Pittsboro, NC – “Art is the greatest form of hope.” That’s according to popular street artist Banksy, and the Chatham Arts Council (CAC) shares that belief. They know the arts save lives, which is why they created the Artists-in-Schools Initiative for Chatham County students. As part of National Arts in Education week, CAC proudly announces the ninth season of their flagship program. This school year, professional teaching artists will visit twelve Chatham County schools, introducing new outlets for emotional expression and new pathways for learning through live performances and engaging workshops, all specially designed to make connections with core curriculum. AIS favorites Mike Wiley (theater), Diali Cissokho (West African music), Black Box Dance Theatre (modern dance), The Magic of African Rhythm (African drumming, dancing, and visual art), Phillip Shabazz (poetry), Gaspard&Dancers, and Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana will all be joined by program newcomer – Pierce Freelon and Blackspace (hip-hop/rap, jazz, soul, and poetry).
Expanding into Middle School with Pierce Freelon
GRAMMY-nominated musician, author, and educator Pierce Freelon will join the Artists-in-Schools roster this season with a ten-day beat making residency at Chatham Middle School (CMS). The residency at CMS, a first-time partnership among Chatham Arts Council, Chatham County Schools, Shakori Roots in the Schools, and Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival for Music and Dance, marks the Artists-in-Schools Initiative’s first residency at a traditional middle school. Co-creator of Beat Making Lab, Pierce and fellow Blackspace artists will build on his Emmy Award-winning PBS web-series by bringing practical beat making, history, and culture to all seventh graders at CMS. The Blackspace residency will introduce new roads to entrepreneurship for students by offering a higher level of digital access and literacy than is often available in rural communities. Participants will learn to use BandLab, a music editing software, and will also be introduced to other digital music technologies. The residency will close with a public student performance at the Shakori Festival on Saturday, October 7.
The Chatham Arts Council has been bringing teaching artists into Chatham County schools since 2015 to help make deeper curricular connections through art, dance, theatre, and music. Starting with just two elementary schools eight years ago, the program has now grown to twelve schools, including all elementary and K-8 schools in the county. CAC’s ultimate goal is to be in every public school in the county, every year, which will make Chatham the first in the state to accomplish that!
Creating Outlets for Emotional Expression
When asked how the arts entered his life, Dr. Anthony Jackson, Chatham County Superintendent responded with, “The arts didn’t just enter my life; the arts actually saved my life.” Dr. Jackson is not alone in that.
Studies from around the world show that engaging in the arts can help boost confidence, help kids feel more engaged, more resilient. When Chatham County students describe how they feel after participating in a CAC Artists-in-Schools residency, joy and emotional relief are the overwhelming themes.
“It felt relieving and comforting to express myself during this workshop,” wrote one sixth-grader. “I really liked showing my feelings in my work,” replied a fourth grade student. A fifth grader shared, “It felt good for me to release all my emotions.” Another reported, “It felt great. A part of me came back.” One student even exclaimed, “It felt like it was the best days [sic] ever!”
Educators shared stories of energized students suddenly asking to write poetry in class after a Phillip Shabazz residency. After Diali Cissokho visited one Chatham school, a teacher there said, “I personally saw students who, in my experience, have never been willing to speak in a group, let alone dance, do both without fear or hesitation.” Students in that school have also asked to join band and learn more about Senegalese culture.
CAC Artistic Director Cheryl Chamblee has seen over and over again the seemingly magical impact artists can have for children who are struggling. “We all need to be seen. And artists are really good at helping people feel seen,” says Chamblee. “They welcome; they include; they offer a sense of belonging. It’s hard to be resilient, to learn math, to make good choices if you don’t feel like you belong. That belonging is one way artists save lives.”
Creating New Pathways for Learning
Not only do the arts help create a sense of well-being in students, they can help kids learn in new ways. The teaching artists in the AIS program all link their art form back to core curriculum. For example, Black Box Dance Theatre created a series of educational raps featuring topics like the Revolutionary War or Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. And even Einstein himself understood the connections between art and study, once saying, “The greatest scientists are always artists as well.” CAC’s AIS artists will be creating deeper connections to curriculum this season in a number of ways:
- Nationally recognized theatre artist Mike Wiley: social studies, writing, history
- Modern dance company Black Box Dance Theatre: science, math, history, dance
- West African musician and storyteller Diali Cissokho: math, social studies, dance, music
- NC poet and educator Phillip Shabazz: writing, poetry
- Spanish dance company Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana: social studies, math, dance
- Modern dance company Gaspard&Dancers: social studies, dance
- The Magic of African Rhythm, a group who focuses on the African concept of Ngoma, the “rhythmic thread” that links drumming, dancing, storytelling and visual arts together: social studies, science, dance, music
- Blackspace featuring GRAMMY-nominated Pierce Freelon: electronic beat making, history, culture, technology, entrepreneurship
These professional teaching artists invest deeply in Chatham’s children. “Despite uncertainty and hesitation that was palpable on day one, by day ten the entire fifth grade was fully committed, focused, excited, and so proud of themselves and each other! That’s why we do what we do: to see that kind of transformation,” noted Natalie Morton of Black Box Dance Theatre, after a ten-day residency at Virginia Cross Elementary. And after his week-long residency at Bonlee School, Diali Cissokho remarked “I was so proud of the work the students did. We connected and communicated well and joined together with trust…They were engaged, laughing, having fun, and clearly proud of the music they created together. For me, it was a joy to see that.”
A full schedule can be found HERE.
CONTACT: Andrea Akin, Marketing/Public Relations Leader of the Chatham Arts Council, andrea@chathamartscouncil.org or 919-548-5762
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