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Art Resources in Teaching (A.R.T.), a not-for-profit organization, is Chicago's oldest and largest educational organization dedicated to providing vibrant visual arts residency programs to school children in the Chicago area. A.R.T. Teaching-Artists make art come alive for students and teachers by establishing connections between academic subjects and the visual arts with lively discussions, slide presentations, and hands-on art projects. Students learn about the relationship of art to history, culture, and creative expression through media such as painting, sculpture, photography, and others. Residencies range in length from one-day workshops to sixteen session residencies and are designed to address Chicago Academic Standards and Frameworks and IL State Goals and build children's capacity for creative thinking.
Mission Statement
To inspire students and educators by using the visual arts to unlock creativity and engage children in the core academic curriculum.
Vision Statement
- We will be an innovator in exploring ways to introduce the visual arts into the lives of students and teachers, including the development of new links between technology and the arts.
- We will pioneer model programs that integrate the arts into instruction in core academic subjects.
- We will advocate for the importance of the visual arts in education and initiate research on the value of the arts in education.
- We will facilitate the building of school-based learning communities where the visual arts are central to the understanding of a wide range of cultures and traditions.
- We will use a diverse corps of professional artists who will involve students in the fun and excitement of the visual arts, while also transferring skills and best teaching practices to classroom teachers and arts specialists.
A Rich History
A.R.T. has made a positive impact on the lives of ChicagoÕs children for over one hundred years. A.R.T., originally named ÒThe Chicago Public School Art SocietyÓ, was established in 1894 by Ellen Gates Starr, co-founder with Jane Addams of Hull House. In the early years, members of the Chicago Public School Art Society exposed students to reproductions of the great masters and advocated for arts education. Ms. Starr and Ms. Addams and their compatriots believed that all children, even those from low-income families, deserved access to art and culture.
Over the years we have expanded upon that vision. Today A.R.T. is an innovator in exploring new ways to introduce the visual arts into the lives of students and teachers, including the development of new links between technology and the arts. We pioneer model programs that integrate the arts into instruction in core academic subjects (language arts, math, science and social studies). In the process we meet the needs of students as well as school administrators.
Population Served
The main audiences for A.R.T. programs are located in predominately low-income areas in Chicago, including such neighborhoods as Calumet Heights, Englewood, Bronzeville, Little Village, Pilsen, Lawndale, Humboldt Park, Austin, Logan Square, Portage Park and Rogers Park. We reach over 18,000 students in over 100 elementary schools in these diverse and demanding areas, with the goal to facilitate the building of school-based learning communities where the visual arts are central to the understanding of a wide range of cultures and traditions.
A.R.T. Teaching-Artists
A.R.T. uses a diverse corps of professional artists who involve students in the fun and excitement of the visual arts, while transferring skills and best teaching practices to classroom teachers and arts specialists. We have Teaching-Artists with decades of experience, yet we also continually add new artists with fresh perspectives and knowledge of digital media in order to connect to contemporary youth. A.R.T. Teaching-Artists come from a wide variety of backgrounds that reflect the cultural diversity of Chicago, and they share an array of talents in architecture, painting, drawing, sculpture, papermaking, photography, printmaking and textiles. They exhibit their own artwork regularly, and they travel frequently and widely. Our Teaching-Artists have excellent classroom management skills, and they regularly conduct successful programs in overcrowded inner-city schools and challenging situations.
The A.R.T. Difference
Focus
A.R.T. focuses solely on visual arts education. This specialization and emphasis on arts integration with the school's academic curricula allows us to more effectively evaluate and improve our programs for students and teachers.
Experience
As an experienced specialist in visual arts education, A.R.T. has developed programs that meet the needs of both students and educators and that are consistent with the State of Illinois Learning Standards for the Fine Arts and the Chicago Academic Standards and Frameworks. A.R.T. Teaching-Artists have extensive teaching experience, enabling them to seamlessly bridge the world of the arts to the world of the classroom with dynamic and interactive visual arts programs.
Method
A.R.T. combines interpretive discussions with hands-on art activities to teach children about visual art and its relationship to history, culture, literature, science, math, and other academic disciplines. A.R.T. Teaching-Artists help children develop their critical thinking skills when they teach children how to observe and analyze the artist's message and formal elements of the medium. In challenging hands-on art projects, students develop creative problem-solving skills and learn art-making techniques when they create artworks that require them to think creatively and apply knowledge they have learned in the residency.
