THE PROGRAM: EXPANDED ART IDEAS

Expanded Art Ideas, Artists Space’s arts education program, has the mission of encouraging both mainstream and special education students in New York City’s public schools to develop a personal artistic voice and to utilize their individual creative capacities by providing them with the skills to communicate, document, and publicly exhibit their innovations and talents. The program’s courses augment 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classroom curricula not just in the visual arts, but in language arts as well. Since its inception, the program has closely adhered to New York State standards for teaching visual arts and most recently with New York City’s Blueprint for Teaching and Learning in the Arts: Visual Arts Benchmarks.

Program History

In 1995, Expanded Art Ideas was conceived by Thread Waxing Space’s Executive Director Ellen Salpeter and Art Education Director Chrysanne Stathacos. When Thread Waxing Space closed, Expanded Art Ideas was adopted by Artists Space. Since that time, the program has grown to encompass five formal course offerings, Portfolio Development, Artists in/ed Space, Arts & Literacy: Bookmaking, Raise the Flag, and Threads of History: Curriculum Quilts. Now more than a decade-old, the program has a proven track record of providing multilingual artist educators—who are not only experienced and innovative educators, but also practicing, award-winning artists—constructive art supplies, and indispensable guidance to New York City public school students. Expanded Art Ideas is funding by a variety of highly competitive sources, including NYSCA and corporations like Tommy Hilfiger and Verizon. Participating students are regularly recognized for artistic achievement outside of the program. Most recently, in 2006 three of our students from Nathan Straus PS 140 to receive silver keys for drawing in the Scholastic Art Awards, and their work was exhibited at the Brooklyn Museum.

Artists / Art Educators
Miriam Schaer
Kate Temple
J. Kathleen White
Nancy Friedemann