"When I Do Art I Feel Like a Baby Tree": Examining a School-Community Arts Partnership

• In Event: Roundtable Session 54
  In Roundtable Session: The Power of Art for Democratic Realization

Abstract

As schools reach out increasingly to community-based organizations to provide arts programming to their students, it will be important to understand the implementation process and influence of such programs. This study seeks to contribute knowledge in this area by reporting findings from a descriptive analysis of a nonprofit visual arts program in multiple schools. Drawing on participant interviews, lesson observations, and document reviews, we found significant variation in how the program was implemented both within and across schools. Nevertheless, respondents reported how the program exposed children and adults to the art world; encouraged greater participation in art spaces; connected people to one another; and created joyful spaces in schools that allowed for creativity and self-expression.

Authors

• Manuelito Biag, Stanford University

• Erin Raab, Stanford University

• Mary K. Hofstedt, East Palo Alto Youth Arts & Music Center