Art Academy of Cincinnati
1212 Jackson Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Artist & Writer in Residence
Program Description:
Artist & Writer in Residence (A&WiR) is the Art Academy of Cincinnati’s (AAC) free outreach and curriculum enrichment program that empowers educators and enhances the learning environment for students in grades 7-12. Students in the A&WiR program are challenged to problem-solve through visual communication methods and develop their learning with a focus on the 21st Century skills of creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. Through sustained engagement with local and regional Middle and High Schools, our staff of Teaching Artist & Writers enhances in-school studies in art, writing, foreign language, and social studies classes. Each educator that joins the A&WiR program is provided the materials, curricular support, and partnership to create a transformational experience with a partnering Teaching Artist & Writer from the AAC. The program culminates in a field trip to the AAC to celebrate their development and growth in 21st Century skills.
Grant Evaluation Report:
The Artist & Writer in Residence program for the 2022/2023 academic school year was successful in student engagement, curriculum development, and accomplishments of program goals.
97.6% of Artist & Writer in Residence students attend public schools in the Greater Cincinnati Region with 68% of A&WiR students attending Cincinnati Public Schools. 89.7% of A&WiR students attend schools where many of the students are enrolled in the free and reduced lunch program. This accomplishes the program goal of 74% of enrolled students being economically disadvantaged. 3,200 community members of the Art Academy of Cincinnati and our partnering K-12 schools engaged in the program through an A&WiR art exhibition and with the outcomes of student art projects that are designed to be socially engaging for their school community. Specifically, students worked on community engaging projects that include creating school wide creative writing journals, an art installation for World Art Day, design and screen printing t-shirts and apparel, and creating collaborative visual art projects that were displayed in schools and viewed by community members.
The 2022/2023 school year was filled with positive student feedback, and we tracked that 70% - 95% (depending on the classroom) of students self-reported that the A&WiR program had a positive impact on their learning and school experience. 100% of teachers we partnered with selected that they would recommend the A&WiR program with their colleagues. This year has proven that the A&WiR program has created stronger relationships with Cincinnati Public School educators, and more sustained arts enrichment opportunities for students in need.
Program developments that were a major success this year, include the implementation of co-teaching sessions that introduced our students to more Teaching Artists with different areas of expertise. Bringing more professionals into the classroom worked as expected and caused even more discussions and learning moments as a class and within small group conversations.
In addition, curriculum was developed to introduce World Art Day, a UNESCO World Heritage holiday celebrating global art culture. In this project, we worked with hundreds of students in one-day art sessions that allowed for them to work independently and collaborative to create 3.5” magnets that were then installed at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. The project was successful in bringing global art history thinking to Cincinnati-local students and exemplified these efforts through a cross-school installation that showcased artwork from three different schools in the local area.
Student Testimonials:
“I like the way the project was explained and the compassion in my visiting Artist & Writer’s voice. Everything was explained thoroughly and with extreme details, thank you! Your time was not wasted.”
“Thank you so much for allowing us to be at the Art Academy for 3 days! I really enjoyed the activities we did, especially the letterpress, button maker, and artistic imagining of words. The gallery on the first floor was very interesting and thought provoking. The Art Academy looks absolutely amazing! Best Wishes!”
“I just wanna thank you for the most amazing time at the Art Academy, I had so much fun!”
“I loved having the Teaching Artists in the class”
Teacher Testimonials
“I have witnessed a huge impact on the confidence of my advanced art students. Especially when we started the discussion of social impact. I loved this theme within the printmaking project. Students stepped back and reflected on what kinds of things they want to take a stand on. This led to incredible discussion around the society in which we live and the ways that art can contribute to peoples’ individual ideas and opinions on things.”
“The Artist & Writer in Residence program showed our students that there are so many avenues to become successful in art.”
“MULTIPLE students asked to come in on off-bells to put additional work in on their zines. Students felt like they could be innovative with this project and the out-of-the-box thinking was inspiring. Students reported out that they were excited to gift people their zines for Christmas. I cannot say enough good things.”
Website:
http://www.artacademy.edu Amount: $25,000
Date: June 2022
