FRANKFORT, Ky. (Nov. 6, 2018) — Madison County media artist Tammy Clemons and Jefferson County poet Sarah McCartt-Jackson have been added to the Kentucky Arts Council’s Teaching Artists Directory, a list of artists who work with educators to design and implement quality arts education programs in Kentucky schools.
The Teaching Artists Directory is an adjudicated resource featuring more than 40 artists from various disciplines. The directory connects schools and educators with artists who produce high-quality work and who can assist in the development of arts programming in schools around the Commonwealth.
Both artists said they were honored by the distinction of being adjudicated into the directory and are ready to collaborate with Kentucky teachers, students and their fellow teaching artists.
Jackson recalled the impact that visiting artists had on her as a young student.
“I would not be who I am today as a Kentucky poet if it weren't for teachers who had chosen to give our classroom access to working artists and writers,” Jackson said. “As a teaching artist, I hope to provide teachers and their students meaningful experiences with poetry to enhance classroom learning and engage students with enrichment opportunities they might not have otherwise.”
Clemons said she looks forward to working with Kentucky teachers and students on new ways to communicate.
“I want to encourage Kentucky teachers and students to tell stories and make media arts with whatever resources they already have access to,” she said. “Digital tools may vary, but good storytelling skills can inspire and connect people regardless of the technologies used for sharing them.”
Any Kentucky school applying for funds through the arts council’s Teaching Art Together Grant is required to work with an artist listed in the directory. The deadline for schools to apply for fall residencies is April 16, 2019.
For more information or to apply for the directory, visit the Teaching Artists Directory page of the arts council website, or contact Jean St. John, arts council education director, at jean.stjohn@ky.gov or 502-892-3124.
The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, fosters environments for Kentuckians to value, participate in and benefit from the arts. Kentucky Arts Council funding is provided by the Kentucky General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.