One of the things that truly makes P.S. ARTS special and an industry leader is our commitment to being a multi-discipline arts organization. Through P.S. ARTS, students, teachers, and schools gain access to high-quality arts education across visual arts, theater, dance, music, and multi-media.
But when we say high-quality arts education, what does that actually mean?
It means we’re not only dedicated to student growth but we’re equally committed to the growth of our educators. Thanks to our Educator Development department, P.S. ARTS designs and implements ongoing trainings that keep our teaching artists inspired, relevant, and aligned with the most current, student-centered pedagogical practices. That’s the foundation of the high-quality arts education we believe in and that every student deserves.
In November, 14 P.S. ARTS teaching artists came together for one of our newest training pathways: the Professional Learning Community (PLC). Offered four times a year, PLCs create space for our educators to dive into dialogue, reflection, and exploration; continually leveling up their already strong teaching practices.
For this PLC, participants engaged in a dynamic four-hour seminar co-facilitated by Curriculum and Instruction Specialist Donzell Lewis and guest Visual Artist June Edmonds. Together, Lewis and Edmonds created a powerful visual arts lesson centered on abstraction and the countless ways visual art practices can be woven into any classroom. The group represented an exciting mix of arts disciplines: dance, theater, music, visual arts, and multi-media, each bringing unique perspectives to the table.
Educators created abstract works, shared best practices, and explored how thinking like a visual artist can fuel innovation in their own discipline. One dance teacher reflected that June’s focus on “paths” and “units” in abstract art helped her imagine new ways to break down dance concepts for students who think visually rather than kinesthetically. Suddenly, choreography became a series of visual pathways explored through movement as a bridge between artistic languages.
Within minutes of stepping into June’s lesson, ideas sparked everywhere. Drawing inspiration from nature, interior design, architecture, and the spaces around them, teaching artists reflected on how abstraction can open new doors for student learning. June reminded the group that abstract art is often a game of chance where you pick a color, a shape, a material, and explore. You stay curious. You trust the process. This mindset teaches students not only about art, but about what it means to take risks, build resilience, and see their work (and themselves) as beautifully “in progress.”
By the end of the four hours, educators left the PLC eager to experiment with this artistic “game of chance” and ready to bring more abstraction, play, and visual arts strategies into their classrooms to see how it transforms student growth.
This ongoing investment in artistic and pedagogical development is what fuels the heart of P.S. ARTS. Just as plants need nourishment to thrive, so do educators. And that’s exactly what the P.S. ARTS PLC program provides: space to grow creatively, intellectually, and collaboratively, ultimately enriching the learning experiences of students across California.
More about June Edmonds:
June Edmonds (she/her) was born in Los Angeles, where she lives and works. Edmonds received her MFA from Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, and a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University. She also attended Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. In 2023 she was a recipient of the Ucross Foundation and MacDowell Residency Fellowships. Edmonds was honored with the 2022 Guggenheim Fellowship, the 2022 California Community Foundation Fellowship for Visual Artists, the inaugural 2020 AWARE Prize, presented by the French non-profit Archive of Women Artists Research and Exhibitions; The Harpo Foundation Grant in 2020 and a 2018 City of Los Angeles Individual Artist Grant (COLA).
