Community Art Project: ArtLab

This third Community Art Project, at Spiva Center for the Arts, is a program called ArtLab.

I conceived ArtLab as a professional development opportunity for Joplin-area public art teachers, the mission being to explore art beyond the classroom with their community.

K-12 art teachers were invited --at no cost-- to make non-traditional art in non-school settings alongside and in cooperation with 1-2 of their own classroom students. The sessions provided outcomes that included hands-on learning for the art teacher, an intentional mentoring opportunity for 1-2 of their students, networking between art teachers, and a high degree of motivation for their field that is not provided in their current district professional development framework.