(Sacramento, November 1, 2022) — The Crocker Art Museum is thrilled to announce the launch of the Mel and Leta Ramos Family Virtual Education Center (the Education Center). This new website (vec.crockerart.org) is a comprehensive resource for teachers, parents, homeschoolers, and other educators looking to integrate art into their classroom, home, or community.

With a growing array of lesson plans for every subject and grade level, engaging video content, art education coaching, curriculum reviews, professional development, and more, the Education Center allows the Museum to extend its support of educators beyond the Sacramento region. All resources on the site are free to access and provide guidance, instruction, and creative ideas. “The Crocker’s School + Teacher programs team has a long history of providing rigorous programming in visual arts education, much of that in the form of synchronous programs for in-person attendees. Content for the Virtual Education Center mines the resources built over decades of curriculum planning and instruction by Crocker Education staff, educators, and teaching artists,” notes Mallorie J. Marsh, the Crocker’s Associate Director of Education.“

The Education Center transforms Crocker resources, as well as community-made content submitted through the site, into a flexible, on-demand format to better serve educators working in a post-COVID classroom.”The Education Center is a natural extension of the Crocker’s longstanding School + Teacher programs. As a leading provider of arts education in the greater Sacramento area, the Crocker's content aligns with the California Content Standards both in the visual arts and across curricula. Over the next several months, the Education Center will be populated with dozens of additional lesson plans and other online resources. Educators may also submit their own curriculum work and lesson ideas, ultimately strengthening the professional field of arts education.

Generously funded by the Mel and Leta Ramos Family Foundation, the Education Center will be an invaluable support for educators looking to integrate art into their classroom and beyond. The Foundation was established by Rochelle Leininger, daughter of internationally-known Pop artist Mel Ramos and artist and educator Leta Ramos, with a mission to ensure that all youth have access to an arts education. Over the last four years, the Foundation has supported over 20 youth arts programs throughout Northern California.

“It is vitally important to support the people involved in arts education programs – educators, students, teaching artists, and the dedicated staff of these programs. We share the Crocker's commitment to art and community and are thrilled to work with them to bring this virtual resource to life,” comments Leininger, Founder and CEO of the Foundation.

Educators and members of the public are welcome to attend the official Launch Party of the Mel and Leta Ramos Family Virtual Education Center on Friday, November 4 at 6 PM. Crocker staff will share the first look at the new tool, and participants can enjoy free art resources, art activity demonstrations, and dinner.

Register for this free event online at: crockerart.org/vec

ABOUT THE MEL AND LETA RAMOS FAMILY FOUNDATION
The Mel and Leta Ramos Family Foundation is a non-profit family foundation dedicated to the support of the visual arts education. Founded by the daughter of the late Mel and Leta Ramos, the Foundation’s work is in keeping with the lifelong passion of Mel and Leta Ramos to support the visual arts and visual artists through art-making, teaching, and creating learning opportunities for youth and future arts leaders.

In support of our mission – to ensure that all youth have access to an arts education by supporting the transmission of the visual arts in all of its forms – the Mel and Leta Ramos Family Foundation created the Arts Education Initiative. The Arts Education Initiative is modeled after other national initiatives of its kind that foreground arts education as critical to the development of arts leadership. Research in the creative fields shows that an arts education leads to greater student success in general, and an engaged and more prosperous citizenship overall.