Arts At School

Yesterday, I met with two teachers to plan the daylong residency I’ll be doing centered around The Cow Tail Switch at St. Joseph Montessori School. I’m excited to begin. Earlier this week I read about a great program in the magazine Teaching Artist. This program is centered in Mankato, Minnesota and is directed at schools that have no or little arts available in their programs. The schools apply, and the artists are drawn from several organizations throughout the city. A three-year commitment is made between the artist and the school. For the first year the artist and involved teachers meet and work to plan a curriculum-centered experience. The artist provides teacher workshops and leads the program. The second year, the teacher leads the program and the artist is the mentor and observer and for the third year, the teacher implements the program.

There’s so much that I like about this model. I like that the art is tied to the general ongoing curriculum. I like that the program requires teacher and artist to work together and that the teacher has the opportunity and motivation to make art.

Here’s what teaching artist Armando Gutierrez said when he was asked if he was apprehensive about programs like this making teaching artists obsolete, “it’s just the opposite. Training more practitioners - teachers who not only teach but also make art and have a deep understanding of art—only increases demand for arts experiences. Teachers understand the importance of art in a direct, hands-on way. And it generates more work and more opportunity for artists.”