Power of Culture Blog
Arts are the STEAM to Drive the Innovation Economy
Creativity is not a luxury or a supplement — it is the fuel that powers STEM
Amy Chu, Program Officer
Project support grantees offer advice on working with schools, teachers, and students
This September, we welcome a cohort of more than 280 schools that have committed to creative learning experiences for their students. As we usher in a new school year of residencies, field trips, workshops, author visits, performances, and more, let’s celebrate the accomplishments of last year’s funded projects in schools.
We understand that applying for and receiving a Creative Experiences grant is not just an opportunity, but a commitment. Schools that choose to work with teaching artists and cultural partners — such as arts organizations, history museums, and nature conservation centers — are going the extra mile to design inclusive and creative learning experiences for their students. While it’s certainly no walk in the park (though sometimes it is!) collaboration can be extremely fruitful for schools and students if challenges are met with thoughtful planning and flexibility.
We’ve compiled stories and advice from last year’s grantees to share with this year’s Creative Experiences grantees who might be wondering how they can make the most of the experience for teachers, students, and parents. If you’re from a school and wonder if you should apply for the 2026-27 term, these tips might also inspire you to find a partner or collaborator.
Whether you are a first-time or returning grantee, here are six common questions answered by teaching artists and teachers.
“It’s essential to strike a balance between flexibility and structure. Creative experiences flourish in environments that are adaptable — where students can explore at their own pace, pivot their interests, and take risks. Consistent routines, clear expectations, and reliable adult mentorship provide the sense of safety and continuity that many students need to thrive. This can be especially powerful for students who’ve experienced disrupted educational journeys.”
“A successful creative learning experience begins with centering student voice — listening to what students are passionate about, curious to explore, or eager to express. When young people have a say in the design of their learning, they are far more likely to engage meaningfully and bring their full selves to the experience.”
“Telling students at the beginning of a lesson, ‘I have some ideas and maybe you’ll help me figure out which one is going to be the most fun today” is very successful. Bringing them in on the process of creating the structure helps us stay with structure. When they’re involved in the process, there’s more buy-in.”
“Partnership matters. Bringing in practitioners who reflect students’ cultures and aspirations creates credibility, excitement, and real-world connection.”
Takeaways: Offer space for choice and creativity within structure, center youth voice, and find local teaching artists who connect with students.
“Working with a professional artist was a great creative learning experience for me and my students. The professional photographer was invested in working as a collaborative partner on this project. We spent time planning together via in-person and Zoom meetings, as well as through shared planning documents. We both understood that we would need to be flexible to meet the learning needs of the students.”
“Community partners may not have the same pedagogical or developmental moves and strategies as classroom teachers. Next year, I would co-create the lesson plans with the artist organizations, including all materials. As a teacher who knows his students, I could support pacing and building in scaffolds. While the teaching artists did take feedback incredibly well, a collaborative process would better support student learning.”
“Through this project, students had the benefit of having two music teachers. One benefit was additional help for concert preparation; the classroom teacher was able to devote attention to administrative tasks while I worked with students on their material for the concert.”
“We are firmly on the same page about the residency’s objectives and how each artist and teacher contributes to those goals… This level of teamwork did of course take time to build, but the results have been deeply impactful.”
Takeaways: Plan, plan, plan! Meet your collaborator in-person before the project starts, and continue to check-in. Delineate expectations and roles in the classroom early on.
“The best advice for creating a successful creative learning experience is to ensure it aligns with the school’s priorities and goals, while also being inclusive of all learning modalities and responsive to the diverse needs of the community. We gathered feedback from teachers to help shape the opportunity, and their input was essential in defining the learning experience.”
“Equally important is listening to students and their families. We gathered family input through a Google Survey, which provided valuable insights into their traditions, values, and expectations.”
“Having the current high school technical director of plays and musicals work with the artistic direction, the director of buildings & grounds, STEM teachers, and the students involved in technical design of our performing arts program helped us ensure that we met the needs of all.”
“Make sure the experience isn’t just a one-time event, but that it is tied back into classroom learning. We incorporated pre- and post-trip activities that allowed students to reflect on what they saw, connect it to their own identities, and express their perspectives through writing and discussion.”
Takeaways: Create buy-in from all the stakeholders: Principals, teachers, and families. Understand that different stakeholder may require different frameworks to understand the value of your project. Is it workforce preparedness? Social-emotional development? Curricular benchmarks? Ask the stakeholders what they value too.
“One of the main challenges in creating a successful creative learning experience is addressing the wide range of student needs, backgrounds, and skill levels, especially in a group setting. Many students also face external stressors like housing instability or limited access to practice space at home, which can impact their ability to fully engage. Building trust and consistency takes time and requires ongoing attention, patience, and adaptability from teaching artists.”
“Keep expectations flexible. Letting them sit with us even if they’re not participating, and vice versa, letting them participate even if they’re not sitting with us, is a practice that has helped to reduce conflict and increase participation in general.”
“Bringing in manipulatives for students to put their hands directly on as part of the activities pulls in their focus. If we hand them something, especially something they’ve never seen before, they’re able to get very creative with telling a story about it or being patient and taking turns having a chance with it.”
“Post the class schedule clearly in their room and set the lights and tone for the room according to energy levels.”
Takeaways: Different students may need different avenues of participation on different days. Be flexible and open to what engagement looks like!
“One challenge was having so many balls in the air at the same time! Those included seeking and obtaining grant funding for the program, coordinating the music, dance and Physics workshops, CORI background checks on all of our guests, and food and lodging for the band over their multi-day stay, arranging additional public performances and producing a student-designed poster to publicize the program, to name just a few.”
“In the future, because of the expense of transportation, I would encourage others to host teaching artists in a space at their home schools. While there is great excitement around field trips, the cost of bussing can be prohibitive and then limit other artistic experiences.”
“The logistics and costs of transporting and busing classrooms of students are significant, but well worth the gains our students experience once they are on-site learning firsthand about what they have read about and studied in the classroom setting.”
“I feel the best advice is to start smaller than you may think. Larger groups or activities require more logistics to consider. I also find that smaller groups or activities allow for participants and facilitators to interact with one another.”
“One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that all students feel prepared and supported to engage meaningfully especially when taking them outside the classroom into unfamiliar environments like art museums or interactive exhibits. Coordinating logistics such as transportation, chaperones, and accessibility accommodations can be time-consuming, and it’s important to anticipate a wide range of student needs.”
Takeaways: Consider what is most valuable and necessary to the learning experience. Preparedness is contingent on early planning and communication.
“The Haitian dance residency at our school last week was an incredibly beneficial experience for our students. As the school counselor, I witnessed how the workshops and dance sessions supported the development of social awareness, encouraged social cohesion, and fostered a deeper connection between music, the mind, and the body. Students engaged with joy, respect, and curiosity, and the cultural richness of the experience added a powerful layer of meaning to their learning. This was a truly impactful opportunity, and I sincerely hope it can be repeated annually—if not more frequently.”
“Walking into the workshop in progress can look a bit crazy. Materials all over, noise, movement, high energy. But as you look closely, you see students focused on their project. Getting help from other students. Working with intensity, fixing mistakes, accomplishing their goal. The movement is for materials that they choose to use. The noise is their excitement as they are working. The energy is the happiness that you can honestly feel. All leave with a proud sense of accomplishment. They tried things, and if they didn’t work out, the kids got excited figuring out a new plan. ‘Look at this! Look at this! Look what I made! Look how this moves!’”
“One student stood out. On the first day, he told me flat out: “I don’t think I’m going to be good at this, that his project was going to be bad and he had no idea what to even make.” Despite his doubts, he stuck with it. As we progressed through the first session, something shifted. He began to find his rhythm with the clay, focused, curious, and even relaxed. At one point, he looked up with a smile and said, ‘This is really fun and relaxing!’ This was a major breakthrough. In class, he often struggled with follow-through, especially on long-term projects but pottery offered a different path. He completed his piece, start to finish. No shortcuts. No quitting. Just pure determination and pride in his work. That transformation speaks volumes, not just about him, but about what this program can do.”
“My favorite memory from our first semester with the Fab Lab equipment was watching three of our challenging alternative-school boys hunched around the embroidery machine helping one another with a project. For the entirety of the class period, they didn’t require my help or guidance. They taught each other how to thread both the top thread and bobbin, how to access, reposition, and resize custom designs, how to place the garment and interfacing on the embroidery frame, and how to fix issues like birds’ nests and broken thread — all with deep engagement and without any adult redirection. They were proud of their result and of their newfound skills with the equipment.”
“At the year-end showcase, parents of one student with disabilities approached our teaching artist. They were very emotional, and told her that their child is often not able to participate in many supplemental or creative activities due to their schedule being filled with crucial services like speech therapy, occupational therapy, etc. They also expressed having fears that their child would become overstimulated by the loud noise. However, they were incredibly grateful and excited to see their child participate alongside their peers and sing along with incredible enthusiasm during the performance.”
Takeaways: Trust our previous grant recipients. Creative learning experiences are worth it for your school and your students!
