Artists in the Schools

The program also serves to provide teachers with new ideas for teaching and integrating the arts throughout the core academic subjects while also fostering their appreciation for how the arts can enrich their classrooms and the lives of their students.

Through AIS, ahha provides professional Teaching Artists in visual, performing, and literary arts to schools for enriching educational experiences. These Teaching Artists are professionals within their artistic discipline and have been selected through a rigorous application process by a panel of professional artists, educators, and invested community members.

Not only do the experiences provided by the Teaching Artists raise students’ awareness of the role of the arts and professional artists in the community, they complement existing arts education by achieving the following outcomes:

• Students will gain knowledge of contemporary art, contemporary artists, and contemporary art making practices.
• Students will understand the historical and cultural context of works of art.
• Students will construct meaning through encounters with works of art.
• Students will practice and develop creative thinking skills.
• Students will develop an understanding of the use of artistic mediums and techniques and display an individualized use of those skills.
• Students will discover one’s ability to create and perceive oneself as a creative person.

In addition, through these high-quality arts experiences, students will cultivate the skills needed to succeed not just in the classroom but throughout life. These valuable skills include creativity, imagination, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.

Teaching Artist offerings fall into the following categories: Art Experiences, Art Explorations, Arts Integration, Residencies, Assemblies, Performances, and Master Teaching Artists. To find out more, explore the AIS Directory.