Many members of the Chatham Arts Council’s staff now find themselves with children schooling at home. You too? If so, we have some exciting new arts curricula to share with you (and all of Chatham County!), and we couldn’t be more thrilled about it! With COVID-19 stay at home orders in place, executing our amazing… Read More →
Lend a Helping Hand to Chatham Artists
This spring, we all find ourselves adjusting to a new normal. We are living in unprecedented times, and our hearts go out to all the people who have fallen ill due to COVID-19. While some are fighting for their lives, others are struggling for their livelihood. Small businesses, nonprofits, and restaurants have all been financially… Read More →
Artists-in-Schools: Pittsboro Elementary School Embraces Every Beat with West African Musician Diali Cissokho
Diali (pronounced “Jelly”) Cissokho arrives at Pittsboro Elementary School bright and early. He has 25 drums to unload and set up so that he’s ready to teach 3rd grade classes how to do what comes so naturally for him – play the drums. What these students may not know is that Diali, a well-known West… Read More →
Artists-in-Schools: A Deep Dive into Civil Rights History and Literature with Mike Wiley
If you know Mike Wiley, you know that he is full of expression, captures an audience almost instantly, and finds a way to pull out the inner theater artist in everyone he meets. This fall, students and teachers at Perry Harrison Elementary and Bennett School discovered this first-hand during Wiley’s performance of Jackie Robinson: A… Read More →
Artists-in-Schools: West African Musician Diali Cissokho Unifies Students, Drumming to a Central Beat
Stretching across the multi-purpose room, you see an audience full of wide eyes and slight restlessness. The students at North Chatham Elementary are curious about the performance they’re about to see and anxious for it to begin. As soon as West African musician, Diali (pronounced “Jelly”) Cissokho, begins playing the kora (a West African jumbo… Read More →
Go See This: The Chatham Experience
As new members of our Chatham County community, Chatham Park is powering our Go See This series this year because art is an integral part of Chatham County’s identity. They join us in inviting you to Go See This . . . Here at the Chatham Arts Council, we’ve got a uniquely Chatham gathering for you–The Chatham… Read More →
Artists-in-Schools: Curriculum Come to Life in Two Chatham County Elementary Schools
History, math, science – sometimes everyday curriculum can be difficult to grasp for elementary school students. The concept seems unfamiliar or too far removed from everyday life to grasp. But when a student becomes an integral part of dissecting and reconstructing it in a different way, the ability to connect with curriculum concepts is more… Read More →
Artists-in-Schools: Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana Spanish Dance Residencies Bring Out the Inner Artists in Students at Two Chatham County Schools
Spanish dancing. It’s not the typical after-school activity for students at Moncure School or North Chatham Elementary. When Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana arrived at those two Chatham county schools this March as part of the Artists-in-Schools Initiative, Spanish dancing became THE ticket to eliciting smiles and big participation–and to unleashing the inner artist in students… Read More →
Artists-in-Schools: Mike Wiley Inspires Student Confidence in Two Chatham County Schools
In early January, nationally known theater artist, Mike Wiley, made his way to Siler City Elementary and Silk Hope School as part of the Chatham Arts Council’s Artists-in-Schools initiative. His goal was to weave literacy and history curricula into school-wide performances of Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart and classroom workshops. But what he accomplished, was… Read More →
Artists-in-Schools: Hobey Ford Taps Puppetry and Digital Animation to Engage Students in Science Curriculum
Hobey Ford is a puppeteer known for excellence in puppetry performance and craft. But what made his June visit to Siler City Elementary even more notable was the way he incorporated puppets and digital animation to teach literacy and science concepts, resulting in a compelling story of animal migration. The students watched with amazement as… Read More →