New ECE program puts more art in artist residences

What could be more inspiring to young students exploring new arts skills than to have a real artist in their midst to teach them? To watch a dancer demonstrate choreography or an actor bring a persona to life? To observe a musician charm sound from an instrument or a painter set form to expression right in front of their eyes? For nearly 40 years, LBC has been putting artists in Sonoma County classrooms to help spark a love of the arts and turn students into life-long believers in its magic. Last year, nearly 2000 students in Sonoma County worked with artists as part of our artist residency program. That’s more than double the number during the last full year of in-school programming, before the pandemic, and interest continues to grow.

To further meet this increasing need for more arts-based residencies, LBC is proud to introduce Arts for All, an expansion of its artist residencies that previously offered only dance and ukulele instruction. With Arts for All, PK-12th grade classroom teachers can now choose from four art forms, including dance, drama, art, and music instruction, to ensure that their students receive a diversity of quality arts instruction.

Also putting artists in the classroom, Arts Integration Residencies provide six-week classes that combine an art form and another academic area to dive deeper into learning with a fresh angle on the subject.

Thanks to the generous support of members and donors, especially those who contribute directly to our Arts and Education Fund, we’re excited to bring opportunities for artistic learning and self-expression to even more Sonoma County students! LBC artist residencies are funded in part by Creative Sonoma and the County of Sonoma, Norma J. Person, in Memory of Evert Person, and the Ernest L. and Ruth W. Finley Foundation for Evert Person’s ArtReach.