Upcoming Events
October Arts Educator Calendar
Q: What’s a skeleton’s favorite type of art?
A: Skulltures!
October is primed for some creative fun!
ART JAM
Join us for ART JAM, a FREE celebration of creativity and learning for the whole family! Dive into a day of arts-based workshops and live performances. Thanks to the Sunstone Project, we'll also be giving away books on a first-come, first-served basis.
Activities include making flower crowns and journals, crafting animal masks, creating twizzling bracelets, getting hands dirty with clay play, decorating cupcakes, gardening, making bookmarks, and much more! Plus, Pixie Dust will be there with their Sparkle Station to add a little extra shine to your day!
CANCELLED-AXIS Open House
In celebration of Arts in Education Week, we're thrilled to open our Arts eXperience In Schools (AXIS) sessions to all teachers! This is a fantastic opportunity to participate in our impactful arts-integrated professional development nights, typically reserved for educators at our Creative Schools.
Don't miss out on a chance to learn innovative, hands-on arts techniques that you can bring back to your classrooms. Attendance is free, and dinner is on us—but remember, space is limited! Be sure to secure your spot by registering today.
Community Art Making
On the first day of Arts in Education Week, help us create a piece of art inspired by Louis Armstrong’s 'What a Wonderful World.' Our artist will begin with a tree, and you can add flowers, leaves, and critters to bring it to life! Admission is free and open to the public.
September Arts Educator Calendar
Arts in Education Week is September 8 - September 14th!
Arts in Education week begins every second Sunday in September and celebrates the incredible power of creativity. This week carves out space to recognize the impact of arts education and how it supports young people in developing academically, creatively, and socially. KID smART is excited to share three big events happening this Arts in Education Week.
Cocktails for KID smART
Cocktails for KID smART is the primary vehicle through which the community at large supports the mission of KID smART. The scope of the organization’s mission has doubled since 2004, serving twice as many children in twice as many schools. KID smART fundraising supports two-thirds of the cost of our Creative Schools and enables the organization to be a powerful force on behalf of arts education in the city.
Board members Gretchen Howard, Michael Mimeles, and Nancia Sterling will be co-chairing the event.
Art Goes to School; Musicians in the Classroom Setting
KID smART invites local musicians and culture bearers to a two-part workshop series exploring the arts in school and classroom settings.
In our 1st workshop, participants will explore valuable teaching tools and best practices for sharing their particular art form in a school environment. Through hands-on arts-integrated activities- participants can discover, exchange, and hone skills to connect with students in a meaningful and nurturing way.
Our second workshop will be a deeper dive into Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and Accessibility in the learning environment. By developing a more expansive emotional vocabulary and deepening our understanding of what accessible frameworks look like in the classroom- we can co-create more just spaces for all learners to access the arts!
February 26th & February 28 from 10-12
Location: Jazz & Heritage Center
Lunch will be provided following each workshop
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.
Joyful Learning: Student Arts Exhibition
You’re invited to the grand opening of Joyful Learning; a new exhibition by KID smART students!
This year, in KID smART classrooms across New Orleans, students merged the arts with their academic instruction. This event is a testament to their hard work and dedication to their craft. We hope to see you there!
Creative Dramatics, Arts Integration, and Literacy
In this in-person workshop, participants will learn creative dramatics techniques and strategies that facilitate 'bringing vocabulary to life.' Participants will utilize pantomime, tableau, and improvisation to support listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Dinner is provided, and participants will receive a $50 stipend for attendance. Hurry, space is limited!
Registration for this workshop is closed.
Creative Comprehension and Radical Retention
Ready to ignite a passion for reading and writing in your students? Join us for Creative Comprehension and Radical Retention with Arts Integration Specialist Samantha King. Learn how to infuse the arts into your ELA curriculum, and watch your students having fun with the written word!
Dinner is provided, and participants will receive a $50 stipend for attendance. Hurry, space is limited!
Registration for this workshop is full.
Writing Together Workshop
Join us as Zeb, Sam, and Aminisha lead enlightening seminars on how the arts contribute to literacy. Plus, there's an added bonus: attendees will receive a $50 stipend.
KID smART @ The Fried Chicken Festival
Come say hi and create some art with us at the Fried Chicken Festival!
BEST FEST
Enjoy arts-integrated activities, interactive workshops, and live performances. Free and open to the public!
Painting with Saint's Player, Kirk Merritt
Join us for a free painting class with NFL Saints Player, Kirk Merrit. Ages 7-10 welcome.
Arts Literacy Institute
This transformative experience is designed to empower educators with invaluable tools and strategies for integrating the arts into their classrooms, nurturing a deep appreciation for diverse cultural narratives, and inspiring students to dream of limitless possibilities.
Homegrown Institute: Building Arts and Literacy in Summer Camps and Afterschool
Registration for this workshop is now closed.
This interactive and engaging 3-day institute will prepare Teaching Artists, Summer Camp Counselors, and Enrichment and Out of School Time Instructors to construct student-engaged literacy activities with clear goals, structure, and assessment. Sessions include building community, lesson planning, classroom management, and literacy-specific workshops.
You’ll receive:
$400 stipend for participants who complete the 3-day institute
A suite of supplies and materials for use in your OOST program
A certificate upon completion
This program is for you if
You’re a Teaching Artist, Camp Counselor, or Site Instructor with less than two years of experience and want to develop the tools to work in more formalized educational settings.
You identify as BIPOC, a native of SE Louisiana, or another underrepresented group.
This program isn’t for you if
You’re already a classroom teacher or literacy specialist with over two years of experience.
Presented in partnership with:
ART JAM
ART JAM is KID smART’s FREE community celebration of all things art, education, and JOY! Join us on Saturday, May 13th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for hands-on activities, live performances, and arts-based workshops outdoors at 2541 Bayou Road.
Children will have the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in workshops that range in topics from origami, sewing, and even beginner coding. All ages welcome!
Give NOLA Day
Now in its 10th year, GiveNOLA Day is a 24-hour event hosted by the Greater New Orleans Foundation. Help KID smART raise $10,000. The Holt Family Foundation will match all donations up to $10,000.
Jazz Fest Student Performace
KID smART students will take to the Jazz Fest stage performing various monologues, plays, and more.
Student Art Exhibition
Join us in celebrating the creativity and hard work of KID smART students at the Grand Opening of Joyful Learning: 2023 KID smART Student Showcase! Admission is FREE, so come and support these talented young artists on Saturday, the 1st of April from 2:30-4:30.
Creative Comprehension and Radical Retention
Creative Comprehension and Radical Retention with Samantha King
How can we get our kids to fall in love with the written word? Explore strategies to help your students with their ELA content retention and comprehension. Using Theatre, Creative Writing, and Visual Arts techniques, students benefit from experiential learning and make connections between the subject matter and themselves.
Registration for this workshop has closed. Questions? Email info@kidsmart.org
Presented by Kay Fennelly and KID smART
Cocktails for KID smART 20th Anniversary
Cocktails for KID smART is the primary vehicle through which the community at large supports the mission of KID smART. The scope of the organization’s mission has doubled since 2004, serving twice as many children in twice as many schools. KID smART fundraising supports two-thirds of the cost of our Creative Schools and enables the organization to be a powerful force on behalf of arts education in the city.
Board members Krystal Hardy Allen, Martine Chaisson Linares, and Jeanette Weiland will be co-chairing the event.
Interested in joining the CFK committee to help us realize the most fun & successful event possible? Contact Zoe@KIDsmART.org
To learn more and purchase your ticket click here.
Writing Together Workshop
Writing Together with Aminisha Ferdinand
Presented by Kay Fennelly & KID smART
Writing Together combines the power of arts and literacy to help new, young writers develop a love for reading and writing.
In this workshop, you will learn how to write a fictional journal entry that your students will then read and act out. This unique approach to literacy helps students bring their imaginations to life and strengthens their reading and writing skills.
Dinner is provided, and participants will receive a $50 stipend for attendance.
REGISTRATION HAS CLOSED FOR THIS EVENT.
Creative Dramatics, Arts Integration, and Literacy Workshop
Presented by Kay Fennelly & KID smART
Creative Dramatics, Arts Integration, and Literacy with Zeb Hollins III
Are you an educator looking for new and effective ways to increase student literacy rates? This hands-on workshop will teach you how to use pantomime, tableau, and improvisation to engage and inspire your students while helping them develop the literacy skills they need to succeed in school and in life. Whether you’re a classroom teacher, an arts specialist, or an administrator, this workshop will provide you with the tools, strategies, and inspiration you need to take your teaching to the next level. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from Zeb Hollins III and connect with other educators who share your passion for teaching and learning.
Registration includes dinner; all participants will receive a $50 stipend upon completion. link in bio!
REGISTRATION FOR THIS WORKSHOP IS CLOSED.
KID smART’s Best Fest
Enjoy free arts-integrated activities by KID smART staff as well as a drag story time with Laveau Contraire, custom poetry by Cubs The Poet, and accordion from around the world with Glenn Hartman. This event is FREE, and activities are best suited for kids age 5-12. Zony Mash’s happy hour starts at 3!
Arts Literacy Institute
Learning to Fly: Integrating the Arts to Elevate and Inspire
Our KID smART 2022 Summer Institute will celebrate the theme of Releasing the Imagination and Learning to Fly. We will be engaging with a beautiful text that each one of you will be able to take back to your classrooms: The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson. Integrating this book with theatre, creative writing, and visual art, we will explore several ways to unpack and retain vocabulary, express understanding, connect big ideas to our student's lives, and honor the lessons, memories, and gifts given to us by our beloved ancestors. All the lessons can be done with inexpensive materials that you may already have. These experiences can be shared with your students right away! You will not want to miss this first in-person experience in two years with great food, colleagues, and ideas!
This event is free and teachers who participate in all 3 days of the institute can receive a $200 stipend.
Register here!
ART JAM
ART JAM is KID smART’s FREE community celebration of all things art, education, and JOY. Join us on May 14th for hands-on activities, live performances, and food from some of our favorite local vendors. All ages welcome! RSVP on Facebook by clicking here.
Performances By
Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra
Preservation Hall
Dancing Grounds
Activities By
Waldorf School
New Orleans Public Library
Electric Girls
The Green Project
Keep Louisiana Beautiful
Preservation Hall
Art Camp 504
ricRACK NOLA
Whole Village Art Therapy
and more!
Be sure to stop by our neighbors at Pagoda Cafe to fuel up on coffee and treats before coming to ART JAM—20% of their sales will benefit KID smART!