of Art, and PPAC’s own Next Stop BROADWAY, among others.
Community Outreach Committee
The Community Outreach Committee is a standing committee of the Providence Performing Arts Center’s Board of Directors and is comprised of PPAC Directors, Rhode Island educators and community leaders who share an interest in the arts and youth. The Committee’s mission includes developing arts education opportunities for Rhode Island’s young people and making the Providence Performing Arts Center accessible to Rhode Island’s diverse populations.
The ARTS Scholarships sub-committee is comprised of a panel of judges who review and select the recipients. The panel considers students’ written statements, samples of artwork, a recommendation, and information related to need submitted by a parent or guardian.
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PPAC Media Contacts
P.J. Prokop, Director of Marketing:
(401) 574-3103 ▪ pjprokop@ppacri.org
Caitlyn DiPompo, Marketing/PR Projects Manager:
(401) 574-3112 ▪ cdipompo@ppacri.org