If you are an artist who loves to share your knowledge and apply your artistic skills to new problems (like how to use poetry to speak to the problems of our local watershed, or how to incorporate dance into a lesson plan about atomic structure), please come work with us!
We support our local artists in a variety of ways, most directly by connecting them with meaningful residencies in schools and community centers. Our residencies offer artists a paid opportunity to teach and work in their own communities, for a minimum of $200 per day.
If you would like to learn more about becoming a roster artist, please read on to see how to apply. We will also provide free arts-in-education training sessions and opportunities to meet potential host site representatives to promote your work.
If you are a roster artist, you can find the forms you’ll need throughout your residency here.
Our Residencies
We offer our artists paid residencies in k-12 public schools, senior centers, and community agencies throughout a four-county area. We work with each artists and host site to tailor residencies to the unique needs of the individuals they serve, integrating the arts with the curriculum of the public schools, or providing other community organizations with a meaningful engagement in the arts. Residencies range from 10-20 days, and pay a minimum of $200/day.
Becoming a Rostered Artist
To apply for our program, artists should be active in their respective fields. Individuals, artist ensembles, or companies (dance, theater, etc.) are eligible to apply. Preference is given to Pennsylvania artists, though qualified applicants from other states will be considered. Artists do not need to be experienced classroom teachers, but they should be passionate about their work and able to translate that passion into hands-on instruction for a wide variety of participants.
Benefits of Working With Us
We try to offer our artists a number of different opportunities, including:
Quarterly networking opportunities for Teaching Artists Professional development and networking opportunities through our partnership with the PA Council on the Arts
- Free tickets to events at The Ware Center throughout the year
- Exposure through our website and marketing materials
- Press coverage of residencies
- Invitations to lectures and arts events at Millersville University
- Information about local and national funding opportunities
- A cup of coffee, a sympathetic ear, and any practical advice we can offer
Teaching Artist Certificate
The University of the Arts and the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts have launched an online Teaching Artist Certificate Program, which offers artists a convenient way to develop their professional teaching skills and knowledge of educational practices that will help them succeed in K-12 classrooms. Tuition assistance may be available through the PA Council on the Arts. Contact Julie Pyle Childs, Program Manager, for more information. JuliePyle.Childs@millersville.edu; 717-871-4207.
How to Apply
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, though your chances of being matched to a host site are better if we receive your application by March 1st of the year.
You’ll need to fill out our application form (which includes a resume, work samples, two letters of reference) and obtain the background clearances required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Our Program Coordinator will also need to observe you teach or conduct a small workshop in a formal or informal setting prior to approving your application.
You may submit your application electronically to: JuliePyle.Childs@millersville.edu, or mail to Julie Pyle Childs, Program Manager, South Central PaARTners, The Ware Center, 42 North Prince Street, Lancaster PA 17601.
Background Clearances
To become a rostered artist with South Central PaARTners, you must receive all the clearances required by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
Please be aware that it can take up to 6 weeks to receive the results of these clearances, and you must have them all completed prior to being placed in a residency.
If you have any questions or concerns about clearances, please contact Julie Pyle Childs, Program Manager, South Central PaARTners at Millersville University at 717-871-4207 or JuliePyle.Childs@millersville.edu.