Empowering Youth as Art Makers. We provide art-making opportunities for youth to cultivate wellness and advocate for social change. Our vision is that Wisconsin youth will see themselves as learners through art-making.
This work is built upon two core beliefs:
- The arts have the power to engage youth in learning as agents of creativity, intellect, and self-efficacy.
- Engaged students, empowered teachers, and art making can improve well-being and change communities.
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The UW Community Arts Collaboratory is dedicated to bringing the arts to under-resourced and low-income communities. Connect with us if you would like us to bring one of our programs to your community.
Arts Collab National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab: "The Arts, Health, and Social-Emotional Well-Being."
The UW Community Arts Collaboratory is implementing a keystone study measuring social-emotional learning (SEL) outcomes for students who participate in Arts Collab performing arts programs and teacher professional development growth from arts integration and SEL training.
UW Community Arts Collaboratory Programs
Drum Power
Drum Power is a drum and dance experience for young people where they can develop new skills and explore African cultural traditions. Since 2001, Drum Power has served more than 3,000 young people.
Performing Ourselves
Performing Ourselves was a dance program based out of Madison, Wisconsin that provided community youth with movement opportunities from 2011 to 2023. The program combined best practice principles from dance education and dance/movement therapy to foster embodiment, connection, and positive self-concept in youth through partnerships with community centers and schools. MOVEMENT MINUTES, a set of videos and prompts, were created during the summer months of 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the need to offer virtual programming. Produced by Aaron Granat, Movement Minutes feature dance artist and program dance/movement therapist Mary Patterson. We imagined these videos with an early elementary school audience in mind, and we believe students of all ages can benefit from the creative exploration and embodied awareness they encourage.
FauHaus
FauHaus empowers youth of color from low-income backgrounds who have had prior court involvement by connecting them with UW-Madison art students to create collaborative, socially-engaged, art exhibitions.
Whoopensocker
Whoopensocker is a six-week residency that connects an ensemble cast of teaching artists to classrooms to create unique learning experiences. Students get the chance to work together, be creative, and perform their projects.
UW Community Ars Collaboratory Coordinators
Partners
Supporters
Elementary Schools
Sandburg
Henry David Thoreau
Glenn Stephens
Emerson
Lincoln
Falk
Lowell
Aldo Leopold
Orchard Ridge
Madison Community Montessori School
Community Centers
Packers Community Learning Center
Northport Community Learning Center
Lussier Community Education Center
Allied Drive Learning Center
Elver Park Neighborhood Center
Goodman Community Center
East Madison Community Center
Vera Court Neighborhood Center