Arts Education &
Community Engagement


The Alameda County Arts Commission is dedicated to cultivating meaningful experiences and educational opportunities in the arts for Alameda County community members. Arts Education programs include opportunities for individuals, families and communities to explore their creativity, engage with new ideas and arts skills, and celebrate community.

Creativity is essential, and art is healing! We use our creativity every day to create solutions for the world we share.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Invitation to Participate in the 2022-2023 Poetry Out Loud Program:
All Alameda County high school youth are invited to participate in Alameda County's annual Poetry Out Loud program! This poetry recitation program is a fun way to learn about poetry and includes free web resources, videos and lesson plans. Similar to a spelling bee, schools/organizations select a winner to advance to the County Competition. Highly flexible, the program can be conducted in two weeks in school or after school. To select their representative to advance to the County Competition, schools/organizations may conduct their recitation contest in person, online, or by video submission. More details including student prizes and web resources on the Poetry Out Loud program overview. Schools/organizations are encouraged to register by end of October 2022.

Sharing Free Arts Education Activity Sheets:
The Arts Commission is sharing a free arts education activity sheet. Print it at home and color it in using markers, colored pencils or watercolor paint. The activity sheet was designed by local artist Amanda Boesen incorporating inspiration from poems, arts education information, and images from Shutterstock.

CREATE Alameda County
The Arts Commission leads this County initiative to advance arts education for all community members. CREATE Alameda County provides resources and experiences to help advocate and raise awareness about the importance of arts education for life-long learning, job skills, and community wellbeing.

CREATE Alameda County is a regional partner with CREATE CA which is a statewide coalition dedicated to ensuring all students reach their full potential through an education model promoting creativity and the arts for the 21st century workforce. This effort is focused on elevating the powerful work of communities like ours to activate support for arts education throughout California.

Arts Commission's Arts Education services, programs and partnerships:

• Alameda County Poetry Out Loud

  Poetry Out Loud is a national arts education program that encourages the study of great poetry by offering free educational materials and an annual recitation competition for high school students across the country. California has the largest state program in the nation. All Alameda County High School students, grades 9-12, are invited to enter Alameda County's Poetry Out Loud. Structured like a spelling bee, high school representatives advance to the County competition in early February, then the State competition in March, and ultimately to the National Finals in the Spring.

• 100 Families Alameda County

  Since 2010, the Arts Commission has presented 100 Families Alameda County programs which brings together diverse and intergenerational families to strengthen family bonds and celebrate community through art making. This program is a part of several of the services that the Arts Commission provides including Art is Education and the Veterans Art Partnership. Past program sites have included all 12 Alameda County Library locations; Oakland Vet Center, Oakland, CA; Highland Hospital, Oakland, CA; Alameda County Family Justice Center, Oakland, CA; REACH Ashland Youth Center, San Leandro, CA; Alameda County Juvenile Justice Center, San Leandro, CA; and a partnership project with Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, CA.

• Veterans Art Partnership

  Since 2015, the Alameda County Arts Commission has partnered with the Oakland Vet Center to provide free art activities for Alameda County Veterans and their families. Events include art making workshops, collaborative art projects, and community events celebrating exhibitions of artwork by Veterans. The goals of the program are to provide opportunities for Veterans to express themselves in a supportive environment, explore visual art techniques, and engage in community building.

Create Alameda County and the Arts Commission's arts education programs are supported in part by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.