A long-term system of education

Aug. 8—Erin de Rosa knows the impact art has on children.

With the pandemic, de Rosa had to pivot with teachers to online teaching.

De Rosa is the program manager for ArtWorks, a program of the Partners in Education Foundation for the Santa Fe Public Schools. It provides online arts programming, including remote "classroom workshops" with trained Teaching Artists, virtual field trips to museums and performances, and a series of online poetry readings.

ArtWorks has collaborated with the Center for Contemporary Arts to present an exhibit of student artwork and poetry created through online units of study last year, titled "Made with Serendipity."

The exhibit in the CCA Cinema Gallery is ArtWorks' inaugural in-person showcase after a year of converting hands-on arts learning to an online format.

There will be a opening reception from 4-5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 13, at the CCA Cinema Gallery, 1050 Old Pecos Trail. The exhibit will run through August.

De Rosa says ArtWorks publishes an art and poetry anthology each year.

With this year still in flux, de Rosa wanted to showcase the art somewhere in the community.

"CCA was gearing up to open their theater," she says. "We thought it would be a really great way to showcase what the teachers and students were working on last school year."

Through the ArtWorks program, students are able to have interactions with local artists throughout the year.

"The students are able to meet these artists who are making creative work," she says. "It begins to provide a long-term system of understanding and education."

Since its creation in 2001, ArtWorks has grown to serve 73 teachers and 1,800 students annually.

ArtWorks partners closely with the Santa Fe Public Schools, arts organizations, artists and other stakeholders to build a bridge between Santa Fe's arts community and schools.

The exhibit will showcase 28 poems and 18 artworks by students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade.