Resident artists are the core of the Arts in Education (AIE) program. In every community, there are talented professional artists – painters, actors, photographers, and more – whose creativity and imagination have the potential to change children’s lives.

By participating in the AIE program, these professional artists bring their expertise and creativity to small groups of students in private or public schools, childcare centers, senior centers and other non-profit organizations. The resident artist works on projects of varying lengths, taking on the roll as mentor, facilitator and technical adviser.

The Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education
Who Should Apply
How to Apply
Deadlines
Where to Apply
Artist Application Review
Review Criteria
AIE Residency Guidelines

The Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education
The Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education is the annual list of the artists who have been accepted into the AIE program. Schools and community organizations throughout the Commonwealth use the Directory to identify artists to work in their organizations. The Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education is available as an online publication. Each AIE Partner organization also maintains a regional Directory of Artists in Education for the Directory artists with whom they coordinate residencies in their service region.

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Who Should Apply
Artists in all disciplines are eligible for inclusion in the Directory and to perform AIE residencies that are funded by the PCA.

Individual artists and artistic ensembles or companies may apply to be listed in the Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education. Preference is given to Pennsylvania residents, although outstanding artists from other states will be given consideration. NOTE: Artists and companies or ensembles who intend to work in multiple disciplines must demonstrate their qualifications and be approved by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts to work in EACH discipline.

Only artists who will be available to conduct residencies of 10 or more days should apply. If you are a renewing artist, your residency activity should be substantial over the last three-year period in the Directory. If you will not be available or have not been active during your time in the Directory, you may wish to reconsider applying.

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How to Apply
All applications for listing in the Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education are accepted and reviewed on a regional basis, through the organizations listed here. To obtain guideline and application materials to apply for inclusion in the Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education, artists should contact the AIE Partner in their region. These regional AIE Partner organizations recruit, select, train, place and evaluate the artists in their regions.

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Deadlines
Directory of Pennsylvania Artists in Education: Date varies by regional AIE Partner. Find the deadline in your region.

Go here for the deadline for Arts in Education Residency applications.

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Where to Apply
The service regions and application deadlines of each organization are listed here. Please select the organization that serves the region in which you live and are most likely to work.

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Artist Application Review
Applicants are reviewed for artistic quality (as judged by work samples) and other criteria listed below. The review process is competitive; but there is no limit to the number of artists who may be recommended for inclusion in the Directory.

Artists are accepted for inclusion in the Directory on the recommendations of the AIE Partner peer advisory panels. As a general overview, applications are reviewed by advisory panels composed of artists, educators, and administrators. Artists whose applications are recommended by the advisory panel are then invited for a panel interview. Those who are recommended by the advisory panel after the interview are then observed in an instructional setting. After observation, those who are recommended are forwarded for final review to the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Artists should contact their regional AIE Partners for specific details of this process in their particular regions.

The advisory panels make recommendations to the Council, which meets to act on the panel recommendations. Notification from the AIE Partner is by letter to applicants, following Council action on panel recommendations.

Artists’ Directory status is for three (3) years at a time; artists must reapply every third year to continue being listed in the Directory and continue eligibility to participate in PCA-funded residencies.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts reserves the right to remove any artist from the Directory.

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Review Criteria
Artists are selected for the Directory, based on:

1. Excellence, as demonstrated by samples of the artist’s work, credentials in education, training and experience (as shown in the resume and letters of recommendation).
2. Good communications skills (as evidenced by the application, work sample, recommendations, and by the interview and observation when applicable).
3. The ability to develop a complete and sequential residency plan (as evidenced by the application, letters of recommendation, and by the interview and observation when applicable).
4. Culturally specific arts, especially folk and traditional arts, are authentically presented and contextualized (as evidenced by the work sample and by the interview when applicable).
5. Additional consideration will be given to artists who demonstrate an interest and ability in working with students including special needs constituencies (as evidenced by the application and letters of recommendation).

Artists who are selected for the Directory are eligible for PCA support through AIE Residency funding that is provided to host organizations. Directory artists are not eligible to apply directly for AIE Residency funding. Inclusion in the Directory does not guarantee any funding.

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AIE Residency Guidelines
Download the complete Guide to Arts in Education (PDF) for general information as well as AIE residency grant guidelines and application forms.

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