All sessions are free and open to the public

P.S. ARTS is proud to present Artist Educator Connect, a free virtual meet up bringing together artists and educators to foster a community of collaboration. This initiative provides a platform for educators and/or artists interested in teaching to share best practices, exchange ideas, and access valuable resources that support arts education in public schools.

Featuring a diverse lineup of speakers and facilitated by P.S. ARTS, this virtual series combines collaborative discussions and professional networking opportunities. Designed for both aspiring and experienced teaching artists, this series aims to share inclusive, engaging, and culturally responsive arts education experiences for students and community groups.

Topic highlights include:

  • Informances: How to Help Your Students Shine!
  • Arts Education in Expanded Learning Spaces
  • Inclusive and Engaging Approaches to Music Education
  • Special Education in the Arts
  • Administrative Aspects of Arts Education

Upcoming Artist Educator Connect Sessions:

Inclusive and Engaging Approaches to Music Education
January 22, 2026

A featured session with guest panelists from Education Through Music – Los Angeles will focus on inclusive and engaging approaches to music education.

RSVP on EVENTBRITE
The Administrative Side of Arts Education
February 19, 2026

A practical workshop for school administrators on navigating arts funding sources, maximizing Prop 28 and ELOP funds, and building sustainable arts programs.

Special Education in the Arts
March 19, 2026

Guest-led session focused on practical tips, tricks, and strategies for teaching visual art and movement to students with diverse access needs, including tactile sensitivity, noise sensitivity, and other neurodivergent experiences.

TBD Topic (Community Feedback!)
April 2026

We’re saving this space for input from our community of Teaching Artists and school partners. Some possibilities include:

  • Back-to-School Engagement Practices: Tools for classroom agreements, mindfulness moments, and energizers.
  • Resource-Sharing: Examples from different disciplines; invite teaching artists and arts ed partners to share their practices or resources.
  • Communication with Schools: How we share information with schools, communicate with parents, and adjust when parents can’t attend (language to use, offering Zoom links, etc.).
P.S. ARTS 35th Anniversary Arts Education Conference
May 2026

The May Artist Educator Connect session will be a culminating event for the year, bringing together artist educators for a day of connection and learning through workshops on innovative approaches to sustaining arts programs and best practices for arts educators.

Previous Artist Educator Connect Sessions:

Arts Education in Expanded Learning Spaces
November 13, 2025

Highlighting best practices, challenges, and opportunities for arts education in after-school and expanded learning settings.

Informances: How to Help Your Students Shine 
October 2, 2025

Interested in new ways beyond the traditional recital or gallery exhibition to make your students’ creativity shine bright? Check out the inaugural 2025-2026 Artist Educator Connect which took place October 2 to hear from a panel of P.S. ARTS Teaching Artists on ways to showcase student work while making students feel confident sharing what they’ve learned!

Puppetry as a Tool for Engagement
March 6, 2025

Guest speaker Mary Fagot, Co-Executive Director of Bob Baker Marionette Theater, discussed the social emotional learning capabilities of teaching with puppets, and how puppetry can be used as a tool for engagement in classrooms across grade levels.

Implementing Approaches to Lesson Planning
April 17, 2025

This session modeled how an educator can approach the same arts activity or arts standard from three different instructional frameworks, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), and Arts Integration (AI), and then compare the advantages of each to achieve different goals. Featuring highly regarded arts educators and P.S. ARTS’ very own Educator Development team, Jaime Reichner, Donzell Lewis, and Jasmine Jackson, this presentation showcased and clarified the distinct features and powerful impact that each of these three approaches can have on student engagement and learning.

Using Improvisation to Spark Creativity & Learning
May 22, 2025

This program focused on giving attendees new insights on how incorporating improvisation into education can empower students to become more creative, resilient, and engaged learners. In this session, guest speaker Emily Button from Enrichment Works explored how improvisational strategies—drawn from theater, music, and movement—can support classroom environments that foster curiosity, collaboration, and adaptability. 

Link to the handout mentioned in the recording.

More Information

Gilda Davidian
Associate Director of Communications
Email: Gilda.Davidian@psarts.org
Phone: (213) 972-3308