Art Residencies in The Schools (ARTS) is an educational outreach program of the Museum Of Cultural Arts Houston (MOCAH) a nonprofit 501c3 cultural arts organization. Through comprehensive multidisciplinary arts residencies we facilitate after-school programs, community centers, and other educational settings with artistic enrichment programming. ARTS began as a pilot art program developed for Lockhart Technology Academy's extended day magnet program, in collaboration with Texas Accountants and Lawyers for the Arts (CREATE) program.   ARTS provided through its 1^st round of residencies visual arts, photo literacy, environmental arts, and creative writing.

Through an intensive 34-week multidisciplinary residency program, two hours per day, four days per week, 75 students  took a closer look at themselves, their school, their community and the world that surrounds them through these various art disciplines.  

With the decline of instructional arts in the public education system increasing, we are working to counter this trend with our multidisciplinary program. According to Houston Independent School District (HISD) statistics, 79% of the Lockhart Technology Academy students are considered economically disadvantaged, and over 25% are considered at-risk. The demographics at Lockhart are characteristics of many public schools in the inner city Houston area. This exposure to the arts and culture has tremendous empowering effects on the mental development of children.

 We bring together professionals and experts in their fields to provide multidisciplinary arts instruction. This provides creative and productive activities for the students and social skills that will enhance the quality of the children’s lives. Through the residencies we address issues that affect virtually every aspect of the students lives, from the environment, to the media, to social issues and to arts and culture. The 34-week intensive residencies allows our highly experienced instructors to build a long-term relationship with the students, which strengthens the impact the residencies have on the future of each child.

In each classroom a certified elementary level teacher accompanies our instructors to provide maximum attention to each student. With an 18:2, student to instructor ratio, the students are offered more individualized attention and assistance and the instructors are able to deliver their instruction most effectively. 

Throughout the residency the students are taken on several field trips to reinforce and expand the students knowledge of the related disciplines being instructed. Along with scheduled field trips, guest speakers are regularly invited to dialogue with the students and instructors about issues relating to the particular disciplines; visual arts, creative writing, photo literacy, and environmental art.

Visual arts art used to build the students awareness of the creative process, cultural relationships between various mediums including; drawing, sculpture, painting, mask-making, handmade books, and textiles. Through hands-on art projects the students explore methods and techniques in art, which emphasize critical and analytical thinking skills. These projects exercise the students’ creativity, imagination, originality, and self-awareness. From hand made birdhouses to tile mosaic stepping-stones to hand-painted murals to fibercast masks, the students will be guided to create artworks that are reflective of the instinctual creative behaviors of children.

ARTS uses creative writing as a portal for self expression. By placing professional writers in the classroom the students learn basic reading and literacy skills, exercise their creativity, imagination, and originality through writing. The writer encourages students to maintain journals of their daily experiences and activities, documenting their growth and development as young writers. Along with their journal writings students are guided to explore poetry, short stories, and narratives about their life experiences and other creative and expressive thoughts.

Through the eye of a camera, students take an up close examination of the people, places, and things that make up their immediate environments. The students learn fundamental concepts of 35mm photography and as well explore the concepts of photo-media literacy and photo documentation. They are encouraged to use the camera as a tool to document their daily experiences, their activities, and their projects as they are developed.

Students take an active role in designing and developing green spaces within and around the school or local environment. The students learn about native plants, vegetation, small animals, birds, and insects and the roles each play in the ecosystem, by creating their own school garden. Planting seeds, watering, tending to plants, and nurturing the garden over the school year emphasizes responsibility and citizenship. The children take part in the garden’s natural evolution, building a greater appreciation of the cycles of life and the environment.

The conclusion of the residency program results in a community gathering celebrating the achievements of the students including: a reading of selected writings from the students, exhibition of the student’s artworks and photographs, and a formal dedication of the school garden. The combined residencies and the various disciplines are used to educate, empower, and enlighten these students. This is key to heightening self-esteem, awareness and children’s understanding of themselves and the world around them. The residencies goals are to translate these disciplines and the knowledge base into thoughtful classroom practice that builds stewardship and citizenship. This sound knowledge base builds the foundation for the students’ quest for learning and creative experiences, for not only a semester or school year, but for the rest of their lives.