For Educators

Art Print Program

PCA encourages teachers and parents to use fine art prints to enhance learning in elementary schools and other classrooms. Virginia’s Standards of Learning are used to correlate the prints with relevant subject matter in the classroom.

Training for volunteers is held each fall in coordination with the Education Department of the University of Virginia Art Museum. This year’s art print training session took place on Monday, October 13th from 10:00am — 1:00pm at the UVA Art Museum. Contact us to learn more.

Art Print Program Volunteer Workshops

PERKs, “Partners in Enrichment Resources for Kids,” under the auspices of the Piedmont Council of the Arts, is offering free demonstration workshops on using art prints in the schools to expand critical thinking skills, visual and cultural literacy and fun with art. These workshops will be held in the individual schools for art print volunteers using their selected art prints in relation to class curriculum.

Janis Chevalier, who chaired the PCA Arts in Education Art Print Program and was a UVA Art Museum docent for 24 years, and Jane Anne Young, who was Director of Education at the UVA Art Museum since 1982, will design and conduct these demonstrations. During the past two years PERKs has developed a monthly program with every grade in Clark Elementary School incorporating SOL material in individually planned discussions of iconic art images. The PERKs approach is inquiry-based enabling the students to analyze and discover the art for themselves.

Parents and volunteers who wish to reserve a workshop or to start an art print program in their school are urged to contact PERKs through the following e-mails or phone.

Call 295-0385 to reserve an August or fall date.

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Arts Education Workshops

Each fall and winter, PCA coordinates visual arts education workshops for teachers. The workshops are offered in partnership with the UVA Art Museum and Second Street Gallery and are free and open to the public. Read information on our past programs below and stay tuned for more information on fall 2008 programs.

In February 2008, PCA and Second Street Gallery paired with the Office of Statewide Partnerships of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond to offer a free information-packed training session that explored the function of photography as a mode of expression for artists and their subjects. Jeffrey Allison, Paul Mellon Collection Educator at the VMFA, led Documenting Your Community: A Photography-Based Educator Workshop. Educators explored connections between history, architecture, and first person narratives as instruments that can inspire and excite students to learn about their own town’s history. Teachers left the session with resource guides, lesson plans, and a CD Rom of images from VMFA’s exhibition.

Rebecca Jones, Coordinator of Statewide Exhibition Programming at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, led a workshop in February 2007 on The Myth and Metamorphosis in African-American Art, featuring the artworks of Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden. PCA partnered with Second Street Gallery to offer this workshop, free of charge, to area educators.

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The Arts on Board

PCA is committed to encouraging the thriving presence of the arts in education. This summer, PCA launched an annual arts education advocacy presentation for public school leaders entitled The Arts On Board: Enhancing the Role of the Arts in Your School.

During The Arts On Board presentation, PCA provides information to principals, arts coordinators, and other school leaders about the plethora of arts education opportunities in our area. From programs at local theaters to tours at visual art galleries, there are many low-cost and free activities that allow students to experience the arts in our community. The Arts in Board gives an overview of these opportunities and makes a compelling case for principals to take the lead in encouraging the presence of the arts in their schools.

To learn more about why the arts are an important component of every child’s education, check out the following national resources:

Seattle Arts Education Consortium Video

Critical Evidence: How the ARTS Benefit Student Achievement PDF

Champions of Change: The Impact of the Arts on Learning

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More Resources for Educators

Visit PCA’s Arts and Education Resources page to view the 2008-09 Community Arts Education Handbook and access an extensive directory of area resources for educators and arts learners.