ArtsNOW

: Students can lose up to 2 months of academic progress over the summer... but preventing that doesn't have to feel like homework.

Because after all, summer should be fun!

Our summer creativity calendar is full of drawing, moving, making music, and storytelling... things kids actually want to do. And when activities are connected to academic content, they quietly keep young minds sharp without anyone feeling like they're stuck at a desk.

Click the link below to check out our full curated collection of 8 free at-home lessons designed around wherever your summer is taking you - whether that's the backyard, the beach, a road trip, or a rainy afternoon at home: https://artsnowlearning.org/8-academically-and-creatively-engaging-arts-activities-for-your-family-this-summer/

Are we looking for YOU?! 🎨

After a successful pilot this spring (with support from South Carolina Arts Commission, Arts Grow SC) we are excited to officially launch our new early learning initiative - Arts START - and we're looking for interested Teaching Artists to bring the model to life!

Arts START Artists lead professional learning for teachers, model arts-integrated strategies with students through multi-day residencies, and help build lasting impact in early childhood classrooms.

You might be a great fit if you:
- Have a visual arts background (formal or informal)
- Have experience working with children ages 3–7
- Are process-focused, not product-driven
- Love encouraging student voice and creativity
- Are comfortable coaching and supporting teachers

The training is free, and takes place August 18–20 in Columbia, South Carolina. Stipends may be available, if selected.

Click the link below to learn more and complete the Teaching Artist Interest Form at the bottom of the page. (The interest form deadline is July 3 - so don't wait. 💛)

👉 https://artsnowlearning.org/arts-start/

🎉 This week's spotlight is Greeleyville STEAM Academy in Greeleyville, South Carolina.💛

Greeleyville STEAM Academy is a small school in Williamsburg County School District with a big mission — ensuring every student receives a world-class education rooted in creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving.

School visits and professional learing kicked off this spring, and we are so excited about what this partnership is going to mean for their students and community.

This partnership is made possible through funding from the South Carolina Arts Commission and Arts Grow SC, and we are grateful for their continued investment in South Carolina's students.

Here's to a wonderful first year together, and we look forward to what the future holds! 🌟

For this we're featuring Bells Elementary School - CCSD in Ruffin, South Carolina — and we are so excited to welcome them to the ArtsNOW family!

Bells Elementary is part of the Colleton County School District - CCSD, a community that has become near and dear to us over the years. What started with three partner schools through the REALAI grant has grown into something we're incredibly proud of, and Bells is the newest chapter of that story.

The students at Bells deserve every opportunity to thrive, and we believe arts integration can be a powerful tool in making that happen, especially when it comes to building the literacy and reading comprehension skills that will set them up for life!

We're just getting started, but we're already excited about what's ahead.

Here's to a wonderful first year together. Welcome, Bells! 🌟

We're hiring! 🎨 ArtsNOW is seeking a Director of Marketing & Development to join our team.

This position is for a strategic, creative, mission-driven leader who believes in the power of storytelling, relationship-building, and the arts to transform learning.

This role will lead our organizational storytelling, brand visibility, fundraising strategy, donor engagement, and communications efforts - helping expand ArtsNOW's impact across schools and communities nationwide.

The ideal candidate is someone who is equally comfortable thinking big-picture strategy AND rolling up their sleeves to execute.

Someone who gets excited about turning mission impact into compelling content. Someone who sees marketing and development not as separate functions, but as two sides of the same coin. 💛

If that sounds like you, or someone you know, we would love to hear from you.

Qualified candidates should email their resume to [email protected] or visit this link to learn more: https://artsnowlearning.org/now-hiring-director-of-marketing-development/

This feature is Hendersonville Elementary School in Walterboro, South Carolina!

We are so excited to welcome Hendersonville Elementary to the ArtsNOW family as a brand-new partner school this year! 💛

Hendersonville is part of the Colleton County School District - CCSD in South Carolina, which holds a very special place in our hearts. We began our work in Colleton County through the REALAI grant, partnering with three of the district's elementary schools. The gains those schools achieved were so meaningful that we were able to expand the partnership to include the remaining elementary schools in the district, including Hendersonville!

That kind of momentum is exactly what this work is about. When arts integration takes root in a community, it spreads. And we are proud and humbled to now serve this entire district.

This partnership is made possible through funding from the South Carolina Arts Commission and Arts Grow SC, and we are deeply grateful for their investment in the students and educators of Colleton County.

Here's to a wonderful first year together. Welcome, Hendersonville! 🌟

Welcoming our newest partner school — Dalraida Elementary PTA in Montgomery, Alabama! Montgomery Alabama Public Schools - Official Site

Dalraida is in the middle of an exciting transition, evolving into a full STEAM Academy Magnet School, and we couldn't be more thrilled to be part of that journey.

We recently held a kickoff with their teachers and staff to launch the partnership. The day started with an overview of arts integration and what it looks like in real classrooms, then teachers dove into hands-on breakout sessions across all four art forms - music, dance, theatre, and visual arts - getting their first taste of strategies they can bring back to their students right away.

This partnership was built on the strength of our work in Jefferson County, Alabama, and we're excited to bring that same momentum to Dalraida. Big things ahead for these students and educators!

Here's to a beautiful collaboration, and welcome to the ArtsNOW family! 💛

Something beautiful was created at Holsenbeck Elementary School — and we couldn't be more excited. 🎨

ArtsNOW and Holsenback Elementary were awarded a Georgia Council for the Arts Vibrant Communities Grant to bring a brand new Visual Arts Residency to life. Out of 62 applications submitted statewide, this project was selected — and we are so honored!

Here's what it looks like: students explored the children's book 'Maybe Something Beautiful' through the lens of visual arts, guided by ArtsNOW Consultant Shannon Green. They studied real-world muralists, connected the story's themes to their own creative process, and designed individual art pieces that came together into one large, mixed-media installation in a school hallway.

A permanent piece of collaborative art, made by kids, living in their school. 💛

Beyond the art itself, the residency was designed to build literacy comprehension, critical thinking, teamwork, and social-emotional skills — all through the creative process.

Thank you to the Georgia Council for the Arts for making this possible through Vibrant Communities grant funding. We are grateful for your investment in students, schools, and the power of arts integration.🌟

Barrow County School System

This week's is celebrating Kingstree Middle Magnet School of the Arts in Williamsburg County, South Carolina! 🎉🌟

Now in their second year of partnership with ArtsNOW, funded by South Carolina Arts Commission and Arts Grow SC, this vibrant school is creating a collaborative, arts-infused environment where students can grow, express themselves, and thrive.

With a mission to empower every student to reach their fullest potential, Kingstree Middle is showing just how powerful arts integration can be—and we’re so proud to be part of their journey! 🎨💛