Education Programs
Tacoma Arts Live believes that creative expression is essential to individual growth and instrumental in strengthening collaborative communities.
Our education programs uplift individual voices and transform communities through meaningful connections.
We believe arts education is the conduit between an individual’s inner strength and their potential to be a positive force in the world. We live out a commitment to this ideal by providing programs that focus on personal growth and expression as well as those that are dedicated to utilizing the arts as a tool for social development. We value accountability by fostering it in our participants and employing metrics to evaluate our impact. Offering services on our campus, and in schools and communities, is an essential strategy to realizing equitable and accessible arts experiences and programs. Transformative experiences like these invite personal growth and ignite meaningful dialogue.
We serve learners of all ages in an environment in which we share collaborative, artistic experiences that serve as a springboard for continued learning within our schools, families and community. We offer matinees, original touring productions, and outreach experiences as well as performance-based classes, individualized instruction, and personalized professional development. We are committed to increasing arts access and filling the gaps: be they geographic, economic, or cultural, you belong here!
Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12
The LENS Project focuses primarily on social emotional learning, supported by the arts, through after school curriculum, family arts series, and LENS Storytellers for service members and veterans.
- Pierce County Youth Violence prevention
- Objectives/Metrics/Skill Shares
Youth Camps and Productions:
Our Conservatory programs offer students ages 8 and over participate in professional-level arts experiences.
- Kids Korner ages 4-7
- Musical ages 8-18
- Spring Break Camps
- Youth Play Festival
- Summer Camps
Through Conservatory programs, students gain professional-level experience in the theater-making process, including auditions, casting, table reads, rehearsal, production, and performance. More importantly, students bond in these activities, making friendships and building community ties that will last a lifetime!
Before and After School
We partner with Tacoma Public School’s Expanded Learning Opportunities and the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation to provide exciting arts programming to students (ages and grades) outside of school time. Our programs provide students with opportunities for creative self-expression, social growth through group activities, and arts-based skill building. These activities reinforce life skills such as collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. Tacoma Arts Live Teaching Artists bring a diversity of art forms such as:
A project of Tacoma Arts Live, the Ballet Folklórico de Tacoma began at Roosevelt Elementary in 2015. It has continued to serve students on the Eastside and beyond with dancers at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Open to students of all backgrounds, the program focuses on the rich legacies of Mexican regional cultures, approaching our mixed Indigenous, European, and African heritages with pride. The program has taken students to perform at Northwest Folklife, the Washington State Fair and the capitol in Olympia.
Un proyecto de Tacoma Arts Live, el Ballet Folklórico de Tacoma se inició en la escuela primaria Roosevelt en el 2015. El grupo continúa sirviendo estudiantes del este de Tacoma y sus alrededores, incluyendo estudiantes de grados 3-12. El programa está abierto a estudiantes de todas las culturas, y se enfoca en la exploracion de la riqueza de la cultura mexicana, celebrando la mezcla de culturas indígenas, europeas, y afrolatinas que se encuentran en el país. Estudiantes de este programa han logrado presentarse en festivales como Northwest Folklife, en la feria del Estado de Washington, y también en el capitolio en Olympia.
- World Drumming
- Ukelele
- Creative Drama
- STEP
- Creative Movement
Upcoming Performances
Lifelong Learning
The LENS Project focuses primarily on social emotional learning, supported by the arts, through after school curriculum, family arts series, and LENS Storytellers for service members and veterans.
- Family Art Series Workshops
- LENS Storytellers
- Silver Kite / Toby Jones
- Masterclasses
- Presenting artist lecture or pre-show educational event
- Adult conservatory
Check back later ~ info coming soon.