Arts Education Resources

The San Francisco Arts Commission is committed to providing access to high-quality arts experiences in and out-of-school time for San Francisco youth, families, residents, and stakeholders across San Francisco neighborhood communities through Arts Education.

For additional information about Arts Education Programming, please contact Program Officer Jonell T. Molina at jonell.molina@sfgov.org or call 415-212-2218.

Please sign up for our newsletter to stay informed about our grants program.

San Francisco Unified School District presents the Citywide Youth Arts Festival 2023

Arts Education Community Events Dates

Afrolatinidad en la Bahia de San Francisco ¡PRESENTE!  AND Heart-Speak Dichos de Mi Padre at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA)

 
Now through Sunday March 12, 2023 
Closing Reception: Sunday March 12, 2023 | 2 -5pm
ChiChai "Reroot" at The Ramp Gallery/SOMArts Now through Sunday April 9, 2023
Muni Raised Me at SOMArts Now through Sunday April 9, 2023
We Are Bruce Lee: Under the Sky, One Family  at Chinese Historical Society of America Now through Saturday July 1, 2023
How I Keep Looking Up/ Como Sigo Mirando Hacia Arriba / 仰望  at Chinese Cultural Center Now through Friday August 4, 2023 | Tuesday - Saturday | 10am - 4pm
Art with Elders: The Power of Creativity and Community
 
Now through Friday August 25, 2023 | Monday - Friday 8am - 6pm 
City Hall North Light Court & Ground Floor, 1. Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Pl.
Domingos Familiares at MCCLA Every Sunday | 11am - 5 pm
Wong Kim Ark Day - Celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Superme Court's landmark birthright citizenship decision at Chinese Historical Society of America Saturday March 25, 2023 | 10:30am - 1pm
RSVP HERE

Expressions Challenge | 13-18 year Old High School Students
Express What Matters Through The Arts
YouTube Video: About Expressions Challenge
Expressions Challenge Entry Details

Deadline to Submit  Entry Friday March 31st, 2023 @ 9:59 pm Pacific Time

See Arts Education News & Resources Below for Link & More Details
2023 SFUSD Citywide Youth Arts Festival Visual Arts Exhibitions | Thursday April 6, 2023 - Monday April 24, 2023

Live Performance &  Visual Art Exhibitions
Saturday, April 15, , 2023 10 a.m-4 p.m.

*FREE | EVENTBRITE RSVP HERE

About Arts Education

As part of the Community Investments Program, Arts Education at the SFAC engages with the SF Arts Community through

  1. Grantmaking
  2. Arts Education Activities
  3. Arts Education Conveners and Funder Collaboratives, and
  4. Arts Education Resources.

Grantmaking 

The Community Investments program supports San Francisco-based artists, arts organizations, and communities with an equity lens through grants, technical assistance, arts education initiatives, and community-based Cultural Centers. Arts Education. 

  • Artivist-in-Residence (AIR) Grant

    The Artivist-in-Residence (AIR) is a grant program for a nonprofit arts organization to hire teaching artists as part-time hourly employees to design and implement socially responsive art and creative exploration learning experiences (e.g. in-person, hybrid, remote) as a means to heal and build community. In turn, teaching artists are provided equitable compensation and opportunities to further their artistic practices and professional development as educators in a three-year cohort.

  • Grants for Youth Programming

Arts Education Activities | Special Project Grants

The Arts Education program partners with teaching artists, and arts organizations at schools and after school sites for youth programming .The Arts Education program partners with community stakeholders to provide opportunities for youth programming, networking, highlighting the impact of the work, and discuss trends in the field.

Arts Education Conveners and Funder Collaboratives

Arts Education Conveners and Funder Collaboratives are strategic networking spaces to better understand the impact of the work and better understand the issues in the trends of the Arts Ecosystem (locally, state, and federal); cohort learning, professional development, and Arts Education Policy Advocacy in our communities.

Arts Education Resources

Providing and sharing access to the community resources, services,  and programming to youth, artists, families, and community stakeholders.

Arts Education Categories

Poetry Out Loud is an annual (November - March) free, tiered recitation competition supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and California Arts Council, where students choose poems from the POL website anthology (www.poetryoutloud.org) that resonate or speak to them. Students memorize and recite these poems in a performance competition, beginning at the classroom/school level or afterschool program. One student champion will represent their school/program at the San Francisco County competition, the county champion will compete at the state competition, and the state champion will represent California at the national competition. The national champion wins a grand prize of $20,000! POL is a way to introduce/expose teens to Literature/Poetry, developing their public speaking skills, and being able to add this onto their resume/personal statements/scholarships for college as well.

For questions about the Poetry Out Loud (POL) Program, please contact Program Officer Jonell T. Molina at jonell.molina@sfgov.org

Poetry Out Loud Website 

.The Art Education Directory provides access to a profile list of San Francisco-based Arts Education Organizations and Programs which includes details about the following below. If there is an Arts Education Organization and Program you would like to add to the list please contact Program Officer Jonell T. Molina at jonell.molina@sfgov.org  or 415-252-2218.

Information About the Program

Name of Artist/Organization

Contact Information: Address, Contact Number, Email Contact, and Website (If available)

Organization Type: N/A, Arts Organizer, Teaching Artist, Arts Administrator/Coordinator

Type of Program/Services Offered by the Program:

  • Field Trip takes place off school grounds and includes structures for student interaction and engagement
  • Performance takes place at the school site, fits into a 45-60 minute time frame (the length of a typical assembly program) and includes structures for students interaction and engagement.
  • Workshop includes one to four instructional sessions working with the same group of students each session and may include performance or field trip opportunities
  • Residency Includes  five or more sequential instructional sessions working with the same group of students each session and may include performances or field trip opportunities.
  • Professional Development includes providing art education lectures, workshops, or seminars to teaching artists or art organizations.
  • Advocacy & Community Organizing incldues individuals and organizations that serve as a link between teh arts education community and public agencies.

Filter for a Specific Category(ies):

  • Grade Level: Pre-K, TK, Grades K-5, Grades 6-8, High School, Post High School, All Ages, Adults, and Seniors
  • Discipline: Dance, Literary Arts, Media, Multi-Discipline, Music, Storytelling, Theater, Visual Art
  • Subject(s): History, Language Arts, Math, Science, N/A
  • Languages: English, Chinese (Mandarin), Chinese (Cantonese), Spanish, Filipino (Tagalog), Russian
  • Professional Development Type: Arts Integration or Deepenign Disciplinary Knowledge

Program Description

Arts Education Directory

 

The Arts Education News and Resources section will provide share updates on local, state, and federal Arts Education developments; offering upcoming professional development opportunities and Arts Education Meetings.

In the News

SFUSD Arts Department Newsletter #35 January 2023 - Click Here

New Art on Market Street Poster Series Highlight How Different People, and a Pigeon, Each Navigate San Francisco's Iconic Market Street - Click Here

California Voters Overwhelmingly Approve Proposition 28 and Prioritizes Arts Education for All Students; Create CA Calls for Equity and Accountability in its Implementation - Click Here for Report by Create CA

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)

Arts Education Resources in the CommuniTY

Youth Art Exchange (YAX)
Youth Art Exchange is offering free classes for San Francisco Public High School Youth. For more info call or text 415-574-8137 or apply online: https://www.youthartexchange.org/disciplines

  • Advanced Architecture Firm
  • Video Art
  • Darkroom Photography
  • Intro to Architecture
  • Fashion Design
  • Printmaking
  • Music Production
  • Animation

Teacher Preview night at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.)
Take a break from class and take a night out to the theatre! A.C.T.’s Education and Community Programs Department offers substantial discounts to our shows for teachers in the Bay Area. New this year! Teacher Preview nights include hosted pre-show drinks and snacks, a workshop to help you prepare your students for the show, and a ticket for the preview performance. Tickets are just $20, or free if you’ve already reserved seats for your class to the student matinee. 

  • Poor Yella Rednecks: Vietgone 2 | Thu, Apr 6 | 6 p.m. Workshop, 7 p.m. Curtain
    *No Teacher Preview night will be held for A Christmas Carol.

Tickets are $20 per person, free if you book a Student Matinee! | Use code TEACHER when checking out. | To Learn More: https://www.act-sf.org/community/

Expressions Challenge | Entry Due Friday March 31st, 2023 at 9:59 pm Pacific Standard Time
Express What Matters Through The Arts | YouTube Video: About Expressions Challenge | Expressions Challenge Entry Details - Review 

Eligibility: 

  • Open to all legal United States residents in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands.
  • Between 13 and 18 years of age and currently enrolled in high school as of date of Entry.
  • Professional artists, videographers, photographers and writers, or anyone who earns at least 20% of their income by providing these services are not eligible to enter this Contest. Employees of Walgreen Co. (“Sponsor”), GoldStar Communications (“Administrator”) and each of their affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies, and their immediate family members and/or those living in the same household are not eligible.

The Challenge | Each of the 4 categories listed below will consist of a first, second, and third place winner for a total of 12 winners.
First Place – $2,000 | Second Place – $1,750 | Third Place – $1,500

People's Champs | Based solely on the number of votes entries receive.
Four $1,000 cash prizes will be awarded, one per category to the entries that receive the most votes.

Teacher Champions | Four educators will be awarded a $1,000 cash prize for their support and embrace of Expressions in their classroom.

Choose a Topic: Young people are asked to think about what is having an impact on them to draw inspiration for their entry. Topics can include, but not limited to:

  • Impact of Social Media
  • Cyber Bullying
  • Self-Esteem
  • Mental Health
  • Gender Identity
  • Gun Violence
  • Social Justice
  • Drug Abuse
  • Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Select a Category: Select from one of four categories to submit an entry. Each participant can submit one entry per category solo or with a group of up to five people.

  • Spoken Word:  Comprised of video/audio-recorded poetry. The videos must be either a voice recording or teen reciting their piece in front of a camera. No video storytelling. Poetry submitted cannot be used in the creative writing category.
  • Visual Arts: Comprised of drawings, paintings, graphic design, photography, and sculptures.
  • Media Arts: Comprised of music, PSA’s, and video entries telling a story. Entries in this category can be no longer than three minutes in length.
  • Creative Writing: Comprised of up to 1,000-word short stories, poetry, and essays. Entries submitted in this category would need to be in a PDF file format. Poetry submitted cannot be used in the Spoken Word category.

Upload Your Entry: Upload entries via mobile, tablet or computer. Acceptable upload file formats are as follows:

  • .MP4
  • .MOV
  • .JPG
  • .PNG
  • .GIF
  • .PDF

 

ARTS EDUCATION RESOURCE PAGES

Arts Education Alliance of the BAY AREA (AEABA) Website  

California Arts Council Website 

CReate CA Website  

San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) PreK-12 Arts Department Website  

National Endowment For the Arts (NEA) Website  

 

The Arts Education Community Events and Activities shares information and links of upcoming Community Events for the month of February 2023 - See below. This section will be updated each month.

SF Arts Commission Galleries

San Francisco Public Library  | https://sfpl.org/ 

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) | 2868 Mission Street, SF, CA 94110 | https://missionculturalcenter.org/

SOMArts | 934 Brannan St. (Between 9th & 8th Street) , SF, CA 94103
Gallery Hours: Thursday: 3-7:30pm | Friday: 12-7:30pm | Saturday - Wednesday: 12-5pm

Chinese Historical Society of America | 965 Clay Street, San Francisco, CA 94108

SFUSD Presents 9th Annual Viva el Mariachi! at Mission High School | 3750 18th Stteet, San Francisco, CA 94114
Time: 6pm - 8pm | Tix Here

Kapwa Gardens | 967 Mission Street, SF, CA 94102
*Every Wednesday, 1:30-7pm: Positively Negatively- Free COVID Testing
 

SAVE THE DATE(S): San Francisco Unified School District Present The Citywide Youth Arts Festival 2023

2023 SFUSD Citywide Youth Arts Festival | *FREE | EVENTBRITE RSVP HERE

Thursday April 6 -  Monday April 24, 2023: The first is a month long visual art exhibitions within the six different zones throughout the city of San Francisco. 
Zone 1:  SF Public Library | Children's Creativity Museum | Contemporary Jewish Museum
Zone 2: La Promenade Cafe | de Young Museum
Zone 3: de Young Museum
Zone 4: SFArtsEd at Minnesota Street Project | Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
Zone 5: San Francisco State University
Zone 6: Bayview Opera House

Saturday April 15, 2023: The second will be a one day event that will focus on live performances in the same venues as the visual art exhibitions | Time: 10am - 4pm 
Zone 1: Children's Creativity Museum | 221 4th Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Zone 2: The Golden Gate Bandshell | John F. Kennedy Dr. and Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118
Zone 3: The Golden Gate Bandshell | John F. Kennedy Dr. and Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive, San Francisco, CA 94118
Zone 4: Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (MCCLA) | 2868 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94110
Zone 5: San Francisco State University (SFSU) | 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132
Zone 6: Bayview Opera House | 4705 3rd Street, San Francisco, CA 94124

https://missionculturalcenter.org/event/afrolatinidad-en-la-bahia-de-san-francisco-presente/?event_date=2023-02-28The Artivist-in-Residence (AIR) is a grant program for a nonprofit arts organization to hire teaching artists as part-time hourly employees to design and implement socially responsive art and creative exploration learning experiences (e.g. in-person, hybrid, remote) as a means to heal and build community. In turn, teaching artists are provided equitable compensation and opportunities to further their artistic practices and professional development as educators in a three-year cohort.

For questions about this grant category, please contact Program Officer Jonell T. Molina at jonell.molina@sfgov.org or 415-252-2218.

What's Coming Up

Public Meeting

Executive Committee Meeting

April 26
/
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

Virtual Meeting
Public Meeting

Community Investments Committee Meeting

April 18
/
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Virtual Meeting
Public Meeting

Visual Arts Committee Meeting

April 19
/
3:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Virtual Meeting
Public Meeting

Community Investments Committee Meeting

April 18
/
1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Virtual Meeting