Artists-in-Schools

Does your idea of art in school involve making leaf impressions with crayons and white paper? We’re here to change that.

Since the 2015-2016 school year, Chatham Arts Council’s Chatham Artists-in-Schools Initiative has brought professional artists into schools to support math, science, language, and history curricula. Through interactive, engaging workshops taught by theatre actors, performance artists, dancers, mural painters, African drummers, and strings musicians, students have unique opportunities for a deeper engagement with learning objectives.

Through artistic immersion, the program helps foster a personal connection for students to the academic lessons. What does this look like?

• Interviewing history buffs in the community about the Civil War to gather oral history about how it affected Chatham County;
• Learning about scale and proportion through transferring mural blueprints to large walls;
• Exploring math through music and rhythm; or
• Researching and developing an original theatre piece specific to the community students live in to support social studies and language arts.

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The Chatham Artists-in-Schools Initiative is proving to be an incredibly valuable program for all participants. Did you know that students involved in the arts are:

• Four times as likely to be recognized for academic achievement;
• Four times more likely to participate in a math and science fair;
• Three times more likely to be elected to class office?

That’s why once we bring an artist to a school, we are committed to continuing an artist residency experience in that school each year.

Click here to see more stats on this initiative and see below for more awesome examples of this program in action.

SUPPORT THIS AMAZING PROGRAM!

Help us reach our goal to bring professional artists to EVERY SINGLE elementary school in Chatham County NEXT YEAR, reaching nearly 400 educators and close to 3,000 kids! Click here to donate now.

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Recent Artists-in-Schools Stories

• Who Values Arts: Dorrie Casey and Archie Purcell
• Oh, What a Year! Virtual Artists-OUTSIDE-Schools Residencies Reach Nearly 2,000 Kids!
• ClydeFEST in the Wild 2021: Where There’s a Will, There’s a Way!
• Who Values Arts: Betty Wilson
• Taking Artists-in-Schools to Students Across Chatham with Online Arts Videos
• Artists-in-Schools: Pittsboro Elementary School Embraces Every Beat with West African Musician Diali Cissokho
• Artists-in-Schools: The Power of Ancient Dance Takes Hold of J.S. Waters School with Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana
• Artists-in-Schools: A Deep Dive into Civil Rights History and Literature with Mike Wiley
• Artists-in-Schools: West African Musician Diali Cissokho Unifies Students, Drumming to a Central Beat
• The Chatham Experience 2019: Exceptional Talent, Unique Collaborations, HOT Fun!
• Go See This: The Chatham Experience
• The Chatham Experience 2019: Save the Date!
• Artists-in-Schools: Curriculum Come to Life in Two Chatham County Elementary Schools
• Artists-in-Schools: The West African Kora Makes its Way to Three Chatham County Schools, Thanks to the Talented Diali Cissokho
• Artists-in-Schools: Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana Spanish Dance Residencies Bring Out the Inner Artists in Students at Two Chatham County Schools