programs

For Schools/Teachers

ChathamArts hosts residencies with teaching artists from the NC Arts Council's Touring Artists Directory.

For Artists

ChathamArts is currently seeking Chatham County artists interested in offering a school workshop on their specialty, or who would like to participate in a week-long school residency. During this time the artist would most likely work with a specific grade level on a specific curricular focus which would include their specialty, for example the importance of wood, woodworking and wood products in NC history; the use of music to teach math concepts; an aspect of early American history (sailing, mining, farming); the place of pottery in the economic development of NC, etc.

Artists wishing to offer a residency but who are unsure how your specialty might relate to NC curriculum, should contact Arts in Education Committee Member Gina Harrison at gina@mac.com.

"Curriculum-based materials provided to teachers allow us to offer a well-rounded and evolving arts experience for children. Plus, the performances are magical for so many students who have never before seen live performance with costumes, sets, dancers, musicians, and actors."

–Mary B. Regan, executive director of
the NC Arts Council.

Romeo & Juliet in Spanish in Siler City - nationally renowned Arts in Education Residency & Performance, Shakespeare in Communities

Arts in Education

The arts take students straight to the heart of education. History comes alive when students dig thumbs into wet clay to create a water jug just like the ones early Native Americans used to carry water from the stream. Science makes sense when students understand how heat turns that soft clay and liquid glaze into a jug that can actually carry water. Music teaches students the math of intervals, half notes, and time. Performing a poem builds confidence.

When the arts are integrated into education, students become more excited about learning (and perform better in school!), teachers and administrators become more engaged, and families become closer. Artists become part of the community, working with students and teachers to become part of school and lives forever.
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ARTS IN ED BY THE NUMBERS

Young people who participate in the arts for at least three hours on three days each week through at least one full year are:

4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement
3 times more likely to be elected to class office within their schools
4 times more likely to participate in a math and science fair
3 times more likely to win an award for school attendance
4 times more likely to win an award for writing an essay or poem

Young artists, as compared with their peers, are likely to:

Attend music, art, and dance classes nearly three times as frequently
Participate in youth groups nearly four times as frequently
Read for pleasure nearly twice as often
Perform community service more than four times as often

(Living the Arts through Language + Learning: A Report on Community-based Youth Organizations, Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University and Carnegie Foundation For the Advancement of Teaching, Americans for the Arts Monograph, November 1998)