The ARTeacher Fellowship Program
“The most useful, rewarding and immersive experience in professional development that I’ve ever had in my 31-year teaching career.”
-Michelle Martin, 2023 Bentonville Middle-Level Teacher of the Year (Fulbright Jr. HS)
“The ARTeacher Fellowship enabled me to expand my teacher’s toolbox in a way that seldom happens during professional development. Arts integration has been a game-changer for me and the learners in my classroom.”
-Kelly Buckley, 2020 Fayetteville HS Teacher of the Year
The ARTeacher Fellowship (a program of the University of Arkansas Center for Children & Youth in partnership with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Walton Arts Center) is a yearlong professional development series designed to support secondary teachers who endeavor to integrate the arts into their classroom curriculum.
Each year, the Center for Children and Youth selects ten secondary grade-level teachers to participate in the program. Teachers with three or more years of teaching experience in English, science, social studies, or foreign language and an interest in high-quality arts integration strategies are encouraged to apply.
The series begins with a four-day summer institute and continues with four full-day workshops throughout the school year (twice per semester). Fellows receive expert training from nationally recognized teaching artists, financial support for classroom field trips and ongoing collaborative support from peer members and staff. The program has hosted trainings facilitated by leading figures from
- Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, DC)
- National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC)
- Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (New York, NY)
- Teachers College, Columbia University (New York, NY)
- Trike Theatre (Bentonville, AR)
- Experiential Theater Company (Somerset, NJ)
- Liz Lerman Dance Exchange (Takoma Park, MD)
- And more!
“The roster of teachers that Hung and Chris at CCY have assembled is a wonderful cross-section of rising stars in arts integration. I know this program profoundly and positively affects many teachers and thousands of children across the region. The Kennedy Center, I’m sure, is keeping a close eye on this model, no doubt as an exemplar to share with partnership teams across the country.” -Randy Barron, Kennedy Center Teaching Artist
Upon successful completion of the program, Fellows are eligible to continue with the Fellowship for a second and third year. During these additional years further develop their skills and share their knowledge by leading presentations as well as by publishing scholarly writing.
Current and former fellows have led workshops for numerous school districts across the state, as well as at national conferences in New York, Boston, Georgia, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC. In 2017, ARTeacher Fellowship alum Nathan Strayhorn received the Jane Ortner Education Award, presented by the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles; he was the first winner from outside of California to win the Award. In 2020, Fellowship alums Julie Griggs and Heather Hooks won the annual Media Literacy Award from the National Council of Teachers of English.
VIDEO: ARTeacher alumna & 2023 Bentonville HS Teacher of the Year Holly Howard describes her three-year journey (the triumphs and the struggles!).
“Not only did I flourish after experiencing the amazing presenters, my classroom exploded with creativity and joy. It brought new life into what I had already been teaching and also presented evidence of academic growth through arts integration.” -Melissa Kaeser, Valley Springs HS
“My big ‘Aha!’ moment happened talking to a friend about this program. She teaches in Chicago and was blown away with what we’re doing in the ARTeacher Fellowship.” -Jamie Stallings, Lakeside JHS
Fellows are selected each year by application process. Teachers must also have the agreement and support of their building principal or vice principal in order to participate.
“The ARTeacher fellowship is by far and away the best professional development I have ever attended. It has stretched and developed me as an educator and the strategies have consistently elevated and deepened my students’ learning.”
-Jessica Lorimer, Rogers HS
“I attribute so much of my growth to (the ARTeacher Fellowship). It’s an opportunity to be around really positive teachers who challenge themselves to grow.” -Julie Griggs, Bentonville HS
“One of the things I appreciate the most about the ARTeacher experience is that in each of our sessions we were exposed to professionals in the field; better yet, we were treated as professionals ourselves.” –Nathan Strayhorn, Fayetteville HS
“This “ARTeacher is the best professional development I have ever done. I can go on about how it has contributed to my becoming a better teacher every day, from literacy strategies to fostering an engaging class culture.”
-Hannah Mhoon, Springdale HS
ARTeacher Fellows Represent at NCTE Annual Convention
Congratulations to third-year ARTeacher Fellows Nichole Paquet Smith, Jean Hoffheimer Warren, and ARTeacher alum Julie Griggs! Along with CCY Director Hung Pham, the Fellows conducted two stellar presentations at the National Council for Teachers of English's Annual...
ARTeacher Fellows Learn the Art of Game Design
Causeway Studios Co-Founder/Creative Director Greg Rogers and Art Director Brianna Jenkins visited the ARTeacher Fellowship to lead a workshop on "The Art of Game Play and Game Design." Looking at both video games, tabletop games, and RPGs, Rogers and Jenkins...
ARTeacher Alum Recieves JEDI Award form National Association of Bilogy Teachers
Congratulations to ARTeacher alum Cameron Simpkins Fayetteville High School for being the National Association of Biology Teachers' JEDI Award winner! She has done amazing work teaching and advocating for her students. Read more here.
ARTeacher Fellow Recognized as GLI’s Arkansas State Teacher of the Year
Congratulations to 3rd-Year ARTeacher Fellow Jessica Culver for being selected as the Gilder-Lehrman Institute of American History's 2024 Arkansas State Teacher of the Year! A well-deserved recognition for her tireless and impactful work. Read more here.
ARTeacher Fellows Integrate Portrait Photography and Text
This September, ARTeacher Fellowship alum Anna Beaulieu returned as a guest facilitator to show this year's Fellows her arts integration project fusing portrait photography, interview, and writing!
ARTeacher Fellowship Kicks Off 2024-25 Cycle!
This past July, ARTeacher Fellows were introduced to the "Acting Right" theatre-based teaching strategies by guest facilitator Jamin Carter from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Focus 5! The "Acting Right" series uses drama and performance activities to...
ARTeacher Fellowship Caps Off Outstanding Year
Three cheers for the ARTeacher Fellowship! This past Monday, the Fellowship held the final meeting of the 2023-24 cycle, held at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. During the morning session, the Fellows presented their final culminating projects, where they...
ARTeacher Fellows Explore Artificial Intelligence and Arts Integration.
"We are called to be architects of the future, not its victims." -Buckminster Fuller Call it AIx2. In February, Curtis Maughan of the University of Arkansas facilitated a professional development workshop with the ARTeacher Fellowship on the intersection of artificial...
“If you’re in the room, you’re in the show!”
That's the motto of the Experiential Theater Company, founded by Christopher Parks. In November, Parks visited the ARTeacher Fellowship to share his unique approach to creating immersive and participatory drama. Audience members don't just watch the performance; they...
ARTeacher Alums Return to Share Artistic Maps and Remix
"The map is not the territory" - Alfred Korzybski This past September, ARTeacher Fellowship alumnae Katherine Collier and Jessie Lorimer joined our current Fellows at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art to co-facilitate a workshop on remixing maps to express ideas...