Call for Teaching Artists!

Artists-in-Residence Program Launches

Recently the Arts Council announced its open call for Lansing-area teaching artists for its Young Creatives Artists-in-Residence program.

Learning and the arts

The Artists-in-Residence is a new component of the Arts Council’s Young Creatives Program and was designed as a resource to support funding of teaching artists in Lansing School District elementary classrooms.

The program allows the Arts Council to connect its artist members with classroom teachers to encourage arts integration and strengthen arts education. We are very excited to launch this program, says Debbie Mikula, Arts Council executive director. It is so important that the arts are part of a child’s education. All the statistics point to greater success in subjects like math and science when the arts are part of that learning.

Arts integration

Mila Theroux, program coordinator, will collect resumes and schedule artists for auditions for the program. We will be looking for artists who express a genuine passion for teaching young children, says Mila. She noted that applicants should also be prepared to speak to their pedagogy in relation to current findings around learning and arts education. It’s important that teaching artists are able to create a curriculum that builds on the work the classroom teacher is presenting, Mila says. That’s what arts integration is all about.

Creating the roster

The Arts Council’s goal is to identify 6 – 8 teaching artists in the areas of dance, music, visual art and theatre. Applicants must be Arts Council members and professional artists with expertise in one or more arts disciplines who have previously worked with children and teachers in educational settings. Once artists are chosen, an Artist Roster will be posted to the Arts Council’s website, allowing elementary teachers to select an artist to meet their needs. Teachers will then apply for funding through the Arts Council.

Apply today. For more information, email Mila Theroux at Mila@www.lansingarts.org.

Photo Credit: Stewart Dean at Benhassenger.com