Arts Corps Programs
Arts Corps’ programs include:
Out-of-school time classes
Teaching artists are placed at partner sites for after-school classes in a specific art form. Arts Corps seeks yearlong commitments for our after-school and out-of-school arts programs with the goal of building long term, sustainable partnerships
In-school arts residencies
Teaching artists work in partnership with a classroom teacher during school hours and with the same group of students for the duration of a residency project. These class sessions focus on a creative project that can integrate into another subject area or stand alone.
Teen programs
Courses include music, dance, poetry, performance, and media taught by professional teaching artists and mentors.
Teen programs open to any interested youth (13 to 19) include:
- Advanced Teen Artist at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center
- Youth Speaks Seattle
- Teen classes at after-school sites and community centers
Creative Schools Initiative
This new program is a whole-school integration program for middle schools.Teaching artists spend close to 20 hours a week in Creative Schools contributing to an arts rich environment by teaching in the classroom and in after-school programs, as well as guiding exhibits and performances with students.
AmeriCorps artists-in-service
Arts Corps’ five AmeriCorps allow for greater impact in learning by having artists-in-service imbedded within community settings.
Recent Successes and Current Challenges
In 2012, Arts Corps was awarded the highest national honor in community based arts education by the White House, The National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award.
In Seattle, schools are being stripped of arts learning opportunities, especially schools serving children of color and low-income communities. In fact, a recent report from Seattle Public Schools shows that race is the greatest predictor of access to school day arts education within the district. In 2011-2012, the odds of African American, Latino and American Indian/Alaskan Native students being enrolled in an arts class are significantly lower – as much as 33 percent lower – than their white counterparts.
Further, this same study shows a substantial drop in arts education participation in middle school, and no school-wide daily or weekly arts integration activity occurring in Seattle middle schools.
Arts Corps directly addresses this critical opportunity gap bringing powerful arts learning to young people. Arts Corps classes are provide youth opportunities to grow their creativity, take risks, imagine possibilities and persist through challenges – skills linked to achievement in school and in life.