Community development through the arts is a process of creating bridges between people. The education and training for student-teaching-artists confronts them with real-world challenges and the need for sensitivity as they move in and out of many different communities. In this article, the author, an interdisciplinary artist, describes an…

In this article, the author, a poet and teaching artist, shares how he successfully brought slam poetry to College Hill Middle School in Texarkana, Arkansas. In 2001 he discovered slam poetry--a poetry-reading format in which poets compete in dramatic readings of their works--and went to Slam Nationals in Seattle on the Arkansas slam team. He…

Assessing the success of a residency with an at-risk population requires an expanded set of standards. While ultimate goals may be the same, one needs a longer time to achieve them. In this article, the author, a teaching artist with long experience working in at-risk settings, argues for a deeper and broader understanding of assessment and…

In this article, the authors describe the outcomes of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) course that offered a pedagogical innovation called "Imagination Quest." This CPD course was a part of a 2-year project entitled Teaching to Reach Potential. Participants were all from Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools' (MCPS') Program of…

In this article, the author examines ways in which the Internet is changing the way ceramicists teach, learn, and work. She addresses the curricular issue of how Web resources may supplement ceramic art history and extend student-centered learning. The author also explores the nature of the interplay between computer technology and clay. (Contains…

When people think of a person "working the corners," a G-rated image does not generally come to mind. Yet that is precisely what the author, posing as "June Cleavage," did in New York City one dreary morning: she facilitated a meeting of strangers through the creation of a character and an approachable situation. June, with her wacky outfit and…

There are many talented and creative dance professionals working in academia today, and it can be stifling to an artist to feel that one must give students traditional class assignments to evaluate their progress. Dance is a creative endeavor, and all aspects of the curricula, even non-movement-based classwork, can and should reflect this fact. In…

TheatreWorks is the third largest theatre in the San Francisco bay area. Through the usual educational programs that $6 million companies tend to offer, it has reached over 100,000 students of all ages in the past 8 years. The TheatreWorks Bridges Projects, however, are special. They are intricate and expansive, work with multiple community…

In this article, the reviewer focuses on a study of a professional development workshop and visual art studio workshops for adolescents. It is her hope that teaching artists will draw new ideas about curriculum and content from the discussion of this work and that the issues discussed here may provide inspiration for their own shift in thinking…