Background

Mississippi is blessed with many performers and visual artists who add to the quality of life in communities throughout the state. These artists comprise a group of citizens who can also add to the quality of instruction in our schools. In early 2007, the Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education received a grant from the DANA Foundation. The purpose of the grant is to train artists to work with teachers in school settings so that students may benefit from authentic experiences in specific art forms.

Good News!

During 2007 and 2008, the Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education will offer five workshops for artists who wish to work in Mississippi’s K-12 school settings. The goal of the series of workshops is to increase the number of artists included in the Mississippi Arts Commission’s Arts in Education Roster. Schools that engage artists routinely consult the roster for a description of an artist’s skills and a recommendation of the quality of their work in the arts and in education.

The Workshop

In each two-day workshop, participants will learn to plan arts experiences for students and how to lead professional development workshops for teachers. Artists will learn to make connections between their art form and what students must know and be able to do. Workshop presenters will be teaching artists from the Mississippi Arts Commission Arts in Education Roster and artist/educators affiliated with the Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education.

Sample Agenda

Day 1:  10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Planning An Arts Experience

Presenting An Arts Experience in a School

Day 2:  8:30 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Leading Professional Development for Teachers

Reflecting On Work With Students and Teachers

Workshop Dates, Locations and Deadlines:

1. October 18-19, 2007 – Henry Jacobs Camp, Utica, MS
        Application Deadline: September 14, 2007

2. November 12-13, 2007 – Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale, MS
        Application Deadline: October 15, 2007

3. February 21-22, 2008 – Henry Jacobs Camp, Utica, MS
        Application Deadline: January 25, 2008

4. July 21-22, 2008 – University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS
        Application Deadline: June 20, 2008

5. October 7-8, 2008 – Walter Anderson Museum, Ocean Springs, MS
         Application Deadline: September 12, 2008

Workshop Application

Performing and visual artists will be selected for the workshops through an application process. Performing artists are eligible to receive a $250 stipend for their participation as a result of the DANA Foundation grant. Visual artists may also apply for the two-day training sessions. There will be no fee for visual artists who are selected to participate through the application process. The MAAE will consider complete applications that are submitted by the stated deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Who Should Apply?

• Performers and visual artists who have worked in schools offering performances, lessons, demonstrations, and/or professional development for teachers

• Certified arts specialists in the visual and performing arts who are available to travel to schools during the year or to present workshops in their art form during the summer

• Actors, dancers, musicians and visual artists who wish to work with students and teachers in schools

• Performers and visual artists who work in after school programs, juvenile justice centers, community arts projects, etc.

• Museum educators and performing arts center education specialists who work with groups of students or with teachers on a regular basis

• Performers and visual artists who are members of or work with community arts organizations

• Retired teachers, performers, artists and arts specialists

How to apply?

To apply on-line (preferred method), click here.

To download an application form in pdf format, click here.

To download an application form in MS Word format, click here.

To view/print a workshop brochure, click here, 

Become a Teaching Artist!


What is a Teaching Artist?

A teaching artist is a practicing artist with the complementary skills and sensibilities of an educator, who engages people in learning experiences in, through, and about the arts.

 —Eric Booth, Teaching Artist

Why is it important for artists to work in schools?

The creative skills students develop through participation in the arts strengthen and enhance their preparation for living, learning and working in a changing world.

—Susan Sclafani, U. S. Assistant Secretary, Vocational and Adult Education

One of the best ways to nurture creativity, a necessity to prepare for a 21st-century workforce, is to have children learn and actively participate in the arts.

 —Robert Lynch, Director, Americans for the Arts

The purpose of arts education is not to create more artists...the purpose is to produce complete human beings who can function productively in a free society.

 —Dana Gioia, Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts

Inside of every human being there are secrets to unlock, there are treasurers to unlatch. We owe it to all children to make sure that whatever their talent is—theater, music, dance or painting—doors are open for them.

—Mike Huckabee, former Governor of Arkansas

Teaching Artist Workshop Partners

Mississippi Arts Commission
Whole Schools Initiative
Delta Blues Museum, Clarksdale
Walter Anderson Museum of Art, Ocean Springs
Mississippi Department of Education
Performing Arts Centers
Arts Organizations
Colleges and Universities
Museums
Cultural Institutions

Contact:
Mississippi Alliance for Arts Education
Lola Norris, Executive Director
101 Carrie Road
Hattiesburg, MS 39402
Phone: 601-268-6996
Fax: 601-296-9929
Email: Lola.Norris@usm.edu

Funding for a series of six performing arts workshops is provided
 by a generous grant from the DANA Foundation