Arts Corps

Mission

Arts Corps revolutionizes education by igniting the creative power of young people through culturally engaging learning experiences. We work toward a world where barriers to arts education no longer exist and all young people can creatively lead the transformation of schools, neighborhoods, and beyond.

Description

Arts Corps provides free, life-giving arts education programs to over 3,000 students in South Seattle and across King County each year. We work toward a world where barriers to arts education no longer exist and all young people can creatively lead the transformation of schools, neighborhoods, and beyond. Approximately 73% of Arts Corps students are from low-income families and 82% are youth of color.

The persistent race and income-based gap in access to arts education is the core driver of Arts Corps' work. According to Seattle Public Schools, the odds of African American, Latino, and Native American students being enrolled in an arts class were 33% lower than their white counterparts. The inequitable nature of this reality is underscored by numerous studies demonstrating that arts education is one of the most potent tools to develop social emotional learning and promote academic success in youth. Participation in Arts Corps' arts integration programs has been shown to improve students' English Language Arts test scores, as well as to strengthen their academic mindsets and sense of belonging in the classroom, especially among students classified as having special needs.

Founded in 2000, Arts Corps has grown from a small nonprofit serving a handful of schools to a county-wide force for educational equity. We now partner with over 30 schools and community organizations each year with programs reaching youth ages 5-19. Classes are always free to students to ensure maximum participation.

Arts Corps has received national and local recognition for our high-quality youth arts education programs. In 2012, Arts Corps was awarded the nation's highest honor in community-based arts education by the White House, The National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. The City of Seattle also honored Arts Corps with the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for commitment to the ideals of Dr. King, as well as the inaugural award for Excellence in Arts Education.