Few universities or colleges offer courses in the Teaching Arts; even fewer offer formal degree programs in the field. What alternative models already exist for the training of Teaching Artists? And as educators build new models, what should be the core content, and with what scope and structure? This article explores these questions through a…

Throughout history, visual artists have consciously pulled away from the mainstream hustle and bustle to concentrate, be alone and get work done. Many students in traditional school settings do not have the opportunity to experience those work conditions, given the numbers of students in a typical classroom and class period time restrictions. Even…

Now entering its eighth year, TheatreLink, Manhattan Theater Club's Internet-based distance-learning project remains the most exciting and most challenging initiative. MTC's Education Program had existed for seven years (since 1989 to be exact) before it started TheatreLink. During that early period MTC created an array of programs, all of them…

This study explores a fourth grade classroom, hypothesizing about the possibilities for using drama to teach elementary school science. The case study provides one with the author's first glimpse into a fourth grade science classroom, as well as a preliminary examination of whether or not room exists for drama in the elementary science classroom.…

The authors believe that artists illuminate the human condition--the politics, the social climate, the economics of current thought, and the emotions behind it all. Artists participate in revealing truth. And truth illuminates the path away from fear. In their effort to celebrate and challenge the power of Teaching Artists and prepare the world…

It is generally known that professional development for Teaching Artists varies widely. Offerings range from the most basic of orientations to a sponsoring organization's procedures and expectations, to more sustained experiences that may address school culture, principles of youth development, models of arts education, learning standards,…

In this article, the author shares how she created a mini international conference of like-minded peers. Many freelance Teaching Artists feel isolated from a lack of peer contact in their work. That feeling was relieved last spring when the author received two similar e-mails sent, respectively, from 3,000 miles away to the east and to the west.…

In 2003, the Arts Education Partnership's Second National Forum on Partnerships Improving Teaching in the Arts recommends that Teaching Artists be trained to be advocates and to speak publicly to education stakeholders about what they do. The author agrees. However, she believes that Teaching Artists must familiarize themselves with the available…

This article presents an interview with Richard Hahlo, a Teaching Artist, trainer of Teaching Artists, actor, director and author who has worked around the globe in a variety of settings. In Germany, England, Japan, Poland, South Africa and the United States, he has brought his unique vision and skill to a wide range of students, teachers,…

Americans have a passionate ambivalence about the arts. In this article, the author talks about the work of teaching artists, and argues that the roots of the unease about the arts are a deep part of the Puritan ethic and the pioneer spirit that shaped the culture of the early settlers on the eastern seaboard. That reticence and reserve in the…

In this article, the author focuses on the essential practices in guiding student dialogue about works of art. He offers ways to improve the quantity and quality of students' discussions about art, both the art that they make and that of professional artists. The article is informed by research into what philosophers of art and literature have…

Working and training as a Teaching Artist has challenged the author as a teacher and an artist, but most importantly, it has helped her become a better parent. She is reminded to broaden her perspectives, to work in the moment, to hold off on conveying information when there is a way for children to discover it on their own. These skills naturally…

The authors work in the most difficult conditions to create the most crucial art. In this article, the authors share their experience in teaching art at Devereux Deerhaven, a home for abused and neglected girls. They arrived at Devereux Deerhaven unprepared for the residents and the facility. Yet, they left educated about their students and the…