Education for the Arts aligns with Kalamazoo RESA’s commitment to cultivating a positive, welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment for all. We strive to embody our core values of collaboration, innovation, compassion, integrity, and respect; principles woven into all of EFA’s work.
EFA is committed to engaging all young people, including those who have been historically marginalized, in meaningful learning experiences. EFA is committed to continuous improvement in all our work and we welcome our staff, partners, and community stakeholders to hold us accountable as we seek to create spaces where all students feel a sense of belonging and empowerment through the arts.
Works of Art / Repertoire
In an effort to provide rich and meaningful engagement with the arts for all K-12 and special education students served in Kalamazoo County, EFA purposefully seeks out and selects works of art for our annual repertoire that represent a broad range of human experiences across many different cultures with the belief that such engagement deepens students’ understanding of the world and fosters empathy and critical thinking.
Teaching Pedagogy
EFA believes that a work of art is inseparable from the person(s) who created it. We, therefore, acknowledge that:
- Works of art are created through a series of choices made by the artist(s) applying their craft;
- Works of art are, therefore, deeply intertwined with the identities and experiences of the artist(s), coupled with the historical context in which the work of art was created;
- Teaching Artists and partnering educators also are inquisitive and intentional learners.
We encourage our Teaching Artists and partnering educators to lean into conversations about culture, heritage, and history that can sometimes be challenging and uncomfortable.
In this light, we embolden and challenge Teaching Artists and classroom teachers to carefully construct lessons and activities in ways that embrace and honor important information surrounding the work of art and the artist.
Teaching Artists and classroom teachers are not expected to be experts in the artists’ identities and context prior to exploring this work, nor are they expected to touch on all the topics that may have influenced the artist. EFA is committed to supporting you in furthering your knowledge so we can deepen student learning as they explore each work of art.
We Will Support Our Educational Partners
Our Window on the Work education guides will include:
- Historical context that influenced the artists and the techniques used;
- References to books and other resources that could be used in the classroom;
- A reading list that gives more information on a topic from an adult lens.
EFA also will seek out experts that hold deep knowledge in these subject areas that will be accessible at brainstorming sessions.
Image: Costumes from Baobab by Théâtre Motus of Canada, 2022. Photo (detail) by Deb Strickland taken during a workshop by Théâtre Motus exploring puppetry, mask work, and the West African Griot tradition at The Arcus Center for Social Justice Leadership.
