Seeing Eye to Eye
When the teaching artists and K-6 educators exited Gateway to the Arts’ Seeing Eye to Eye in-service earlier this month, spirits were high. While the unseasonably warm day may have had something to do with the upbeat mood, it is evident from their reflections on the day that inspiration was playing its part too. Listed among the highlights, the word “collaboration” appeared again and again, along with frequent mentions of “energy” “synergy” and “great ideas.” Sandy Swyka, a sixth-grade Language Arts teacher at South Side Middle School in Hookstown, PA reported, “Seeing the wonderful possibilities from the five artists that will enter my classroom are becoming endless.” The cohort of educators and artists are participating in the newest Gateway professional learning community program -- Arts to the Core. The goal of Arts to the Core is to prepare teaching artists and classroom teachers to develop and implement arts-integrated curriculum that will contribute to student learning in the arts and other core subjects, while addressing the incoming PA Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and/or Reading and Writing. The project includes an eight-month professional development series for 13 teaching artists – the Teaching Artist Learning Lab – and embedded professional development for educators through in-services and classroom residencies. Quilting Inspires Dreams and New Skills
Like a skipping stone across a calm pond, a good story ripples and resonates. It addresses universal concerns, has triumphs over adversity and is comprised of interesting and compelling elements. And this story has all of that, but its protagonist is a quilt – specifically, a story quilt. Currently on display in the lobby of the Department of Human Services in downtown Pittsburgh, its colorful, yet coded, elements reflect not only the character and concerns of its creators, but also a legacy that extends across time. Constructed over five weeks in late summer by youth ages 10-13 at the Lincoln Park Community Center, under the guidance of master fabric artist Tina Williams Brewer, the quilt was designed in the tradition of African American story quilts. The story quilt art form was initially created to conceal messages intended for slaves to aid in their escape from bonds of captivity prior to the American Civil War. The patterns, symbols and codes contained within and between each child’s square in this quilt address their collective concerns about changes in the environment and the world. It's National Arts in Education Week!
September 9-15, 2012In July 2010, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution declaring the week following the second Sunday of September as Arts in Education Week.
Here are three things you can do right now to celebrate National Arts in Education Week!
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Gateway to the Arts
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Gateway to the Arts
6101 Penn Avenue, Suite 301
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
telephone 412.362.6982
fax 412.362.6986
gatewaytothearts.org
Artswire, our monthly e-newletter, answers the question “What’s going on at Gateway?” Articles chronicle what we’re doing in the classroom and in the community. Offering the latest news and upcoming events in arts-in-education, it is of interest to educators, administrators, caregivers, parents and other stakeholders in the community. Read our current and archived stories here, and then sign-up to receive updates in your inbox!
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Quality arts learning improves students' creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and communication skills.
Latest Updates
- Percussionist drums up students' interest at Moss Side Middle School
Percussionist drums up students’ interest at Moss Side Middle School by Times Express Staff Reporter Kyle Lawson
January 16, 2013
Thanks to a grant by the Pennsylvaina Council on the Arts, Gateway musician Jeff Berman completed a 60-day residency with fifth- and sixth-grade students at Moss Side Middle School.
- Bethel Park elementary students learn animation from artist in residence
Bethel Park elementary students learn animation from artist in residence by Almanac Staff Writer Terri Johnson
February 5, 2013
As part of the new Arts to the Core residency program, Gateway teaching artist Paul Kruse is spending five weeks teaching a fourth-grader class at Franklin Elementary School how to make a short animation film.