Mission

The Arts in Education Branch of L/A Arts is dedicated to utilizing the strong academic, social, and artistic value of best practice arts in education, in support of the Lewiston/Auburn school community it serves.

In partnership with all of the Lewiston/Auburn schools, L/A Arts brings residencies in multiple artistic disciplines (Dance, Theater, Music, Poetry, Film, and Visual Arts) in integrative and relevant ways to school academia, reaching approximately 5,000 students and 350 teachers per year. The in-school residencies consist of instruction from a professional teaching artist who is an expert in their respective artistic field, in collaboration with classroom teachers, who partner along lesson planning, applicable implementation of lessons, and connections between academic and artistic curricula.

A full curriculum for each of the artistic disciplines supports L/A Arts programs, which adheres closely to the Maine State Learning Results for the Visual & Performing Arts, as well as National Common Core ELA and Social Studies standards. These outcomes provide the learning objectives and conceptual and pedagogical framework for the learning. In meetings prior to each residency, teachers and administrators of partnering schools meet with teaching artists and leadership of L/A Arts, where the programming is mapped out along the academic needs of the school.

L/A Arts also has a strong assessment process for analyzing it’s impact within schools. L/A Arts believes strongly in having each student assess, articulate and express the understanding of their studies in every class. In every residency, L/A Arts has a formal observation process that the Director of Arts in Education implements in the evaluation of teaching artists. Finally, post assessment reflective meetings with school staff occurs at the end of each year around the definition of best practices in future collaborations.

In the classroom, L/A Arts establishes inquiry-based, experiential, and child-centered environments to allow students the opportunity to explore their learning in opened ended ways. These lessons challenge students to critically think and problem solve through embodiment, oral language, improvisation, and hands on art making and research. Instruction across multiple modalities of learning will provide differentiated environments to deepen the learning, where students create art, read, write, and speak to apply their understandings. In this vital work, L/A Arts seeks to deliver on its goal of developing of a joy and internalization of life long learning, in each student it touches.

Using the contextual themes and history behind works of art brought into, and made in the classes, students will analyze and express themselves in a social context (ex. bullying, conflict, aesthetics.) chosen particular to the needs of the school community, and students personal life experiences. Each residency has opportunities for sharing, where students display and/or perform their work for an audience from the school community and/or invited guests. In addition to giving students a platform to showcase their artwork, each sharing includes a talk-back afterward to discuss social themes and learning outcomes which took place in the performance and throughout the residency. These dialogues and experiences deepen their personal connection to subject areas, heighten their social awareness and empathy, and engage them as global citizens in their lives and communities.