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by Molly O'Connor, Director of Outreach and Community Arts Programs

If you ask any artist to think back to when they were a child, they can usually recall at least one teaching artist that made a positive impact or impression on them. In many cases, it was the influence of a teaching artist that inspired children and young adults to pursue creative writing, visual arts or the performing arts as a profession or a lifetime goal. Here in Oklahoma, we are fortunate to have some of the most excellent teaching artists who share their greatest talents with children and adults through arts education. So, how do we ensure that our teaching artists have the resources and support they need to continue to offer the highest caliber of instruction to Oklahomans of all age and walks of life?

That is one of the questions Josh Buss of City Arts Center and Jennifer Barron of the Arts Council of Oklahoma City sought to answer when they first met to discuss plans for establishing this unique network. Through quarterly Teaching Artist Toolbox meetings, the Network seeks to offer ongoing professional development and networking for Teaching Artists of all experience and discipline. These free sessions have been offered in Oklahoma City, but have attracted participants from across the state. Each Toolbox has a theme such as: Developing Curriculum, Working with Special Populations, Arts in Healing. The most recent Toolbox, "An Artist's Book Club and Resource Share" took place at Full Circle Bookstore in Oklahoma City. This session allowed teaching artists to bring and talk about a book or resource that they found most helpful in their teaching.

While the Teaching Artist Toolbox series currently takes place in Oklahoma City, a newly formed statewide advisory committee is working on plans to expand the offerings to serve teaching artists in different regions of the state. A statewide gathering for OTAN members is also being planned for the 2012 Oklahoma Arts Conference.

Emily Williams, Young Adult Services Coordinator for the Metropolitan Library System. Co-Chair for the Oklahoma Teaching Artist Network encourages anyone who has an interest in arts education to become involved with the network. "OTAN is not just for teaching artists. It's for students, educators, administrators, community leaders, artists who want to be teaching artists, and anyone who has an interest or stake in community arts education. It's been amazing to hear everyone's stories and see the vast array of services for our community in this area. It's become clear to me that OTAN is an important piece in Oklahoma's arts community, as it serves a previously underserved group. Because teaching artists work for different organizations and interact mostly with their students, this network really bridges a gap in professional communication."

Teaching Artist Toolbox
The next Teaching Artist Toolbox is scheduled for 5:30 pm Tuesday, January 31st at the Village Library in Oklahoma City (map). This session, "Creative Aging" will offer resources and helpful information for artists that are interested in working with older adults.

To learn more and to receive regular updates about the Oklahoma Teaching Artist Network, you can join the Facebook group page, or you may contact Molly O'Connor at (405) 521-2025 or molly.oconnor@arts.ok.gov to be added to the email list