Artists
in
Schools
Since 1993, the Artists in Schools program has played a vital role in connecting Shoreline- and Lake Forest Park-area students with world-class arts activities. Each year, the program provides thousands of dollars of funding for local professional artists to partner with educators in order to bring the arts into PreK - 12th grade classrooms. The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped us and Artists in Schools will continue in 2021!
The Artists in Schools program places professional teaching artists into Pre-K through 12th-grade classrooms in the Shoreline School District. The goal is to enhance arts education experiences by establishing environments in which students can learn creatively. Teaching artists collaborate with classroom teachers to create projects that allow students to explore the areas of visual arts, music, and theater, as well as to connect the arts to core curricular subjects.
ShoreLake Arts has decades of experience creating arts education programs at schools within the Shoreline School District and actively works in coordination with teachers to develop lessons for a wide variety of subjects that are capable of meeting the unique needs of each partner classroom. Check out the sample lessons below!
Are you interested in finding out more about the Artists in Schools program, or partnering with ShoreLake Arts to bring a project into your student's classroom? Simply email Dr. Jonathan Booker, Arts Education Coordinator, at artsed@shorelakearts.org.
What are kids saying?
Presley, Grade 5
“I am working on social skills and teaching skills…important to develop social skills so that you can communicate with other people. I may not be the best at art, but I sure love doing it!” [Through the Artists in Schools program]
Kate, Grade 5
“The best part about having an artist visit the classroom is the education that comes with teaching the art projects. We get to learn so much about famous artists and their work and it’s so much fun!… We learn crowd control and we have a very talkative class, so this is proving to be a very useful skill!”
Alex, Grade 5
“Our teacher has come up with a list of themes- health and nutrition, self-portraits and still life. Ms. Nataliya, our Teaching Artist creates a lesson on that theme. It makes us feel connected as a class. I love art for this reason and I hope you see now that your money is going toward a good cause.”
Sample Artists in Schools Projects
Explore Cuba:
A Celebration of Rhythm, Dance, Songs, and Culture
Artist
Laura Dean
Students explore Cuban culture through rhythm instruments, dance, and folksongs. Students experience a variety of Cuban art forms from Rumba and Salsa dancing to the drumming and singing of the Yoruba, an Afro-Cuban tradition. Laura enhances the residency with personal travel narrative, photos/videos, and Cuban instruments. The class includes live accompaniment on the piano/keyboard and guitar along with a variety of recordings. Residency culminates in a casual class performance at the end of the week.
Grade Level(s)
K-8