← View All Articles

Inspire tomorrow’s readers through drama

Spark program seeks teaching artists

The South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities is seeking experienced theatre teaching artists comfortable with elementary-aged students for summer and fall residencies.

Burning sparkler on a dark or black background. Curriculum and materials are provided, with room for some personalization by each artist. The Spark program focuses on book centered drama classes with the mission of Inspiring Tomorrow's Readers through Drama.
  • Summer residencies are Monday-Friday for 1-5 weeks depending on site and availability. Travel per diems are offered to cover mileage, food, and lodging for distant sites. Half-day or full-day are both possible.
  • School-year residencies are for two days per week with a commitment of 15-20 weeks at a single site, with travel per diems for distant locations—including for overnight lodging to stay for the two days of teaching.
These opportunities come with generous compensation, paid training, and observation opportunities. Sites may be in the following counties: Abbeville, Calhoun, Darlington, Dillon, Edgefield, Fairfield, Florence, Laurens, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Newberry, Richland, Saluda, and Williamsburg. Send resume and cover letter to Melanie Trimble, Spark grant director, SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities: melanietrimble@scgsah.org. Sample elementary lesson plans or workshop outlines only strengthen your application. Teaching certification is not required, health and SLED screenings typical for school based work will be expected upon hiring.
Spark is supported by Arts Grow SC, which is funded by the South Carolina Arts Commission and the South Carolina Department of Education through American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds.

Submitted material

Mural unveiling set for Freetown community in Greenville

Greenville Center for Creative Arts and Blank Canvas Mural Company will unveil a new mural at Freetown Community Center with an event on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, from 4-7 p.m.

The unveiling event will feature fun activities for the whole family, including live music with Fine Arts Center Jazz Studies students and food from Time to Taste Catering featuring chef Daniel López. GCCA contracted with Blank Canvas Mural Company and artist Adam Schrimmer for the mural design and implementation. Schrimmer facilitated conversations at Freetown Community Center with neighborhood residents to determine meaningful content and messaging for the artwork and to ensure the design captures the unique spirit and legacy of the Freetown community. The mural will be painted by Schrimmer and students from GCCA’s Aspiring Artists after-school art program, which takes place monthly at Freetown Community Center. The mural project is produced in collaboration with Greenville County Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, with support from ScanSource Charitable Foundation and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts and is supported by funding provided to the South Carolina Arts Commission from a partnership with the S.C. Department of Education from American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds.
Greenville Center for Creative Arts is a non-profit organization that aims to enrich the cultural fabric of the community through visual arts promotion, education, and inspiration. For more information, visit www.artcentergreenville.org, call 864-735-3948, or check out GCCA on Facebook (Greenville Center for Creative Arts) & Instagram (@artcentergvl).

Jason Rapp

Assessing arts-integrated lessons: a webinar

Tools so teaching artists don't lose sleep

So, you've done what it takes to establish yourself as a teaching artist.

[caption id="attachment_49234" align="alignright" width="175"]Promo photo of Jef Lambdin juggling and wearing a red clown nose. Jef Lambdin, photo by George Loudon.[/caption] Through the Art Grow SC webinar series...
  • You got the nuts and bolts of it.
  • You drilled down on the 2017 South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Standards in Teaching Artistry.
  • You marketed yourself.
  • You landed a residency or other engagement.
How do you know it's all working?  Authentically assessing an integrated lesson can be a challenge to teaching artists. How do you know when your students know, or can do, what you taught them? Don't lose sleep. Round 4 of the #ArtsGrowSC webinar series “Being a Teaching Artist” can help. During this afternoon webinar, we will examine the very best assessment resources for you as a teaching artist: from rubrics to checklists to ideas and more in order to implement authentic arts integration assessments with ease. Facilitator and teaching artist Jef Lambdin returns to walk you through it.
  • Webinar 4: Assessing Arts-Integrated Lessons Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022: 4-5:30 p.m.
Further topics include how to persist through roadblocks and how to make sure your message is consistent, a critical brand element. Click here to register now via Zoom. | Connect with this event on Facebook.
The "Being a Teaching Artist" series is a free resource from the South Carolina Arts Commission and Arts Grow SC.

Jason Rapp

Arts Grow SC partner uses drama techniques to motivate young readers

Spark is presented by the S.C. Governor's School for the Arts & Humanities

Elementary school students struggling to meet reading benchmarks in will now have additional support thanks to a three-year, Arts Grow SC grant of $3.7 million to expand an arts education program called Spark.

Administered by the South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities, this regional outreach program uses drama strategies to improve reading engagement and motivation, as well as creative and divergent thinking among students. Spark’s teaching artists will work with students in Calhoun, Florence, Richland, and Williamsburg counties throughout the school year. Additional schools will be added over the next two years as the program progresses. “Hundreds of third grade students are identified through Read to Succeed each year as being in need of additional support,” said Carol Baker, director of outreach and community engagement at the Governor’s School. “We know that meaningful connections are made for children when they learn through the arts, and the unique relationship between drama, storytelling and reading is showing promising trends in our research.” In 2018, the school partnered with the South Carolina Arts Commission and University of South Carolina Department of Theatre and Dance to examine the potential impact that the Spark drama curriculum had on reading motivation and success for young children. The program was piloted in Williamsburg County as a summer camp for at-risk readers through the state-mandated Read to Succeed Act. Based on encouraging early trends, within three years Spark had expanded into Jasper County and received national recognition with the Research Initiative-Institution Award from Arts Schools Network. Through Spark, actor-teachers empower students to bring stories and characters to life using basic acting tools. “When students can use their imaginations to create movements, gestures, voices and settings, books become more than just words and images on a page. They become a lived experience that students can connect with on a personal and emotional level,” explained Baker. The Governor’s School hired multiple theatre teaching artists to coordinate curriculum and provide long term drama residencies in select schools throughout South Carolina. These actor-teachers will provide partnering schools with classroom and group drama services that include co-teaching and arts integration experiences. Spark will also provide guest artist visits, performances, and professional learning opportunities for teachers, along with continued support for summer Read to Succeed camps. There are no costs to partnering schools or school districts for participating in Spark. With this recent grant, Spark is now supported by Arts Grow SC, which is funded by the SCAC and the South Carolina Department of Education through American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary Schools Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funds. “While I am not surprised by the positive impact Spark is having on students, I am overjoyed to see the support and acknowledgement that this program has received from participating school districts, the South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Arts Commission, and we are very grateful for that,” said Cedric Adderley, Governor’s School president. “It is through these kinds of strategic funding partnerships that we have the best chance to reach students in a meaningful way.” According to Baker, “With these funds Spark will evolve and grow exponentially—from serving only summer camp students to serving students year-round, expanding over three years to reach up to 30 schools. We will also have an opportunity to work with younger students to intervene at an earlier age, which is important for long term success. We are incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity through Arts Grow SC.” Learn more about the Spark program and employment opportunities at https://www.scgsah.org/spark.
About South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities Located in Greenville, the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities cultivates young artists from across the state through pre-professional training in the areas of creative writing, dance, drama, music and visual arts. In the public, residential high school, students refine their talents in an arts-centered community while receiving a nationally recognized academic education. Summer programs are available to rising 7th-12th grade students. The Governor’s School serves as a resource to all teachers and students in South Carolina, offering comprehensive outreach programs designed to bring together artists, educators, community organizations and schools. SCGSAH.org

Submitted material

Marketing your teaching artist business

Building a business by marketing your teaching artistry

[caption id="attachment_49234" align="alignright" width="175"]Promo photo of Jef Lambdin juggling and wearing a red clown nose. Jef Lambdin, photo by George Loudon.[/caption]

If you are or want to be a teaching artist, how do you get the word out and get residencies at schools?

Round 3 of the new #ArtsGrowSC webinar series “Being a Teaching Artist” can help. During this afternoon webinar, you'll learn to craft your message to get noticed by the right people. Facilitator and teaching artist Jef Lambdin will examine how to communicate your talents, identify target audiences, set achievable business goals and more.
  • Webinar 3: Marketing Your Teaching Artistry Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2022: 4-5:30 p.m.
Further topics include how to persist through roadblocks and how to make sure your message is consistent, a critical brand element. Click here to register now via Zoom. | Connect with this event on Facebook here.
The "Being a Teaching Artist" series is a free resource from the South Carolina Arts Commission and Arts Grow SC.

Jason Rapp

Arts Grow SC to expand, first executive director named

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE A woman is smiling, Headline reads "Breaking News"

The South Carolina Arts Commission and the South Carolina Department of Education announce the expansion of Arts Grow SC as a permanent fixture in the state’s arts learning landscape.

Arts Grow SC began in July 2021 as a three-year partnership between the South Carolina Department of Education and the South Carolina Arts Commission to use ARP ESSER funds to help public schools address pandemic-related learning loss with proven, arts-based learning initiatives. This landmark investment of $20 million allows a professional team and a network of partners to help schools and teachers fill learning loss gaps, use arts integration to remediate core subject areas,​ and provide summer and afterschool learning opportunities.​ This newly announced expansion establishes Arts Grow SC as a permanent part of the arts learning community. It will utilize a collective impact model, with the SCAC serving as the backbone for the work. This approach brings greater sustainability: building on the strengths of the SCDE, the SCAC, partnering organizations, schools, and districts. The collective impact model will activate existing education consortiums, shared-resource school districts, and newly identified hubs in areas not currently being served. These hubs will enable statewide programs and services. The flagship physical location for a more permanent Arts Grow SC will be the Spearman Center for Arts Innovation, located in Columbia at 1026 Sumter Street. Named for former music teacher and current state Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman, the Spearman Center will provide:
  • direct programs
  • professional learning
  • events
  • resource distribution
  • exhibitions
SCAC Deputy Director Ashley Brown has been appointed executive director of Arts Grow SC and the Spearman Center for Arts Innovation. Brown has served throughout the Southeast as a nonprofit and higher education administrator, public school teacher, stage manager, teaching artist, and director. She received her bachelor of arts in theatre from Winthrop University and her Master of Fine Art in theatre management from Florida State University.
Current Arts Grow SC partners include:
  • the Arts in Basic Curriculum Institute;
  • Engaging Creative Minds;
  • S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities;
  • ArtsNOW;
  • Boys and Girls Club of the Crescent Region;
  • S.C. Educational Television;
  • S.C. Arts Alliance;
  • Palmetto State Arts Education;
  • Education Commission of the States/Arts Education Partnerships;
  • and the Research, Evaluation, and Measurement Center at the University of South Carolina. 
“In just a year we have rallied a statewide network to use the arts to address COVID-19 related learning loss. Using a collective impact model, Arts Grow SC and the Spearman Center for Arts Innovation will work to ensure every student in South Carolina has access to quality arts education and experiences," Brown said. "I can’t think of a better way to honor the legacy of Superintendent Spearman and all she has done for the arts in South Carolina.” “I have seen first-hand the tremendous impact that the arts can have on student engagement and academic achievement,” Spearman remarked. “Throughout my career in public education, I have strived to bring these opportunities to all students across our state and am so honored that the South Carolina Arts Commission has chosen to name this center after me. I look forward to seeing the innovative practices and programs that this center will grow and support.” “This is an exciting time for the arts in South Carolina,” said SCAC Executive Director David Platts. “Building on the strong foundation of existing partnerships across the state, Arts Grow SC stands as a model of how we, as state agencies, can work together with local consortia, organizations and school districts to help students most directly impacted by COVID recover and position themselves for future academic success.  I can think of no more fitting tribute to Superintendent Spearman, whose life and career have been dedicated to turning challenges into opportunities in order to better serve students from all over South Carolina.”
While Arts Grow SC programs, grants, and professional learning opportunities are already taking place, the SCAC hopes to site work on the Spearman Center for Arts Innovation in the coming year. To learn more about Arts Grow SC, visit ArtsGrowSC.org.
South Carolina Arts Commission News Release, Media Contact: Jason L. Rapp, Communications Director. jrapp@arts.sc.gov or 803.734.8899

Margot Lane Strasburger

Teaching artists: Know the standards

Building a business by sharing your craft

[caption id="attachment_49234" align="alignright" width="200"]Promo photo of Jef Lambdin juggling and wearing a red clown nose. Jef Lambdin, photo by George Loudon.[/caption]  

If you are or want to be a teaching artist, you’ve got to know the S.C. Educational Standards.

Round 2 of the new #ArtsGrowSC webinar series “Being a Teaching Artist” can help. During two afternoon webinar sessions, explore the purpose, function, and use of the 2017 South Carolina College and Career-Ready Standards in teaching artistry.
  • Tuesday, April 26, 2022: 4-6 p.m.
  • Wednesday, April 27, 2022: 4-6 p.m.
Practicing teaching artist Jef Lambdin and these guest presenters will share how to use the standards in lesson planning for arts and arts-integrated lessons and residencies:
  • Roger Simpson Educational Associate for the Visual and Performing Arts S.C. Department of Education, Office of Assessment and Standards
  • Kayla Jennings Dance teacher Saluda River Academy of the Arts (West Columbia)
Click here to register now via Zoom. This is a free resource from the South Carolina Arts Commission and Arts Grow SC.

Jason Rapp

Community-based actor-teacher job opportunities now open

The Office of Outreach at the SC Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities is hiring several positions to work with Spark, a drama-based literacy program funded by Arts Grow SC.

If you have experience with groups of elementary aged students, an understanding of the performing arts, storytelling, and creative dramatics, there might have a fun full-time position for you! Theatre people, storytellers, librarians and educators who are self-starters, active and organized facilitators, good relationship builders, and playful are a good fit. These curriculum coordinator-level positions will be assigned to regions across South Carolina and will be based from home in local schools. The team of community actor-teachers will design and facilitate drama groups for literacy and reading motivation in elementary classrooms. Positions may be based in the following areas of the state:
  • Cheraw
  • Florence
  • Georgetown
  • Greenwood
  • Kingstree
  • Laurens
  • Marion
  • Newberry
Experience in the elementary classroom or theatre education setting is preferred. Some scheduled, in-state travel will be required for training. COVID protocols for schools and the S.C. Department of Education will be followed. Learn more about this positions at https://www.scgsah.org/spark-jobs.

Submitted material

Hispanic Alliance seeks arts + education director

APPLICATION DEADLINE: Open until filled

The Hispanic Alliance (HA) seeks an entrepreneurial, arts-focused individual who can turn the goals of a joint project between Hispanic Alliance, the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC), and the South Carolina Department of Education (SCDE) into a reality.

The three-year project seeks to support the SCDE’s expansion of arts learning initiatives. SCDE has partnered with SCAC, who in turn will administer and deploy resources to support numerous arts-based pilot projects across the state. Hispanic Alliance’s project, one such pilot, aims to support early education and diversity by curating arts experiences for young students to interact with art by diverse artists. The goals of the project are:
  1. To celebrate Hispanic cultures and help build pride in the richness of the diverse traditions of South Carolina’s growing Hispanic/Latinx community.
  2. To foster collaboration across cultures and community building by supporting projects that celebrate multiculturalism and diversity.
  3. To build capacity within local and statewide educational systems to equitably serve Hispanic/Latinx students.

The role

A successful individual in the role of arts and education director will be able to connect several parties into a series of tangible efforts, including but not limited to: diverse artists, SCDE and SCAC representatives, school officials, parents, students, HA stakeholders, in-school and out-of-school educators, and community members. The person will be familiar with art, artists, and art curriculum but also be able to navigate the nuances of grant management, SCDE and SCAC goals and measurements, and state dynamics to ensure final products are high quality, in alignment with stated goals, and are sustainable into the future. Go here to download the job description.

Jason Rapp

Want to be a teaching artist? SCAC can help.

Building a business by sharing your craft

[caption id="attachment_49234" align="alignright" width="200"]Promo photo of Jef Lambdin juggling and wearing a red clown nose. Jef Lambdin, photo by George Loudon.[/caption]

#SCartists: want to build a business AND share your craft with the next generation? You can. Build a business as a certified teaching artist!

Join seasoned and practicing teaching artist Jef Lambdin for a no-cost two-day webinar as he shares tips for success with you in “The Business of Being a Teaching Artist: Nuts and Bolts to Grow your Business.” Over the course of two  webinars, you’ll get professional development guidance on not only becoming a certified teaching artist but leveraging that to grow your own teaching artist business. Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 22-23 from 4-6 p.m. This is the first professional development session created by the South Carolina Arts Commission to develop novice and seasoned #SCartists as certified teaching artists, potentially giving them access to SCAC programs created or expanded by the new Arts Grow SC partnership. SCAC arts learning grantees who engage artists are required to use certified teaching artists approved for inclusion on the S.C. Arts Directory. Click here to register now via Zoom.  

Jason Rapp

Load More