With support from the Dana Foundation, YA-WNY is training artists living in or near rural areas with backgrounds or an interest in Theater, Dance, and/or Music to become Teaching Artists. Artists were selected for the Rural Teaching Artist Development Program through an audition and interview process.
The Rural Teaching Artist Development Programis taking place throughout the 2008-2009 school year at schools and other partner institutions throughout WNY. The focus of this program is to provide training to artists living in or near rural areas, in the fundamental concepts of arts-in-education and the logistics of working as teaching artists. This program is focused on Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming, Cattaraugus, Allegany, and Chautauqua Counties.
The new teaching artists attend specialized introductory workshops. After which, each new teaching artist is paired with an experienced mentor teaching artist to learn to model an existing YA-WNY program. After this period of training, new teaching artists are encouraged to develop their own programs that showcase their individual talents.
Funding for this program has been provided by The Dana Foundation (www.dana.org.) The Dana Foundation is a private philanthropy with principal interests in brain science, immunology, and arts education. Through their Arts Education Rural Initiative, the Dana Foundation provides funding for professional development training programs for teaching artists from the performing arts who live in rural areas.
WNY Rural Teaching Artist Development Program with YA-WNY Staff and Master Teaching Artist at our retreat at Gilda’s Club. Left to right, back to front: Bill Ward, Holly Johnson - Education & Artistic Director, Helga MacKinnon - Executive Director, C. Mick Fambro, Lisa Surace, Tina Christy, Sherry Robbins - Master Teaching Artist, Dana Block, Sarah Hooper, Dylaina Young, Ingrid Reymers, Lisa Barrett. Absent from photo: Edreys Wajed, who was on tour in Canada.
