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Program serves as an umbrella for a
variety of initiatives-most of which are centered on the
West Philadelphia area-that employ the arts in a variety of
creative and constructive ways: fostering communication
between educational institutions and their communities;
engendering community engagement, educational enhancement,
and social change; and increasing arts and culture
participation. The program is currently funded by two
grants: a Community Arts Partnership (CAP) grant from the
William Penn Foundation and an Integrated Pluralistic Arts
Education (IPA) grant from the Ford Foundation.
Community
Arts Partnership
The Community Arts Partnership (CAP) is
based on the belief that community arts can be used to meet
community needs, particularly in the area of K-16 education.
Through initiatives ranging from artists in residence in
public school classrooms to arts-based community service
courses at the University level, from teacher professional
development in integrated pluralistic arts to inclusive
community arts events, CAP strives to support West
Philadelphia residents, particularly our school partners, in
using the arts as a tool for academic subject mastery and
increased community engagement. CAP projects use the arts to
engage community members, revitalize their surroundings,
improve K-16 academic performance and teaching, and
strengthen the University of Pennsylvania's relationship
with West Philadelphia. CAP goals include showing how
community arts can address community needs and helping to
build the resources and infrastructure needed to implement
successfully community arts projects and a network of West
Philadelphia artists and community leaders, faculty, staff,
and students from the University of Pennsylvania, and
public-school teachers and administrators versed in
community arts.
Integrated
Pluralistic Arts Education (IPA)
The Integrated Pluralistic Arts
Education (IPA) program is a planning grant that, in many
ways, complements the goals and projects already in place or
in planning under the CAP grant. IPA goals include building
public understanding of and will for arts education,
establishing and/or strengthening ties between and among
partners in the arts, K-16 education, communities of faith,
and community and arts organizations to build a strong
network of community support, augment school administrators'
and teachers' capacity to incorporate arts across the
curriculum, and developing integrated, pluralistic arts
education pilots with the support of new partners. The IPA
grant provides for strong professional development for and
assistance to public school teachers and administrators in
integrated pluralistic arts education. A series of workshops
focused on pedagogy, the effective use of university and
community resources, and the development of assessment tools
will be offered. Teachers who have been trained in these
workshops will initiate pilot projects demonstrating the
efficacy of this systemic approach towards education
enhancement.
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