Arts education and learning is vital to the development of creative, well-rounded, independent thinkers. An ideal arts education curriculum for children consists of the literary arts, dance, folk arts, theater, music, storytelling, media and visual arts in ongoing, sequential instruction from kindergarten through grade 12. Outside the classroom, arts learning takes place in after-school and community settings. Through arts education and learning, we aid in the nurturing of intelligent, capable, compassionate individuals who will be tomorrow’s artists, arts patrons and arts lovers.
Our staff is happy to provide technical assistance to schools and organizations interested in applying for grant funding, developing arts education plans for their sites, identifying potential artists, locating resources, and obtaining guidance on how to inform stakeholders about the importance of arts education. Please call 801.320.9794 to schedule an appointment.
The artists on the Teaching Artist Roster represent crafts, creative writing, dance, film/video, folk traditions, mime, music, photography, sculpture, theater, storytelling, and visual arts. All artists on this roster have been officially approved by peer panels, the Arts Education Board Committee and the Utah Arts Council Board of Directors. Click HERE to find out more information about applying for the Teaching Artist Roster.
Traveling exhibitions are a collaborative partnership with Utah museums, colleges, university and community galleries, arts and cultural centers, libraries and schools. By traveling these exhibits around the State and the use of the accompanying educational materials, they provide public access to quality visual arts, nurture understanding of diverse art forms and cultures, and promote creativity and encourage cultural activities in local communities. Exhibits are available to schools, colleges, museums, libraries, as well as community and cultural centers in the State of Utah.
Be a part of the newest traveling exhibition being curated: Future Monets, Manets and Mary Cassats
Three grant categories are offered to artists, educators, schools and organizations in the area of arts education. To download guidelines and online application instructions, please click on the name of each grant.
Comprised of the Utah Arts Council, art works for kids!, the Utah State Office of Education, and the Utah Parent Teacher Association, the Utah Arts Education Partnership (UAEP) is the operating alliance for the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program. This four-year initiative integrates quality arts education into the curriculum of Utah elementary schoolchildren by: funding the salaries of arts specialists to work side by side with classroom teachers and district arts coordinators to provide curriculum support and administrative coordination; promoting partnerships with universities to offer pre-service and professional development training; and providing one-time money to purchase equipment and art materials.
Recitation and performance are major new trends in poetry. There has been a recent resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of hip-hop music. Poetry Out Loud builds on that momentum by inviting the dynamic aspects of slam poetry, spoken word, and theater into the English class. The National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation have provided funding for the past four years to support the expansion of the Poetry Out Loud competition, which encourages the Utah’s youth to learn about great poetry through memorization and performance.
Arts education offers many connections to resources for professional development offered through universities, school districts, arts companies and organizations of arts professionals. We also highlight links to toolkits, lesson plans, curriculum development and funding to help you strengthen your school arts programs.