Changing the lives of DC’s youth.

Mission

The DC Arts Education Alliance is a network of leaders of arts education organizations working collaboratively to harness the collective expertise and resources of its members in service of strengthening the field of arts education and providing equitable access to the arts for DC’s youth.

Vision

Our vision is a diverse and collaborative community of arts advocates and practitioners ensuring that all of DC’s youth reap the benefits of a high quality arts education.

Statement of Values 

  • We believe that the arts education institutions of DC are stronger through mutual support and collective advocacy, and that the city’s investment in the work of these organizations has the power to change the trajectory of the lives of all DC youth, particularly those who are systematically marginalized.

  • We believe that arts education is essential.  It is not a “nice to have” it is a “need to have” and all DC residents deserve equal access to it. We believe that arts education is grounded in the principles and best practices of positive human development

  • We believe that self-understanding and the abilities to adapt, self-advocate, solve problems critically, creatively, and with empathy, are the mechanisms through which personal transformation is achieved.

  • We believe that high quality arts education is an ideal pathway for children, teens, and adults to develop these characteristics and abilities.

  • We believe that deeply honest dialogue precedes and informs the actions that dismantle existing political and social systems designed to perpetuate prejudice and inequity, and that the arts are uniquely situated and obligated to engage in this discourse.

  • We believe that a city that invests in robust arts education is a beacon of hope for its residents and a model for other arts communities. 

History

The idea for the DC Arts Education Alliance grew from the recognition that the needs of organizations whose primary focus (51% or more) is arts education are unique within the arts landscape.  We realized that a unified voice of advocacy among our diverse constituencies could collectively help to shape social, political and economic structures city-wide in order to better meet the needs of the students we serve, while bringing more visibility to the impact of our work. 

Founded in the weeks leading into the pandemic to advocate for equitable funding from local government, member organizations quickly faced new financial and logistical challenges when pandemic related closures took effect as we worked to maintain uninterrupted services to the over 15,000 youth we serve across the City, in every ward, and continued to provide vital employment to our teaching artists at a time when services for families and youth and jobs for artists had all but disappeared. 

With our initial advocacy goals met, we discovered that banding together offered us opportunities to exchange best practices, share messaging, and identify other collaborative activities, as we navigated the uncharted territory that was critical to our ongoing success.