This page reflects the culture, expectations, and shared commitments of P.S. ARTS and its Teaching Artists who spark the freedom to imagine and the power to create.

Our Teaching Artists

Our Teaching Artists are practicing artists who bring their professional experience and artistic voice into the classroom. By sharing their perspective, our Teaching Artists inspire students to take risks, think critically, and express themselves.

This approach reflects P.S. ARTS’ mission and vision by helping students develop not only artistic skills but confidence, problem-solving abilities, and a lifelong appreciation for the arts.

Who We Are

For more than 35 years, P.S. ARTS has provided nationally recognized arts education programs to tens of thousands of students attending under-resourced public elementary and middle schools.

P.S. ARTS not only provides in-school instruction with highly trained professional artists but also offers after school programming, community events, as well as a wide scope of educator development opportunities.

Teaching Artist Breakdown

Teaching Artists
by Employment Level
Teaching Artists
by Discipline
Teaching Artists
by Gender
Teaching Artists
by Race

Teaching Locations

P.S. ARTS Values

Artistic Expression

We value process over product, prioritizing creative exploration, experimentation, and growth rather than a final outcome.

Community

Teaching Artists at P.S. ARTS are part of a collaborative ecosystem that includes classroom teachers, school administrators, program staff, and families. Together, they integrate the arts into the broader school experience and support student learning and creativity.

Excellence

We support our Teaching Artists in meeting student needs through professional development, Professional Learning Communities, coaching, and resources like stARTer Units, the Theme and Anchorworks Guide that create engaging, responsive instruction.

Innovation

Teaching Artists bring curiosity and their own artistic practice into the classroom, continually adapting to the students in front of them, and refining their approach to create meaningful learning experiences.

Equity

We create inclusive classrooms where every student feels respected and valued by designing lessons that reflect their cultures, identities, and experiences while meeting them where they are.

Teacher Perspectives

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“It really was the P.S. ARTS mission that pulled me in and was something I wanted to be part of it. Public school districts had removed the arts from class curriculum. This was a way to bring them back, and I wanted to be part of that.”
Tamie Smith
Visual Arts TA
“My favorite thing about working for P.S. ARTS is the freedom we have to teach creatively and see kids gain confidence and find their own joy in the arts.”
Johanna McKay
Theater TA
“P.S. ARTS has given me the opportunity to practice and improve my craft as an art educator while providing arts for underserved communities. Years of teaching have navigated me to reflect on my practices so that I may be able to help people tap into their creativity, thus making the world a better place.”
David Partida
Visual Arts TA

Our office!

In July 2024, the P.S. ARTS offices relocated to the Children’s Institute, Inc. (CII) campus in Historic Filipinotown. This move was a significant milestone in P.S. ARTS’ journey to service public schools and communities through arts education as it extended the organization’s reach and increased its impact. The co-location also marked a new model for P.S. ARTS and CII as nonprofits working together, aligning needs and resources to better service their communities.

Learn more about us!

To learn more about us,

Read our Teaching Artist
culture deck!

and remember,

you have the freedom to imagine and the power to create!