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  INSPIRE, Jefferson Center's Artists-in-Schools program,is a resource for teachers and educators who want to ensure their students have the opportunity to experience visual arts, multimedia, theatre music and dance performance from diverse cultural traditions. Our roster of 17 different artists, performers, and ensembles represents a wide range of genres (music, dance, theatre, visual art, multimedia) and geographic areas (U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, and more) Each artist is available to visit your school for classroom programs, assemblies, or small-group workshops. Artists are also available for multi-day residencies - please see each artist's INSPIRE page for residency information. Some residencies may be eligible for funding support. All programs support Virginia Standards of Learning in multiple subject areas (see individual artist pages for specific SOL links) and many are accompanied by a study guide to help teachers extend learning in the classroom. Schools are encouraged to make plans now to bring INSPIRE artists to their schools in 2008-09. Contact Anne Elise Thomas, Ph.D. at (540) 343-2624 ext. 217 or by email at athomas@jeffcenter.org to schedule a program with any of the following artists. (You can find further information on each artist by clicking on their name in the list below).  Artists [top] Click on each artist's name to learn more about their INSPIRE program(listed by artistic genre / cultural focus): Visual and Media Arts 
Residencies [top]  INSPIRE arts residencies, consisting of one or more days of instruction by an INSPIRE artist or group, offer your students a life-changing experience in the arts. Sustained, repeated contact with an artist allows for sequential activities to maximize your students' learning. Working with smaller groups, often of only one grade level, INSPIRE residencies offer valuable opportunities for cross-curricular learning and can be configured to support SOLs in English, social studies, history, math and science. Each residency on the INSPIRE roster can include core-group, whole-school, and teacher workshops; and may culminate in a final performance or exhibition for parents. Partial funding for residencies may be available; contact us for ideas on how to make a residency affordable. 
New: Multi-Artist Residencies!
Give your class an enriching and comprehensive arts experience. A multi-artist residency includes three separate visits by different INSPIRE artists or groups. Residencies are planned around a unifying theme; each artist presents new material and builds upon what has been presented previously. Discover Dance Residency Give your class a taste of three different world dance styles: Appalachian, Middle Eastern, and West African. Includes the following INSPIRE artists: the Hoorah Cloggers, Mandara, and the Kusun Ensemble. Appalachian Music and Dance Residency Features some of the area's finest performers of bluegrass and old-time music and dance: Tina Liza Jones, Roanoke Valley Bluegrass Pickers and the Hoorah Cloggers. American Music Residency Jazz, the blues, and American folk songs are brought together in this residency, featuring the Cyrus Pace Trio, Scott Perry, and Cheryl Lunsford.  Middle Eastern Music and Dance Residency Learn about the music and dance of the Middle East and how these arts are related in this three-session residency by Anne Elise Thomas and Mandara. Music of Latin America and the Caribbean This residency explores musical styles from South and Central America and the Caribbean. Includes a day of steel drum workshops. Features Solazo, Los Gatos and Richard Rudolph. Music Around the World Residency Choose any three of our INSPIRE artists representing different regions of the world: the United States, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Booking [top] To book an INSPIRE in-school assembly or artist residency:
Teacher Comments [top] Here's what other educators have been saying about Jefferson Center programs: "This is exactly the type of cross-curricular event that can inspire students. Thank you!" Call For Artists [top] Jefferson Center’s INSPIRE artists-in-schools program is currently seeking proposals for music, dance, drama, visual arts and multimedia programs to be presented in Roanoke-area schools. Artists and performers are invited to design and submit an educational performance or workshop for consideration for the INSPIRE roster of programs. Jefferson Center will promote accepted programs to schools in school districts throughout Southwest Virginia. Please note: an information session for prospective INSPIRE teaching artists will be held on Thursday, January 8, 5-6 PM at Jefferson Center. All applicants to the INSPIRE program are encouraged to attend this session. Please call (540) 343-2624 x 217 or email athomas@jeffcenter.org to attend this session. We are looking for artists and performers who
If you would like to be considered for participation in Jefferson Center’s INSPIRE program, please complete the application (download links below) and submit to Anne Elise Thomas, Educational Programs Coordinator, 541 Luck Ave SW, Suite 221, Roanoke, VA 24016. For more information or to discuss your proposal, contact Anne Elise at (540) 343-2624, ext. 217 or by email at athomas@jeffcenter.org  |
