Headshots of three community schools coordinators and one community schools manager framed in blue organic shapes. The four frames are set against a transparent white organic shape and green squiggle line layered over children's artwork–flowers and buildings cut from pastel construction paper. A title to the left of the framed headshots says "Community Schools."

All About Community: Arts for Learning Serving as a Community Schools Lead Agency

We know that schools are anchors of the community. They are where our children learn and play and where our neighbors gather for information, for friendship, and to participate in civic engagement. Community schools are similar neighborhood hubs, but differ…

Dr. Mark King Joins Arts for Learning Maryland as Chief Education Officer

We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Mark King, a career public school educator and leader, has joined Arts for Learning Maryland as our first Chief Education Officer. Most recently, Dr. King was an Instructional Lead Education Director (ILED) with…

Check it out: Op-ed by SALA Educator Illustrates the Impact 

We’ve said it for years: the arts-integrated approach found in our Summer Arts for Learning Academy (SALA) is transformative for student learning and for teachers. But don’t take our word for it—check out this wonderful commentary in the Baltimore Banner…

Resilience

Statistics, English literature, ethics, chemistry, psychology, art history, dance, foreign language, chemistry, graphic design… the combination of coursework for students in their final year of high school runs the gamut. For some of last summer’s Bloomberg Arts Interns, it’s all…

White man with short gray hair with a bright smile standing in front of a school bulletin board and holding a manilla folder.

Talbot County fourth and fifth graders-turned-screen-painters thrive with teaching artist John Iampieri

Maryland flags…Black-eyed Susans… blue herons… University of Maryland Terrapin basketballs, and more! In late March at White Marsh Elementary in Talbot County, dozens of students set off on a creative journey with screen painter and Arts for Learning Maryland teaching…

Adult hugging and holding a smiling toddler on her lap.

Introducing: Month of the Young Child

Join Arts for Learning Maryland in partnership with Maryland Association for the Education of Young Children for Month of the Young Child–a fun-filled month (April 10 – May 5) of arts-integrated workshops, lessons, and activities for ages 3-6. With interactive,…

A teacher sits next to a student on bench in a crowded cafeteria. Both are looking ahead and smiling.

Blacktastic Was Fantastic!

What a day! Thank you to everyone for joining us for Blacktastic, the Children’s Festival of Maryland Black History & Culture! For the third year in a row, attendees enjoyed six engaging, arts-infused workshops that celebrated and educated viewers about…

Black and white photograph of Baba Bomani in Blacktastic t-shirt.

Blacktastic: Children’s Festival of Maryland Black History & Culture returns this February

This Black History Month, tens of thousands of Maryland students will celebrate the joy of Black history and culture through the arts at Blacktastic: A Children’s Festival of Maryland Black History & Culture—a day-long, arts-integrated, performance-packed virtual experience produced by…

A graphic with a quote from a teaching artist and her picture in a classroom seated with children. The quote reads, "Something about being a teaching artist really pulled me in–I think it was how different it was from performing with Milkshake, which doesn’t provide the intimacy that working as a teaching artist does. I am there in a circle with maybe 10 - 20 little ones, exploring books and ideas in arts-related ways. I make up songs and create strategies that fit what we are talking about. We play. We learn. And everyone gets something from our time together–the teacher, the children, and me."

Meet a few Early Learning Teaching Artists!

Dance… puppetry… music… theater… no matter the art form, our early learning teaching artists are absolutely incredible–bringing their creativity to the education and development of our youngest learners! In the process, they’re finding inspiration to support their own work and…

Student Artwork on Display at the BMA: Visual Metaphors of the COVID-19 Pandemic

What do you imagine it would be like to be a child in a global pandemic? Would your memories be linear, or would they come to you in no particular order? Would they be made of things you saw with…

A middle school-aged student ready his poem at the mic onstage with classmates behind him.

Dear Brown Skin Boy, Dear Brown Skin Girl

Middle school students had the opportunity to work with spoken word poet and teaching artist Femi the Drifish at this year’s Summer Arts for Learning at Goodnow. During the six-week-long program at the recently re-opened community center managed by Arts…

Katherine holding a sign that says,"voice" and standing next to Quynn, seated in a yellow jacket.

Arts for Learning Teaching Artists Engage Educators at UMBC Arts Integration Conference

Earlier this month, two teaching artists went back to school—but they weren’t guiding students through their creative, arts-integrated approach; this time, they were guiding educators! On October 1, the UMBC Arts Integration Conference brought together teachers, principals, district leaders, and…