Education Project

1. HELP schools implement state art standards through classroom workshops and residencies
2. TRAIN and MENTOR educators
3. STRENGTHEN community partnerships
4. ADVOCATE for Arts Education

Program Overview

Watch our 2009 grant video

What does AAEP provide?

• Arts workshops by professional Teaching Artists - Our Teaching Artist Roster includes professional artists who are also trained in arts education. We offer high-quality arts workshops, residencies, and collaborative programs with local arts organizations in dance, theatre, and visual arts.

• Artist residencies in theatre and improvisation, dance, and visual arts - Residencies involve children in arts immersion experiences with professional artists for 5 to 50 hours of engaging learning. Students can: make a school mural; learn a challenging academic topic through theatre, dance, or visual art; write and perform a play; explore the world of movement—-or discover the joys of art in many other ways.

• Curriculum-integrated arts workshops for most subject areas - Students gain arts skills and learn academic content through workshops in which AAEP artists integrate art into curriculum topics as a teaching and learning tool.

• Assistance creating school murals, community arts projects, functional art, and public works of art - Artists direct classroom, grade level, or even whole-school art projects in the creation
  of community-building visual artworks.

• Art experiences that expand upon program offerings by local resource organizations in art, science, resource management, and other topics - Follow up your students’ visit to the Whatcom Museum, Spark Museum of Electrical Invention, Dance Makers assembly, or a classroom Garbology 101 resource management workshop with a creative, hands-on AAEP experience.

• Mentoring and professional development in visual art, theatre, and dance for teachers and Professional Learning Communities - Our specialists in arts-based professional development provide on-site mentoring and school inservices for teachers and Professional Learning Communities.

• Assistance implementing the Arts EALRs and state-mandated Arts Classroom-Based Performance Assessments - Our lessons are based on state EALRs which are also listed on the lesson plans thatour artists provide to teachers. Trained artists lead teachers through the CBPA process, perform an on-site demonstration of the process, or complete a classroom assessment for your class.

• Annual Children’s Art Walk - Display your students' art at the annual children’s art exhibit in downtown Bellingham venues. This year’s event is May 4, 2012.

1. Help develop a local artist resource guide and a system by which to make these resources available to schools and community groups.
2. Assist with the annual Children's Art Walk in downtown Bellingham during early May. Over 4,000 pieces of student art will be exhibited, plus performing arts.
3. Research and plan a local Arts Education Training Institute to address the growing need for professional development in arts education.
4. Support community advocacy for arts education through forums and public events. For information call 360-676-8548 or email us at aaep@alliedarts.org.

THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS

Allied Arts of Whatcom County, Washington State Arts Commission, Whatcom Museum, Western Washington University, Bellingham School District, Mount Baker School District, Whatcom Community Foundation, Bellingham Arts Commission, Downtown Business Partnership, Bellingham Parks and Recreation.