ArtistYear

12/16/2025

💡  Lesson Plan Spotlight 💡

Resident Teaching Artist Eddie Baker in Nashville, TN supported Neely’s Bend K-8 School, a cultural arts magnet school, in their celebration of Native American Heritage Month. See his reflection below:

“[In November], I introduced my most ambitious assignment: making pony bead crayons! We watched a video of artist Teresa Melendez, sharing the importance of beading and symbolism within indigenous cultures, and how she utilizes it in her life and artwork. I chose crayons to be symbolic of the art class itself, and our fourth and fifth grade students had a blast, plus they were so proud of their work at the end! We turned them into keychains so they could truly show off.”

12/03/2025

ArtistYear's leadership is transitioning: We are deeply grateful for Betsaleel Charmelus' nearly five years of leadership, and are pleased to announce that Julia Durkin, ArtistYear's CFO & COO, will be serving as Interim CEO. Read the full announcement in the release linked below:

ArtistYear

11/05/2025

🔔 January 2026 AmeriCorps Positions Available 🔔

We're looking for passionate Resident Teaching Artists to expand creative learning opportunities in K-12 classrooms in Central North Carolina and Nashville, TN. This full-time, 6-month position is your chance to make an impact through the arts and grow as an educator and artist. Apply today! 🎨🎭🎶

10/30/2025

We are grateful for this thoughtful feature from Raven Radio highlighting our pilot program in Sitka, Alaska. The story captures how our Resident Teaching Artists are helping to bring creative learning opportunities back into classrooms that have gone years without full-time arts instruction, sparking creativity, connection, and community in the process. We are so proud of our Sitka RTAs and all that they’re building alongside Sitka students!

See the full feature here: https://www.kcaw.org/2025/10/27/from-a-blank-canvas-artistyear-residents-revive-youth-arts-programs-in-sitka-schools/

For the first time ever, Americorp ArtistYear volunteers are stationed at schools all across Sitka, providing much needed youth arts programming after a years-long absence in schools.