NATIONAL SERVICE FOR CITIZEN-ARTISTS

ArtistYear Applications are OPEN!

Next deadline to serve with the 2023-2024 ArtistYear Cohort is April 14!
A group of AmeriCorps Members stand in two rows in front of a white building. They wear colorful business casual clothes and hold a rectangular banner with the ArtistYear, AmeriCorps, and PennSERVE logos.
Apply Now!

Serve as an AmeriCorps Resident Teaching Artist!

"To me, being a teaching artist means sharing the love that I have for the violin and for music and everything it has done in my life." Camille | Violinist | ArtistYear '22 and '23

Artists Serving Our Nation as Teaching Artists

ArtistYear is dedicated to addressing inequities in Arts Education for K-12 students.

To ensure that every low-income student in America has the opportunity to reap the social-emotional and academic benefits associated with arts learning, ArtistYear created the first National AmeriCorps program for artists to serve to our nation.

We develop, support, and place exceptional Resident Teaching Artists to serve full-time at low-income schools.

This innovative strategy significantly expands arts and creative learning opportunities for the communities we serve, while improving student academic and social-emotional development, enhancing school climate and capacity, and developing a new generation of artists steeped in national service.

Join us!
What to Expect What to Expect

Support ArtistYear's vision to democratize creative learning!

Art is a powerful, evidence-based tool for helping address inequities. Yet art resources are limited for low-income schools. Want to help change this? Together, we can via a National Service Arts Corps!
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Crystal takes us inside her service year at Lighthouse Elementary in Queens, NY

“When my students had a rough day, I encouraged them to take it out on the dance floor, in acting class, or in our school play. The result? My students discovered that they have a voice, and their opinions and feelings matter.” Crystal Simon | Actor & Dancer | ArtistYear '18

“A goal I have for my students this year is for them to be able to call themselves artists...We start every class with art room affirmations. The students repeat back to me 'I am brave. I am curious. I am growing. I am an artist.' I want them to take ownership in their creativity and explore the things they’re passionate about. I want for them to use art making as a tool to explore themselves and the world around them. ”

“My experience with [ArtistYear RTA] Ms. Francois was the best in my life. I’m saying this because she’s never given up on us. She comes gets us out of our shells. I’ll never forget her.””

“Times of crisis summon our best instinct to serve one another. ArtistYear awakens that instinct through arts education and reminds all Americans of our common humanity.”

“We believe that the collaboration of ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellows with certified arts educators for the delivery of instruction will result not only in growth of the school's programs and arts implementation, but growth of all of the individuals involved. ArtistYear's meticulous approach to matching ArtistYear AmeriCorps members with schools and educators will provide foundations for program growth that can live well beyond the member's year of service.”

“Every day we witness the power of the arts to transform children’s lives and are proud to partner with ArtistYear in extending that experience to more who cannot easily access this experience. The ArtistYear AmeriCorps Fellows joining us here bring to this community both the talent and the intention to make children’s lives better through art. ”

“The pandemic shocks to U.S. schooling have revealed two hard truths—inequitable access to high-quality online instruction for underserved students, and that most online instruction is not engaging, ignoring its young people's interests. Enter ArtistYear and its Fellows to explode with imaginative solutions to both failings. If you ever expected that young teaching artists might have the brightest ideas for transitioning to online learning—you don't know how right you were.”