UW–Madison graduate student and alumnus Christian Bonner, a general music teacher at Kennedy Elementary School, has been awarded a 2026 Wisconsin Arts Celebration Grant from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) and the Wisconsin Arts Board.
Created in 2023 to celebrate the Wisconsin Arts Board’s 50th anniversary, the Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project provides free music, lesson plans, and materials created primarily by Wisconsin artists and educators to schools, communities, and libraries across the state.
A returning Badger, Bonner previously earned a bachelor’s degree in music education and is now pursuing an MS in educational leadership and policy analysis with a K-12 emphasis as a member of Madison Metropolitan School District’s District Leadership Preparation Pipeline cohort.
Bonner’s funded project is an integrated literary and related arts unit plan, which he describes as “rooted in humanity and connectivity.” The curriculum engages students in grade-level English-language arts standards while encouraging multi-modal participation and assessment.
According to Bonner, DPI leaders were “quite impressed by the integration and means for family engagement to demonstrate learning around the project,” awarding him $250 beyond the standard grant amount. The Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project typically provides up to $1,000 for up to six Wisconsin schools/districts each year.
As the first elementary general music teacher to be awarded a grant since the initiative began, Bonner is proud to direct the funds to Kennedy Elementary School to support the implementation of cross-curricular arts instruction.
Read more about the Wisconsin Arts Celebration Project.