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.


IMG_0696This 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.


Learn more about

If you are looking for information about arts events in your community, please visit our Cultural Calendar.

Interested in becoming a teaching artist? Please visit out Teaching Artist FAQ page.


 

COMMUNITY CASE STUDIES

Jewelry-making Residency

Site: Sandford Terrace Senior Residence, Mt Vernon, NY

Artist: Terry Kessler Schwarz

Participants: Seniors

Duration: 10 weeks

Project Description: During this residency, 9 seniors learned to create beads using magazine clippings and fimo modeling clay.  The residency encouraged creative expression and reinforced the seniors’ fine motor skills and cognitive abilities such as working memory, problem solving and visual thinking.

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Upcycled & Sculpture-making Residency

Site: White Plains Hospital Continuing Day Treatment, White Plains, NY

Artist: Jeffrey Schrier

Participants: Mental Health clients

Duration: 7 weeks

Project Description: During this residency, 12 mental health clients learned to transform plastic bottles into a hanging sculpture by coloring, cutting, molding and attaching the bottles together. The residency demonstrated how nontraditional material can be used in a creative way and addressed specific cognitive abilities such as hand-eye coordination, attention and repetition.

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Photography Residency

Site: School 13 (Westhab, Inc. Afterschool program), Yonkers, NY

Artist: John Rizzo

Participants: Middle School students

Duration: 18 weeks

Project Description: During this residency, 30 Middle School students received an introduction to photography and learned how to shoot still life, portraits, silhouettes, capture action sequence and create special effects using dry ice. The residency taught students how to work harmoniously and respect each other’s opinions and strengthen their critical thinking and reasoning abilities.