ArtsNow Overview

ArtsNow is a community-driven professional development initiative that builds the capacity of all educators to use creativity, authentic arts integration and sequential arts education to help students fulfill and exceed Georgia Performance Standards.ArtsNow professional development and resources are developed in collaboration with local arts leaders and school systems in both Metro Atlanta and across Georgia. Arts Specialists, Classroom Teachers, and Administrators are empowered as leaders to build an arts-rich culture in their school-communities. They guide the alignment of ArtsNow strategies into their own school improvement plans which provides the framework for creativity and arts integration.

A community-based, public-private initiative championed by ArtsNow with guidance and assistance from four Primary Collaborators:

• Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education
• Department of Theater Studies at Emory University
• Georgia State University School of Music 
• Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta

Our driving hope is to see all educators – everywhere – integrating the arts into the daily curriculum across all disciplines. Why? Because then, we would be more assured that the schools would have a vibrant arts education program in place and talented and skilled arts specialists worked side-by-side with classroom educators to design and deliver lesson plans that capture the attention of students - engaging them in the learning process.

“Arts integration has significant effect on all kinds of students... They become better thinkers, develop higher order skills, and deepen their engagement and their inclination to learn. Integrated arts represents a serious strategy for (school) improvement and change. It works because it keeps the focus of change on learning, which is where it belongs”.

SOURCE: Rabkin, N. (2004). Putting the Arts in the Picture: Reframing Education in the 21st Century.

We know that all educators are at different places when it comes to their understanding and implementation of arts integration. In addition all schools are not where they should be in terms of a strong sequential arts education program. For this reason, we encourage a range of teaching strategies from creativity to authentic arts integration.

All ArtsNow professional development is designed to meet educators where they are on this spectrum and begin to help them grow and advance with understanding and skills to positively impact their students and lead their peers.

 Download Presentation About ArtsNow