FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE:           January 8, 2007
CONTACT:   Janet Starke Krogman
                     Program and Grants Manager
                     Phone: (704) 333-1059, x. 5726
                     Cell: (704) 778-5671
                     E-mail: jskrogman@artsteach.org

CHARLOTTE N.C., January 8, 2007 – Today ArtsTeach announced the launch of ArtsBLOG, a national online discussion area designed for educators, teaching artists and anyone else who has something important to say about current issues and trends related to arts education and arts in education. Its first guest moderator is noted teaching artist and internationally-renowned consultant on arts education programs, Eric Booth, and may be accessed through the organization’s website, www.artsteach.org.

“We are thrilled to launch this important vehicle for exploring critical issues pertaining to arts education and delighted to have Eric Booth begin this discussion,” said ArtsTeach Executive Director Deborah Cooper.

Booth, a professional actor and teaching artist, is known nationally and internationally for his work with several outstanding arts and arts education programs such as those at the Kennedy Center, Tanglewood and the Julliard School. Booth’s most recent projects look for innovative ways to advance the field, which led to his role as Founding Editor of the Teaching Artist Journal.

In an age where more and more people are turning to the Internet and Blogs, ArtsTeach and Booth hope this tool will lead to a dialogue on a local, regional and national level, which encourages practitioners to share their perspectives and best practices. Another goal of ArtsBLOG is to enable readers to get a better sense of what is taking place in the field and how we can work together to make it better. Today, Eric launches ArtsBLOG with a discussion of “creativity”—not only its role in a child’s education but also how it shapes individuals to be active participants in the world in which we live.

ArtsBLOG will rotate discussion topics on a quarterly basis in its beginning stages and will search to identify other leaders in the field to moderate the conversations.

ArtsBLOG is an outgrowth of the success of the programs of ArtsTeach in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which emphasize learning in and through the arts in order impact student achievement. ArtsTeach recently received a grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

About ArtsTeach
ArtsTeach, located at Spirit Square in Charlotte, N.C., is an educational partner to the Arts & Science Council. ArtsTeach seeks to maximize academic learning for students by exposure, practice and infusion of the arts.  Grants to schools and arts organizations are made for curriculum-based arts experiences, and professional development is provided to classroom teachers, arts teachers and teaching artists throughout the year. ArtsTeach is also home to the North Carolina Wolf Trap, a pilot program of the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning in the Arts, based in Vienna, Virginia. ArtsTeach is funded through the generous support of the ASC, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, the North Carolina Arts Council, the U.S. Department of Education and the Knight Foundation. Visit www.artsteach.org.

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