|
State of Alaska > Department of Education & Early Development > Alaska
State Council on the Arts > Arts in Education
Arts in Education
Every child in every school has the right to a well-rounded education, of which the arts are an essential ingredient. Beyond having great value in and of itself, the arts promote the health and well-being of children, including academic and personal growth, critical thinking and analytical skills, the motivation to stay in school and excel and movement skills to help combat childhood obesity. Quality arts education is central to a complete education. Experience with the arts gives children the opportunity to achieve their full potential and become artists, audiences, informed citizens, and professionals who are prepared for success in the 21st century economy.
Alaska’s artists and arts organizations are a rich resource that can help schools and communities become creative places where young people flourish and give voice to their personal creativity. The arts can transform the classroom environment, making learning a lively, invigorating experience. With their emphasis on creative discovery and their ability to stimulate a variety of learning styles, the arts engender the 21st century work skills that students can bring to any future employment. The arts also teach discipline, the value of sustained effort to achieve excellence, and the concrete rewards of hard work.
The Alaska State Council on the Arts is part of the Department of Education and Early Development. Accomplishing access to arts education by every child in every school will be done by:
- Increasing arts education experiences for K-12 students;
- Developing opportunities for lifelong learning through the arts;
- Supporting professional development for artists, arts educators and classroom teachers; and,
- Strengthening the Council’s relationship with state and federal agencies that affect education policy
Artist in Schools
2011 Airport Heights AIS residency with Teaching Artist Stephen Blanchett, |
 |
All Artists in Schools (AIS) grants are administered under one grant program in the Arts in Education Program. Any public school district or public or private individual school is eligible to apply for an AIS grant. Qualified nonprofit organizations may assist by applying on behalf of a school or district but must have a letter from the district stating that the organization is applying on behalf of the district and how the residencies augment the districts’ arts curriculum. Typical individual school residencies are two weeks or longer; District residencies are normally multi week and can be in different art forms. All residencies should be designed to provide arts experiences and training for both the students and teachers. Successful applicants will demonstrate how the residency will augment the arts curriculum, tie in to other curriculum and show a strong teacher workshop in arts integration. A School Guide and District Guide are available on line and can help in planning a residency and applying for a grant.
Successful applicants serve as chief sponsor, designer and coordinator of the program. Technical assistance in the form of artist contract templates, procedure guidelines, etc. are available from the AIE staff. If your district/school has not applied for an AIS grant in the past you MUST contact the AIE staff at ruth.glenn@alaska.gov; 907-269-6682 or toll free in Alaska 1-888-278-7424.
Deadlines for submission are April 15 for the following school year and November 1 for the current school year. Applications and guidelines are available on line at http://alaska.cgweb.org. Read all information carefully. If you have questions please call or email the AIE Program staff.
Rock Band morning club at Glacier Valley School, Juneau 2010-2011.
|
Rasmuson Cultural Collaborations
These grants are made possible by the Rasmuson Foundation. Project Grants provide funds to support nonprofit organizations and schools in partnership projects that occur outside the normal school day/year. Access Grants, bringing arts to kids, provide funds to support arts activities of less than two weeks during the school year/day. Excursion Grants, bringing kids to arts, fund travel assistance and admission costs for students to experience arts and cultural activities outside their schools.
|
The guidelines, instructions and applications are available by clicking the link on the right. Please read the guidelines and instructions carefully. An organization may receive only ONE Cultural Collaboration grant during the state fiscal year (July 1-June 30). If you have any questions please call or email the Arts in Education staff: ; 907-269-6682 or toll free in Alaska 1-888-278-7424.
|
Artists in Schools Teaching Artist Roster
Schools are encouraged to select artists for their residencies from the Alaskan Teaching Artist Roster. Teaching Artists provide classroom art experiences, teacher training, community workshops, and opportunities for students to observe an artist working as a professional. Through the involvement of school staff and community members, the program stimulates art activities beyond the residencies.
Artists who wish to be considered for the roster must be Alaskan residents and are required to participate in a Teaching Artist Academies. These Academies are designed to help the Teaching Artists better prepare themselves for classroom instruction. Teaching Artist Academies will be held in Juneau, Kodiak, Ketchikan, Fairbanks and Anchorage during the coming year. Contact the Arts Council or ASCA for exact times.
- PDF
- PDF
- PDF
Artists may apply at any time for the Roster. There are two review times, September and March.
Questions on the AIS Program should be emailed to or by phone to: (907) 269-6682 or 1-888-278-7424 (toll free in Alaska).
|
Poetry Out Loud |
| |
This program was created by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. It is administered in partnership with the State Arts Agencies of all 50 states, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin islands, and Puerto Rico. This can be a wonderful opportunity for high schools to introduce their students to poetry. Since it is a recitation competition other life skills are brought to play – memorization, public speaking, learning how to tease out meaning from the written word. The Poetry Out Loud web site has many tools for use by schools whether or not they participate in the recitation competition:
2011 Alaskan Poetry Out Loud winner, Lakeidra Chavis
Lathrop High School, Fairbanks North Star Borough School District
Schools sign up during the fall semester and have a school wide competition in January. Regional competitions are held in February. The state final will be March, 2012 with the winner attending the national finals in Washington, DC on May 13 - 15, 2012. |
Arts Education Links
Alaska Arts Education Consortium:
Alaska State Arts Curriculum Standards:
Art is Elementary:
Project Articulate: resource site for visual arts integration
Dept of Education and Early Development:
Association of Alaska School Boards:
Perpich Center for Arts Education:
Kennedy Center in Washington DC:
Arts Education Collaborative:
Arts Education Partnerships:
Association of Teaching Artists:
Articles of Interest from Around the State
|
|
|
|