Our work in the community is based on the belief that the arts are for everyone, and thus our programs in and for the community are broad-reaching and varied. We are able to carry out these initiatives by collaborating with the community-based organizations that keep our towns and villages vibrant.

CURRENT PROGRAMS

ArtsMobile is back on the road visiting sites throughout the County!  With funding from White Plains Hospital and Con Edison, the ArtsMobile offers free, hands-on arts experiences at events, festivals, and organizations led by professional teaching artists in the visual and performing arts.  Please click here to find out what ArtsMobile activities are coming up!

PAST PROGRAMS

  • Teen Tuesdays & Thursdays
  • Summer Youth Photography Job Training Program
  • Mount Vernon Public Library Exhibition Series
  • Young Adult Leadership Council
  • Free Arts Day
  • The Big Read

Community Artist Residencies

Early Childhood. Thousands of Westchester children from families with limited resources often enter kindergarten with a learning gap that grows wider over time. Artist residencies provide preschool children with exposure to music, dance, and visual arts to help them master important kindergarten-readiness skills.

Adolescents and Teens.
For many adolescents the opportunity to work side-by-side with an artist on a creative project is a defining moment, enabling them to view the world, and their place in it, differently. Through partnerships with after-school initiatives, community groups, and government agencies, ArtsWestchester provides teens with creative, productive outlets.

Adults in Transition. Through ArtsWestchester’s outreach and advocacy efforts, human service agencies—shelters for homeless people, mental health facilities, job training programs, drug and violence prevention programs, adult homes and senior programs—are becoming increasingly aware of how important the arts are to the health and well being of their clients.

Seniors. No one feels the loss of community more than our senior citizens. Artist Residencies in senior centers encourage seniors to get together, enjoy new experiences and share their stories.

Additionally, we have partnered with human service agencies to develop proposals seeking support in specific areas such as drug and alcohol abuse prevention, at-risk youth, individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, team building and conflict resolution. Whether you are interested in a short-term artist residency or a long-term project, ArtsWestchester is ready to partner with you to harness the power of the arts to achieve your human services goals.

This series of digital resource books is designed to help educators and other professionals integrate the arts into many different areas of learning, reaching children and adults in new and effective ways.

Teaching Artists Directory. Learn about our group of over 80 professional teaching artists who have passed our rigorous panel process and are ready to work with you. The list includes artists in the fields of visual, literary and performing arts. Each artist has a proven track record of artistic achievement, along with the training and skills needed to bring learning to life through the arts in your classroom or human service sites. Browse the list online in our Teaching Artist Directory.

Cultural Organizations Directory. From field trip ideas to in-school programs, this comprehensive resource lists the many unique arts education opportunities available to school groups in Westchester County. Browse online in our Affiliate Directory.

Schools

Classrooms that celebrate the arts are safe and joyful learning environments. When teachers combine the arts with other subjects, they create vivid and exciting experiences that enhance learning.

A national leader in arts education for more than 30 years, ArtsWestchester is committed to keeping the arts in our schools. Whether you are interested in a short-term artist residency or a long-term district-wide program, ArtsWestchester is ready to partner with you to harness the power of the arts to achieve your curriculum goals.

Learn more about our:

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Artist Residencies in School

The arts are about more than concerts in concert halls and paintings in museums; they can be tools for teaching and cultural expression. ArtsWestchester can connect you to the power of the arts with our Artist Residency Program. This program is designed to enhance the work you are doing by integrating the arts into a variety of school and human service settings. From classrooms to after school programs, day care centers to shelters, the arts can make a tremendous difference in reaching and teaching.

The Artist Residency Program will:

  • Help you match a professional teaching artist with your site or school’s need to design an artist residency that weaves the arts into the curriculum addressing NYS Learning Standards to achieve educational goals, or into your existing community programs to achieve social or behavioral goals
  • Provide you with technical assistance and integrated arts program development at your school and site
  • Enable you to engage professional artists at reasonable affordable rates…no negotiating necessary!
  • Free you from back office work, such as issuing contracts and payments, troubleshooting, etc.
  • Entitle you to free or affordable admission to ArtsWestchester professional development workshops and free ArtsNews Subscription

The Artist Residency Program has worked for hundreds of schools and organizations throughout Westchester.

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Educator Resources & Blogs

LEADERS IN ARTS & ARTS IN EDUCATION

National Endowment for the Arts
www.nea.gov

Americans for the Arts
www.artsusa.org

The Kennedy Center
www.kennedy-center.org/education

Lincoln Center Education
http://lincolncentereducation.org/

Project Zero Harvard
http://www.pz.harvard.edu/

UNITED STATES EDUCATION

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan 2009 Letter of Commitment
http://www.supportmusic.com/Arts_Education_Letter.pdf

American Association of School Administrators
http://www.aasa.org

Education Week Newsletter
http://www.edweek.org/ew/index.html?intc=ml

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills
http://www.p21.org

UNITED STATES ART EDUCATION

National Art Education Association
https://www.arteducators.org/

Art Education 2.0
http://arted20.ning.com

Guide to Online Art Degree Programs
http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/online-colleges/art-programs/

The Wallace Foundation
http://www.wallacefoundation.org/pages/default.aspx

TEACHING ARTISTS

Association of Teaching Artists
http://teachingartists.com

New York Artists Online
http://www.newyorkartists.net/art-education.html

New York Foundation for the Arts-teaching artists chalkboard
https://www.nyfa.org/

NEW YORK STATE ART & EDUCATION

New York State Education Department
http://www.nysed.gov

New York State Arts Education Survey found in New York State’s Collection of Basic Education Data System
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/irts/beds

New York State Council on the Arts
http://www.nysca.org

Arts Education Partnership
http://www.aep-arts.org

Empire State Partnership
http://www.espartsed.org/about.php

New York State Art Teachers Association
http://www.nysata.org/

The Center for Arts Education
https://www.centerforartsed.org/

ARTS IN EDUCATION BLOGS

Americans for the Arts Blog
http://blog.artsusa.org

Deborah Meier and Diane Ravitch Bridging Differences Blog
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/Bridging-Differences

Richard Kessler Blog
http://www.artsjournal.com/dewey21c

VISUAL ARTISTS BLOGS

Katherine Tyrell Making A Mark Blog
http://makingamark.blogspot.com

ArtsJournal Blog
http://www.artsjournal.com/blogs.php

The Carrot Revolution Blog
http://carrotrevolution.blogspot.com

CAREERS IN THE ARTS

Best Art Schools & Colleges
http://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/art-schools/