ABOUT - Arts Ed Collaborative

Our Mission

We collaborate with educators to unlock the transformative power of the arts.

Our Vision

We envision a diverse network of educators in Southwestern Pennsylvania that immerses young people—regardless of appearance, ability, income, or ZIP Code—in powerful, personally relevant arts learning that transforms their sense of self, ability to share thoughts and feelings, and capacity to shape communities.

Our Values

Humanity matters.

People need to be cared for before they can do their best work. Everyone we encounter in our work is worthy of being treated with respect and dignity.

The arts are essential.

We sincerely believe in the arts as an indispensable part of the human experience.

Inclusivity strengthens collaboration.

Everyone we work with knows something we don’t—we can learn from one another. Collaboration must be equitable and change-oriented if we are to dismantle harmful structures and build a liberated future. The more we share power, the better the outcome for all.

Continual inquiry propels our work.

We ask questions to further our understanding of what is and to help us figure out what might be.

Change is possible.

We believe the current way of doing things can be improved or reimagined. Our work can make a difference, especially when we are willing to take creative risks.

Our Team

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Director of Programs

Governance

Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh (CMP) serves as the fiscal sponsor for the Arts Ed Collaborative. CMP’s Board of Trustees is our legal governing body. CMP also provides fiscal oversight. Additionally, Arts Ed Collaborative seeks out other voices for strategic input. Members of the arts ed community review our programs, offer advice, and help guide our work forward.

Arts Ed Collaborative maintains connections at the local, state, and national levels.

Local

We are a member of the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.
We are a member of the Greater Pittsburgh Nonprofit Partnership.
We are a member of the Remake Learning. Yael Silk is a member of the Pittsburgh Regional STE(A)M Ecosystem, and Colin Williams is a member of the Professional Learning Collaborative Workgroup.
We maintain a network of liaisons in local school districts, arts organizations, and higher education institutions to both disseminate and gather information.
We are part of Citizens for the Arts in PA and work to connect with legislators.
We are a supporter of UniSound.

State

Our staff members present at and attend state- and local-level conferences and events for Pennsylvania Art Education Association, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, and Pennsylvania State Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance.
We work with the Pennsylvania Department of Education on various initiatives; past initiatives have included the roll-out of the PA Academic Standards for the Arts and Humanities and work on the state’s Student Learning Objectives (SLO) initiative.
We are a member of Citizens for the Arts in Pennsylvania.

National

We are a member of the advisory council of the Arts Education Partnership (AEP) as well as one of AEP’s partner organizations. Yael Silk became a member of AEP’s Equity Working Group in August 2018.
We are a member of Americans for the Arts (AftA). Yael Silk was selected for AftA’s local arts education network steering committee beginning in January 2019.
We are a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education.

We want to hear from you!

Drop us a line to find out how we can strengthen the arts together.

Let’s Collaborate