Art In Education

Years of study have shown that students of the arts continue to outperform their non-arts peers on Scholastic Assessment Tests. Years of experience have shown that arts education is an integral, essential part of the academic curriculum; that students involved in the arts as lifelong learners are creative and critical thinkers, successful problem-solvers and citizens who appreciate cultural diversity and aesthetics. We know that when archaeologists study past civilizations, or our own civilization in the future, they will study the creative artifacts of our live: crafts, paintings, music and the arts.

We are just now beginning to understand that the arts are a vital and significant source of inspiration toward “wellness” –that universal desire toward progress and toward improving our states of mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. That is exactly what we mean when we say we wish to educate the whole child.

The Arts Council has enjoyed a 29 year partnership with the School District of Hillsborough County and our driving force has been to infuse and integrate the arts into every student’s day…helping them to always work toward being “a part of life rather than absent from it”.

 
During the 2006-2007 school year, 166,098 students and teachers participated in 1,483 arts experiences
presented by 126 performing  companies and artists at 208 K-12 regular and exceptional, magnet, arts
attractor,  alternative, and charter school sites.
 
 
During the 2005-2006 school year, 52 companies presented 249 performances for 86,539 students, teachers and parent chaperones. In addition, 12,149 students, teachers and parent chaperones, attended 739 tours of 14 different exhibitions.
 

Six Tampa Bay area museums presented 500 tours of 24 various exhibitions that were attended by nearly 7,500 students and over 500 teachers and parents.

The Arts Council manages the above programs and also maintains the Arts Media Resource Center, which contains videos, multicultural CDs, books, Artboxes and Musicboxes (traveling suitcases that contain art objects, instruments, CDs and tapes, curriculum integration materials and lesson plans), and Artpaks (slides and related art activities).

With grants from the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County Water Departments and the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Arts Council produces The Water Conservation Arts Project. Theatre companies are commissioned to create plays regarding water conservation and in 2003, 323 performances were held in 99 elementary schools and 20 middle schools reaching over 66,000 students and teachers. Water saving activity books are given to each student along with teacher guides and a pre- and post-performance assessment test for teachers to administer.

Other Projects

  • Arts in Alternative Schools - anger management through theatre skills
  • Visual and Performing Arts Magnet Schools - adjunct teachers and special performances
  • School Residencies - long term visitation by professional artists
  • Lasting Legacies in the Schools - students work with professional artists to create permanent installation of artwork for the school
For more information, please visit the Arts in Education website.