Growing Up in the Arts Toolkit

“We are excited about the potential to use the toolkit for preparing other communities to host their own “Growing Up in the Arts” activities. We have found a method that facilitates collaboration between artists, youth, and the community, and are happy that Creative Exchange can help spread that mission,” says Rachel Johnson, Director of Programs and Exhibitions as the Springfield Regional Arts Council.

Growing up in the Arts Workshops bring a variety of artists together and provide the children who participate hands-on experience with multiple disciplines of fine arts. Read more about about Growing Up in the Arts in their special feature and get the toolkit below.

The workshops give the participants opportunities to produce art, perform in, and see live performances. Each art organization or artist collaborator leads one week on their expertise. The Springfield Regional Arts Council will provide documents that we utilize for administration of this project: scheduling, letters of intent, planning documents and evaluation methods. We will share models of the workshop weeks that we have found to be effective and enjoyable.

This toolkit was created in 2018 as a partnership between artists, arts organizations, and Creative Exchange, the national program of Springboard for the Arts. Toolkit creation was supported by Colleen Powers, Nicole Rupersburg, and Nancy XiaoRong Valentine, with design support from Chad Nestor, and project management from Carl Atiya Swanson. Creative Exchange is supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, the Surdna Foundation, and the Bonfils-Stanton Foundation.