Two Pittsburgh Teaching Artists Earn the Young Audiences National Teaching Artist Credential
Arts Ed Collaborative (AEC) is thrilled to announce that Ali Hoefnagel and Sarah “G” Jackson are two of the seven newest recipients of Young Audiences National Teaching Artist Credential (TAC). AEC is delighted to support these teaching artists with access to professional learning, mentors, technical assistance, video editing support, and stipends, thanks to the generosity of The Heinz Endowments.
As evidence of their skills and experience, TAC applicants submit an extensive portfolio for consideration. Requirements include a video displaying the candidate’s instructional effectiveness in the classroom; an original residency plan designed and implemented by the applicant; recommendation letters from arts and education professionals, and reflection responses on questions such as how their artistry impacts their teaching practice and vice-versa, and how they create an equitable and inclusive classroom. Each applicant’s submission is then adjudicated by a review panel comprised of experts from the field, including nonprofit leaders, arts education directors at state departments of education and state arts agencies, and past recipients of the credential.
We are pleased to introduce our region’s first members of the national TAC community, who earned the credential during the 2021-22 application round:
Ali Hoefnagel (they/them/theirs) is a performer, arts administrator, and teaching artist from Chicago, IL, currently based in Pittsburgh, PA. Working in the discipline of theatre, Ali teaches playwriting to young people and has been seen onstage as a storyteller and director. They have taught theatre activism classes and workshops with numerous organizations and universities, including their alma mater, Lake Forest College. Their one-person show, You Can Call Me Al, was produced in 2019 as a part of the New Hazlett Theatre’s Community Supported Art (CSA) Performance Series.
Sarah “G” Jackson (she/her/hers) is a poet and visual artist from Pittsburgh, PA. She discovered her love of poetry as a young person, and honed her creative talents as a writer, performer, and educator of wordsmithing as a member of the Black Ink Monks at Johnson C. Smith University. Returning to Pittsburgh after college, Sarah launched her career at The Legacy Arts Project teaching African art through the diaspora. She is involved with multiple programs and organizations throughout the region and works with students in grades 3-12.
The next TAC application cycle will open in the fall of 2023. For the latest information on the TAC initiative, and to learn more about our Credentialed Teaching Artists, please visit: youngaudiences.org/TAC.
