Logo
Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on LinkedIn
Phone: 757-466-7555
  • HOME
  • ABOUT US
    • Our Board of Directors
      • Our Board of Directors 2025-2026
      • Our Board of Directors 2024-2025
      • Our Board of Directors 2023-2024
    • Meet the A4L Staff
      • Contact Us
    • Employment
    • Access, Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (ABIDE)
    • Impact Report
      • Impact Report 2023-2024
      • Impact Report 2022-2023
    • 990 and Audit
      • 990 Form 2023-2024
      • Audit 2023-2024
    • Strategic Plan
    • YA National Network
  • Cheers to 70 Years!
  • PROGRAMS
    • Calendar of Events
    • Schedule a Program
    • Find A Program
    • Find An Artist
    • Arts + Learning Snacks
    • Coastal Virginia Wolf Trap
  • SUPPORT
    • Our Partners
    • Our Supporters
      • Our Supporters 2023 – 2024
      • Our Supporters 2022 – 2023
      • Our Supporters 2021 – 2022
    • Individual Giving
    • Give Back Through Rewards
  • GET INVOLVED
    • Become an A4L Artist
    • Become a Board Member
    • Internships
    • Program Observer
    • Volunteer
  • Our Stories
    • Our History
  • Virtual Arts

IDEAL 2025: Identity, Collaboration, & Community

May 13, 2025 By Cindy Sherwood

“I feel like I grew a lot in my artistic skills and socialization skills, as a person in general. It’s really helped me express how I feel.” Sophia Sharp, Bayside Sixth Grade Campus, Virginia Beach

Sophia points to a friend’s painting displayed at the Chrysler Museum.

“I learned that I can express my feelings through my artwork. That’s what I’m most proud of. Now I’m able to see that I have full potential in making different things. I’m capable of doing anything.” Davin (DJ) Johnson-Smith, Park View Elementary, Portsmouth

On May 8th, students, their family members, educators, and Arts for Learning teaching artists, staff, and board members gathered at the Chrysler Museum of Art for a reception and student exhibition of art. But this wasn’t any ordinary reception—it was a joyous celebration of students’ hard work, creativity, and growth following 20 after-school sessions of IDEAL, Intentional Designs of Expression in Artistic Languages.

In this third and final year of IDEAL, students in fourth to sixth grades from three Title 1 schools in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Virginia Beach have explored who they are and what they stand for through visual art, poetry, movement, and music. They were guided by residency stewards at each school and teaching artists Jackie Adonis and Dai Poole at Norfolk’s Lake Taylor School, Nfon Asuquo and Nin-Eanna Bryant at Portsmouth’s Park View Elementary, and Cindy Aitken and Sequoia Rodwell-Lacewell at Virginia Beach’s Bayside Sixth Grade Campus.

Emotions ran high as students and parents first caught a glimpse of their artwork professionally displayed at the Chrysler’s Margaret Shepherd Ray Family and Student Gallery.

“Just the fact I’m seeing my daughter’s work in a museum… I am so proud of her. Beyond proud,” said Sheri, mother of Bayside student Chloe Odallo. “The artwork that I’m seeing is just spectacular. I feel overwhelmed. I cannot even lie.”

Students said the opportunity to develop and refine their artistic skills was one of the best parts of IDEAL, with many mentioning they’d learned techniques such as how to draw faces and shading and blending colors.

Isis with her painting (center top) created with a unique process.

Lake Taylor student Isis Saunders went a step further, having teaching artist Dai Poole burn the edges of her painting. In her artistic statement, she wrote, “The paper is burnt to represent the heat of the sun, and the painting is made to look ‘old’ and faded because this painting represents our memories.”

Beyond artistic skills, many students said they felt more confident now, with parents echoing that sentiment, seeing positive changes in their children.

Ritisha reads her artistic statement on stage.

“I saw her for the first time on stage. I didn’t know if she’d make it. She was nervous, but she made it,” said Mukti Patel, mother of Ritisha, a Park View Elementary student. Ritisha had never performed in front of an audience before. After she read her artistic statement on stage, she said she felt calm and proud of herself for overcoming her jitters.

Nicole Sharp, Sophia’s mother, called the IDEAL residency “impressive.”

“I really love the way it’s encouraged her to be more confident in expressing herself and given her the ability to more effectively communicate how she’s feeling emotionally.”

Upper elementary school can be a time of great change, but students in the IDEAL residency discovered that art can be an effective outlet to express themselves.

“Art helps people understand what I’m feeling,” said Willow Martinez, a student at Lake Taylor.  “I’ll continue as an artist because it helps get out my emotions.” Another Lake Taylor student, Orlando Wiggins, said he had “learned how to express my feelings better through art,” and added that it was “amazing” to see his art displayed at the Chrysler Museum.

Orlando with his artwork.

Teaching artist Sequoia Rodwell-Lacewell believes IDEAL has helped students identify who they truly are. She was particularly struck by the growth in one girl.

When she first started, she was very shy and quiet. She wasn’t quite sure of who she was or what she liked. She was questioning a lot of things. And as time went on, she allowed who she was inside to show throughout her art… She got to experience coming out of her shell.”

A high degree of collaboration was required for IDEAL since the residencies took place in multiple schools and multiple school divisions and involved a partnership with the Chrysler Museum. The idea of “community” was core to its success.

For Bayside student Lennon Anderson, making art wasn’t the most important part of IDEAL.

“It was doing art with a community. It felt welcoming. I felt I was with my people.”  

Enjoy this slideshow of a few IDEAL pictures taken by J.B. Digital Photography. 

To see many more photos and download ones you choose at no cost, head here: IDEAL Photo Album. 

There was no fee for students to participate in IDEAL, meaning Arts for Learning was only able to develop and implement this program with the support of outside funders. We knew we would be able to move forward with our ambitious undertaking once we received the largest grant in our organization’s history from the Hampton Roads Community Foundation; we’ll always be grateful for their support. Additional funders who made this initiative possible are as follows: Chrysler Museum of Art, Arts Alliance, Mr. Gary Jensen, LISC Hampton Roads, Mellen Street Creative, Norfolk Arts and Humanities Commission, Portsmouth Museum and Fine Arts Commission, Portsmouth Service League, PRA Group,  Virginia Beach Arts and Humanities Commission, Virginia Commission for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, and Walmart. Our sincere thanks to all!

The IDEAL student art exhibition remains on display through June 1 at the Chrysler and is free and open to the public.

Filed Under: Art Exhibit, Arts Integration, ArtsEd, Grants, News, Program Spotlight, Residency Tagged With: 757 arts, 757 nonprofit, Arts for Learning, Arts for Learning Virginia, Chrysler Museum, Chrysler Museum of Art, Hampton Roads Community Foundation, IDEAL, IDEAL residency, Norfolk Public Schools, Portsmouth Public Schools, teaching artists, Title 1 schools, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, visual arts

Celebrating 70 Years and Honoring the Hampton Roads Community Foundation

August 29, 2024 By Cindy Sherwood

With September 26th less than a month away, we’re in a party-planning, anticipatory mood for our Cheers to 70 Years celebration!

We’re especially looking forward to honoring the Hampton Roads Community Foundation for its exceptional and unwavering support. Dr. Deborah DiCroce, HRCF president and CEO, will represent HRCF and accept the tribute on its behalf.

Established in 1950, the Hampton Roads Community Foundation is a charitable network of generous people, nonprofit partners, and civic leaders working to make Hampton Roads a thriving and more inclusive community for all. Arts for Learning has been the beneficiary of many grants, learning opportunities, and connections to other nonprofits through the foundation, so we’re elated to formally express our appreciation.

In recent years, we would not have been able to offer three innovative programs if it hadn’t been for HRCF’s financial support and counsel:

  • K-Readiness, arts education focused on literacy and other academic skills for children going into kindergarten.
  • Military Child Initiative, after-school arts ed providing creative outlets for children with family members in active military service.
  • IDEAL, a three-year after-school residency at underserved elementary schools, highlighted by student art exhibitions at the Chrysler Museum.

But that’s not all. When the pandemic hit, HRCF was there. With 350 hours of programming canceled after schools shut down in March 2020, we were struggling financially. HRCF came to the rescue with a special COVID-related relief grant of $15,000.

We hope you’ll be able to join us as we honor HRCF for its outstanding support of our community!

Cheers to 70 Years is set for September 26th at the Westin in Virginia Beach, where guests will enjoy great food and drink and a chance to mingle with our artists. The festivities will include live music from Arts for Learning’s Roberta Lea and Norfolk Public School’s Strolling Silver Strings; spoken word poetry by A4L’s Stephanie Lask; and a collective visual art piece led by A4L’s Asiko-oluwa Aderin.

Your ticket purchase directly contributes to our arts-in-education programs, ensuring that we can continue to inspire and educate future generations.

Please visit our event page for more details.

Filed Under: Cheers to 70 Years, COVID-19, Grants, News Tagged With: anniversary, Hampton Roads Community Foundation

Community Creators in STEAM Art Club: Designing 3D Prototypes

November 15, 2023 By Cindy Sherwood

As part of an innovative after-school residency, 5th graders in Newport News have unveiled 3D artistic creations that are the result of weeks of brainstorming, teamwork, and hands-on design. Four teams of students at George J. McIntosh Elementary School created prototypes that address social issues, presenting their models to educators, community leaders, Arts for Learning staff and board members, and their peers in the residency.

Led by A4L teaching artist James Cooper and art teacher Tiffany Murchison, students have met twice a week after school this fall to collaborate on designing and building their prototypes that incorporate STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Arts Math) concepts. James, a puppeteer with an engineering and computer science background, says he’s there to help fill in some of the gaps in kids’ knowledge, but they’re doing the real work.

“They’re fantastic,” James said. “They’re very strategic in how they think…they’re really smart, bright, and on the road to being successful adults, which is what we really hope for.” But there’s more. “They’re very feisty. It’s a great energy—they’re willing to work and ready to get it done.”

Each of the four student groups based their prototypes on a social issue they chose to address. Following an introduction by Aisha Noel, A4L’s Programs and Community Engagement Manager, students took turns presenting their prototypes and explaining their projects.

The Voyagers designed a statue of a figure holding a heart.

“We made this statue to represent peace and to stop violence—for people to see it and understand how and why they need to stop fighting,” said Andy, one of a five-member team. “I think art can make a difference because statues can represent different meanings—stop bullying, stop violence, stop cyber bullying, anything.”

Team Shine Bright Squad focused on cyber-bullying, with their prototype featuring a two-sided screen and a girl who was being bullied from her own bedroom.

For their prototype, Team Big Macs designed a food truck that would service the homeless.

Team Star Power also selected homelessness as their social issue, building a model of a home that comes well stocked with food for its residents.

After the presentations, judges, including student peer judges, voted on which prototype will be built by the group as a whole. The winner—Star Power and its house for the homeless.

The final 3-D artwork will be displayed at the Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center, with the unveiling to take place December 13 at a special reception for students and families. The public is invited to come view the artwork through December 22.

The excitement of seeing their artwork publicly displayed may wind up being students’ favorite part of this residency. But for now, they have different takeaways that may be even more important:

“Teamwork, to never give up, and anything can be art.” Joshua, Fifth Grade

“I learned that I can always help people when they need help. And I learned that if someone is feeling sad or something, I can cheer them up.” Treasure, Fifth Grade

“Being more interactive with other people. And learning how to speak out loud without stuttering.” Nialiah, Fifth Grade

But for Emily, the best part of the residency has been a practical one—getting to make art at school.

“I can make 3D stuff without getting yelled at by my mom to clean my room.”

Arts for Learning thanks Huntington Ingalls/Newport News Shipbuilding  for underwriting this residency, which is provided at no cost to students and their families. Additional community support is provided by Newport News Public Schools Fine Arts and STEM supervisors  and the Newport News Arts Commission. 

Filed Under: Art Exhibit, Arts Integration, ArtsEd, Grants, News, Program Spotlight Tagged With: 3D art, 757 arts, Arts Ed, arts education, Newport News Public Schools, Newport News Shipbuilding, STEAM

Arts for Learning Awarded Major Grant To Use Art to Build Community Among Students Affected by the Pandemic

July 11, 2022 By Cindy Sherwood

Arts for Learning (A4L) is pleased to announce it has received the largest grant in its organization’s 68-year history. Over the next three years, the $97,500 Cultural Vitality grant from the Hampton Roads Community Foundation will fund a series of arts-integrated afterschool programs at high-need schools in south Hampton Roads, guided by Arts for Learning’s professional teaching artists.

The project is named IDEAL, Intentional Designs of Expression in Artistic Languages, and will target fifth-grade students in the critical year before they transition to middle school. During the course of each ten-week residency, students will create multiple mixed media works of art as they explore various aspects of self-identity through dance, written and spoken poetry, and visual art. Approximately 270 students from nine different elementary schools are expected to participate, drawn from the Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk Public School divisions, with one school per division taking part each year. Students will have the opportunity to collaborate with students from outside of their own schools and see how they and others impact and fit into the wider Hampton Roads’ community.

Meeting twice a week in 90-minute sessions, the students in each school’s residency will be led by Arts for Learning’s teaching artists who are experts in their particular art forms. A4L’s education and program team developed the curriculum, which is tied to various Virginia Standards of Learning, including visual arts, dance, English, and social-emotional learning. The program’s highlight each year will be a collaborative art exhibit of student work from all three schools, hosted by the Chrysler Museum. 

“To bring students to the museum and show them it’s their place to have a voice is just an amazing opportunity,” said Anna Green, chief operations officer for Arts for Learning. “It may inspire them to go on and create art or find their voice in writing or in other ways, and they’ll also learn how to build pieces of community within where they live, outside of where they live, and then bring it all together into one. There will be 270 students that will see their work professionally hung in a professional museum. I can’t even bring words to how important that is, to make the museum accessible and for students to feel like they’re a part of a larger community.”

In addition to helping students develop creative and artistic talents, the IDEAL project is designed to increase students’ self-worth, while improving their academic performance and decreasing absenteeism and problem behaviors. For students entering adolescence, the year before middle school is a crossroads, as they are faced with choices that impact their future selves academically, socially, and physically. Decades of research connects positive self-worth with a reduction in risky behaviors. With studies showing the pandemic’s devastating toll on students—along with a disturbing rise in crime—the need is great to provide effective interventions that boost the self-worth of at-risk students at a critical life stage.

“We’re looking to reach the students who are struggling, to give them that hands-on opportunity to discover their voice through the arts and to broaden their view of community,” Green said. She pointed out that the fifth-graders who will participate in the first year of the project entered the pandemic as second-graders, missing out on the key socialization and building of community that typically happens during third and fourth grades.

Collaboration is a central feature of the IDEAL project: among student peers within the same school and other schools, and among Arts for Learning and its community partners—the Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Suffolk school divisions, the Chrysler Museum, and the Richmond Ballet. Partnering with the Richmond Ballet and the Chrysler will deepen each student’s artistic experience.

The Richmond Ballet will present a series of in-school performances for third to fifth graders enrolled at each school, reaching a larger community of students beyond those participating in the residencies.

The Chrysler will present a virtual gallery talk on art works that exemplify human expression, examining elements such as color, line, shape, and composition that students can use to inspire their own sketches. In addition, by hosting exhibits each year of student artwork created during the project, the Chrysler will bring together students from all of the schools, along with their families. Students will be transported to and from the event by bus at no cost, so that each has the opportunity to attend.

The IDEAL project is the largest and most ambitious in Arts for Learning’s history,” said Christine Everly, A4L’s chief executive officer. “We’re excited to partner with two other respected arts organizations and three of our school divisions in Hampton Roads.  And we’re proud and humbled that the Hampton Roads Community Foundation has placed its trust in us by funding this project.”

No student will be charged a fee to participate in the IDEAL program. The first three residencies are expected to launch in the spring of 2023.

Filed Under: COVID-19, Grants, News, Press Releases, Program Spotlight, Uncategorized Tagged With: afterschool programs, Arts Ed, arts education, dance, grant, pandemic

Behind the Scenes of the A4L Cultural Enrichment Project

December 3, 2021 By Cindy Sherwood

Nathan Richardson as the real Frederick Douglass
Nathan Richardson portrays abolitionist Frederick Douglass in our Norfolk studio.
Sarah Osburn Brady and Sheila Arnold record their civil rights program.
Sarah Osburn Brady and Sheila Arnold record their civil rights program.

There’s been lots of activity in our Norfolk office lately—which doubles as a production studio—as artists record special programs for our new cultural enrichment project funded by a new SHARP grant.

It’s an exciting project for a couple of reasons—it will bring quality, humanities-based arts-in-education programming to disadvantaged students in Virginia at no cost to them or their schools. And the project will provide income to artists on our roster during a time when opportunities to practice their art forms remain limited.

Sarah Osburn Brady and Sheila Arnold record their program on civil rights.
Sarah Osburn Brady and Sheila Arnold record their program on civil rights.

Molly Stanley, A4L’s Learning and Community Engagement Manager, says the programs have significant educational value, with topics that include the civil rights movement, slavery, and the Holocaust.

“Students learn about these historical events through core classes such as social studies and language arts. Through the videos we’re producing, students can deepen their learning and make connections with these topics that are relevant to their lives.”

Participating schools can choose from these videotaped programs:

  • Frederick Douglass “On Slavery and Emancipation” by Nathan Richardson: A performance that brings the true tales of Frederick Douglass to life, from his time as a slave and his escape to freedom to his rise as a great writer, orator, and abolitionist.
  • Conscience, Stories, and Hope: Hans and Sophie Scholl’s White Rose by Sarah Osburn Brady: The story of German siblings who dared to become part of the World War II resistance, no matter what the consequences.
  • Coretta: A Legacy of Love by Valerie Davis: Hailed as the “First Lady of the Civil Rights Movement,” Coretta Scott King comes to life through music and stories revealing the triumphs and tribulations of an American legend.
  • Arabiqa by Karim Nagi: An exploration of Arab culture through language, folk music, dance, and costume that bridges the east-west cultural gap.
  • Civil Rights: Finding Your Voice by Sheila Arnold and Sarah Osburn Brady: An interactive exploration of voices from the Civil Rights movement whose lessons in speaking up show us the way to effect social change today.

The programs are designed for either elementary or middle school students and include age-appropriate teacher guides for easy and effective classroom implementation. The videos are set to debut in February. Photography and editing is provided by Rob Holmes.

Photographer Rob Holmes videotapes Sarah Osburn Brady's program.
Photographer Rob Holmes shoots Sarah Osburn Brady’s program.

Thanks to our participating artists and to the funders of this grant–Virginia Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The funding is part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the NEH Sustaining the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (SHARP) initiative.

Filed Under: Artist Spotlight, Grants, Program Spotlight, Virtual Learning, Virtual programming Tagged With: American Rescue Plan, Arabiqa, Arts Ed, arts education, civil rights, Coretta Scott King, Frederick Douglass, grant, humanities, National Endowment for the Arts, SHARP grant, Virginia Humanities, virtual learning, virtual programming

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »
Follow Us on FacebookFollow Us on InstagramFollow Us on YouTubeFollow Us on LinkedIn
Phone: 757-466-7555

Join the A4L Mailing List!

Sign up to receive the latest news on arts integration from Arts for Learning! Thank you for supporting arts-in-education.

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Arts for Learning Virginia. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Main Office
Arts for Learning
420 North Center Drive
Suite 239
Norfolk, Virginia 23502

Phone: 757-466-7555

Main Office

Arts for Learning
420 North Center Drive
Suite 239
Norfolk, Virginia 23502
Phone:
757-466-7555

Arts for Learning Virginia Names New CEO to Lead Arts-in-Education Nonprofit

The Board of Directors of Arts for Learning, the Virginia Affiliate of Young Audiences, voted at its annual meeting to name Anna Heywood Green as CEO of the organization. Heywood Green has served as Interim CEO since January 1, following the retirement of former CEO Christine Everly. Prior to January, Heywood Green worked as the organization’s […]

Join the A4L Mailing List!

Sign up to receive the latest news on arts integration from Arts for Learning! Thank you for supporting arts-in-education.

Select list(s) to subscribe to


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Arts for Learning Virginia. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
At Arts for Learning Virginia, we’re proud to be part of the Virginia Commission for the Arts’ Passport Program. While Passport holders typically receive free admission and 50% off classes at participating organizations, all our programming is always free—no discount needed. To learn more about our public events, check out our calendar of events page here.

Copyright © 2025 · Young Audiences | Arts For Learning | Virginia

Website Maintained By TechArk

×