Arts Experiences in Schools (AXIS)

AXIS is a professional development program for educators focused on arts integration theory and practice. This collaborative and multi-faceted partnership involves KID smART, faculty and administrators from ten Orleans Parish public elementary schools, two Jefferson Parish schools and eight local cultural institutions: the Contemporary Arts Center, the New Orleans Ballet Association, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans Museum of Art, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, the Louisiana Children's Museum, the Louisiana State Museum and NOCCA/Riverfront.

The program provides:

•    Intensive “hands on” training each month in the teaching of core curriculum through the arts for a team of 3-6 teachers in each participating school

•    Additional professional development workshops for the entire faculty/administration of participating schools in arts integration and transforming school curriculum through the arts

•    The development of integrated projects tied to national and state standards and benchmarks

•    Opportunities to observe successful programs at model schools

•    Resources from the cultural partners resulting in more access to the arts both in the classroom and outside of the school setting

Classroom teachers and teaching artists also work with school administrators and with KID smART’s cultural partners to plan and implement projects that increase arts and cultural appreciation across the entire school.

Concerts, plays, exhibits and dance performances, both in the schools and in community venues, are scheduled in support of specific school goals, historical and cultural events and community-wide celebrations.