Investing In Our Youth
Since 1999

Artists Campbell Hutchinson and Allison Stewart founded KID smART in 1999 to provide public school students with greater access to arts-rich education. In its 25 year history, KID smART has served more than 60,000 students and 11,000 teachers in schools throughout New Orleans. With the belief that the power of the arts should be available to ALL New Orleans children, KID smART works within public schools to reach underserved children with the most to gain from an arts-rich, social-emotional education.

Today, KID smART provides a holistic and evidence-based suite of arts education programming:

• Daily arts integration through our Creative Schools program

• Year-round professional development for educators

• Curriculum and literacy initiatives

• Community and family engagement events

Vision
An educational landscape where the arts empower all children to access their full academic, creative, and personal potential.

Mission
To engage children and educators in dynamic, creative, and relevant learning through the arts.

We do this by:

  • Embedding professional teaching artists in public school classrooms to create and demonstrate models of excellence in arts-integrated instruction.

  • Increasing the capacity of classroom teachers and teaching artists to deliver arts-integrated instruction that builds students’ critical thinking skills, creativity, social-emotional intelligence, and joyful engagement in learning.

  • Providing meaningful arts enrichment to families, schools, and community-based programs.

  • Regularly assessing the effectiveness of our programming through ongoing reflection and evaluation that solicits feedback from stakeholders at various levels (i.e. school leaders, teachers, teaching artists, and students).

  • Working in collaboration with local and national organizations to advocate for arts education and broaden the conversation around the definition of student success.

National Partnerships & Collaborations

Our Values

  • Collaboration

    We are a critical collaborator in the arts, culture, and education sectors in order to create greater impact. Collaboration is key to building strong leadership in the field.

  • Creativity

    We value working with imagination and originality of thought and expression. Creativity is crucial across the organization from the classroom to the boardroom.

  • Sustainability

    As a community of lifelong learners, we are committed to the continued evolution of our programming through a continuous cycle of assessment, reflection, and growth. This includes a wide array of ongoing and lasting learning experiences for our staff, board, teachers, and students.

  • Access & Equity

    Our commitment to inclusion seeks to provide equitable opportunities for a diverse body of learners, from our classrooms to our board and staff. We work to incorporate the voices that best represent our students and school communities by elevating intersectional perspectives.