Arts for Learning

Consolidated programming:school partners across the state choose from an array of workshops and performances. Arts for Learning provides professional Arts in education programs to children. Programs strive to improve the students' ability to understand the Arts, increase their interest in the Arts, improve integration of the Arts into a school's curriculum, and increase the opportunity for Learning through the Arts.

Summer enrichment through the arts:this program is Arts for Learning's summer offering. Programs are implemented in partnership with but not limited to summer advantage, st. florian summer camp, pike township summer program, and ays. Often at these camps, participants experience academic activities in the morning focusing on literacy, math, and leadership skills. Arts for Learning provides the enrichment period in the afternoons focusing on social emotional Learning and the Arts.

Early childhood programming: in october 2020, afl became an affiliate of wolf trap institute for early Learning through the Arts, the national leader in Arts integration in early childhood education and the flagship education program of wolf trap foundation and the performing Arts based in vienna, Virginia. Wolf trap institute trains early childhood educators to use the performing Arts as a teaching strategy to engage children in active Learning across curricula. Wolf trap institute's approach is widely recognized as an effective model for direct instruction of Young children and embedded professional development for teaching artists and classroom teachers. The wolf trap institute's arts-based teaching method taps into children's innate desire for active, multisensory Learning, and engages their imagination through puppetry, story dramatization, and role play. During a wolf trap residency, the teaching artist works in partnership with the classroom teacher, planning and delivering arts-integration lessons. The classroom teacher learns how performing Arts strategies and techniques foster Young students' growth in all development domains. After the completion of the residency, the teacher will have acquired the skills necessary to embed Arts strategies within their daily practices and apply them in current and future classes to further the success of their Young students.

Art force:artforce began in 2014 when leadership from both Arts for Learning and ivy tech discovered a mutual interest in providing a unique summer Arts experience for teens. This program is a three-week summer intensive held on the central Indiana ivy tech campus and is co-taught by a professional teaching artist with Arts for Learning Indiana and a member of the ivy tech faculty. Additional guest artists and speakers come from both organizations and the broader indianapolis Arts community. Monday through friday, the students work on projects in a variety of art techniques, both solo and collaborative, and sit in on college level art classes. They go on a field trip to explore an Arts venue. All of this works to build their portfolios, gives them opportunities to learn how art can be a career and an avocation, and creates their own Arts micro-community. The summer finishes with a display of artwork created by the students. Students receive a stipend upon completion of the summer intensive based on their attendance and participation. Abc fellowship program:this program is an inquiry-based, people centered approach that empowers teaching artists building partnerships in their community. The program pairs an Arts for Learning (afl) teaching artist, a lead teacher (k-12 educator), and an afl staff member in an 18-month deep dive into the culture of a school community. Each trio explores the assets of the school, the socio-cultural history of the surrounding community, and the needs of the students they are serving. Each fellowship is tasked with developing a 3-year abc vision plan to serve school, communities, and students through Arts integrated approaches. This process is supported by bi-weekly one-on-one coaching and full cohort meetings for the abc fellows.afterschool programs:in addition to programs taking place during regular school hours, Arts for Learning also provides programs during after-school time. Most of the artist programs offered by Arts for Learning are flexible to fit the unique needs of afterschool providers. Fresh start and third space:arts for Learning partnered with six indianapolis schools from 2019-2022, integrating art into spaces and curricula. At each school, a piece by a local artist sparked students to discover, guided by teachers and Arts for Learning artists. The artwork, displayed for a week, prompted students to construct their own meaning, challenging them to see spaces and Learning in new ways. This initiative expanded with a seventh installation at jonathan jennings school 109 in spring 2023 and four more in spring 2024 across different ips schools, enhancing students' creative experiences and fostering a deeper connection to Learning through art. An important enhancement in this project iteration is the addition of a permanent installation, intended to stand as a lasting legacy at each school.