The 2022/23 school year was full of creativity, connection, and joy as we were finally back in person with our partner schools full-time!
It also had its challenges. Our partner schools, teachers, students, and families continue to deal with the lasting impacts of the pandemic. Turnaround Arts: California is so grateful to our partnering schools, arts organizations, funders, and YOU, for investing deeply in students and families through the arts – supporting engagement, community-building, and healing.
Here’s what our community made possible at public elementary and middle schools across California over the past year…
The impacts we are seeing…
“Students were happy to share about the different works they saw and created. They talked about painting, crafting, and the artists that visited the campus with such excitement! These positive experiences motivated them to be risk-takers and try new things in my class. It facilitated conversations between peers.”
– Special Education Teacher, Martin Luther King, Jr. School of the Arts
“Turnaround Arts has allowed me to see the arts as a tool in my classroom rather than this scary thing that was too big to try and tackle. Having the arts as part of my class has made my teaching more inclusive, and exciting for both me and my students, and has helped engage my students in ways they weren’t before.”
– Teacher, Martin Luther King, Jr. School of the Arts
“The arts serve as a catalyst as we continually work (following COVID) to rebuild relationships and connections with students and the community.”
-Teacher, Zamboni Middle School
“We had some very traumatic events occur in our community. Using the arts as a calming strategy, as well as a processing strategy, has been wonderful. Our students also got to experience drama, visual arts, and music this year. They really understand that we can express ourselves artistically in many different ways.”
-Teacher, Garfield Elementary