Moses isn't convinced, but Faith insists on "doing an owl." The 6-year-olds have teamed up to create a collage animal using scraps of construction paper.

"I'm making the body and he's making the head," says Faith, handing Moses the glue.

For the first-graders at Lincoln Elementary in Salt Lake City, art is simply "fun." But for arts patron Beverley Sorenson, today's lesson is also an exercise in the art of negotiation. The collage reinforces concepts of order and harmony. Using scissors builds gross motor skills.

"Art builds confidence, teaches discipline and stirs the imagination," said Sorenson, who has invested 14 years and tens-of-millions of dollars bringing quality arts instruction to Utah's schools.

More than 30,000 students have benefitted from the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. The curriculum, which pairs art, music, drama and dance specialists with elementary teachers, has been adopted by 52 schools in 20 school districts thanks to $15.8 million in one-time funding from the Utah Legislature.

But without a renewal of funding, this year will be the program's last.

Recession-starved lawmakers shaved $2 million from the program last year and with more budget cuts looming, Sorenson fears the worst.

Today, she and other arts advocates will launch "Friends of Art Works for Kids!" a grass-roots effort to preserve the program. The group isn't looking to raise money, just public awareness and support.

"There are plenty of parents out there whose children benefit from this program, but who probably don't know it's in jeopardy," said the campaign's director, Lisa Cluff, who is urging parents to get involved and speak up.

A former teacher and gifted pianist, Sorenson -- the 85-year-old wife of the late biotechnology pioneer James LeVoy Sorenson -- has long bemoaned the erosion of arts from elementary education. She created Art Works for Kids in 1995, committing more than $20 million to build an arts curriculum and bring it to schools. Her family's charitable Sorenson Legacy Foundation has spent millions more on university programs to train educators in the arts.

Inspired by her commitment, lawmakers funded the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program, a partnership of the Utah State Office of Education and Utah Arts Council.

Renewed funding could hinge on an evaluation of the program by researchers at the University of Utah, who are still collecting data.

But anecdotal evidence suggests the program has paid off in decreased absenteeism, fewer behavioral problems and academic achievement, said Margaret Hunt, executive director of the Utah Arts Council. "That's the way kids learn: they sing, they dance, they move, they draw. The arts are just a natural way to reinforce other core concepts."

The theme this week at Lincoln Elementary is "Exploring the World." Arts specialist Janelle Wride sees every student for one class period, weaving math, science and language arts concepts into the day's project.

For first-graders, Monday's animal collage reinforced a lesson on tame versus wild animals. Fifth graders tackled more abstract ideas.

"It's more a process than the final product," said Wride.

The school's principal, Tracy Vandeventer, says she'll "beg, borrow and steal" to keep the program afloat.

Nearly all her students are on free and reduced-price lunches, a measure of poverty. Fewer than 30 percent are native English speakers.

"For some of these kids, especially our refugees, the arts are their only outlet for expression," she said. "It's our best chance for engaging them in school."

kstewart@sltrib.com