CECA Artists in Schools
In 2018, the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA, or “seek-ah”) began the three-tiered education initiative, CECA Artists in Schools. Artists in Schools connects professional artists with K-12 students and teachers in the Clarksville Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) through providing professional learning for educators, in-school artist residencies, and grants for professional arts experiences for students. The first two of the three tiers are part of the Kennedy Center's Partners in Education program.
In 2018, the Center of Excellence for the Creative Arts (CECA, or “seek-ah”) established a formal partnership with the Clarksville Montgomery County School System (CMCSS) under the Partners in Education (PIE) program of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. This program provides K-12 educators with impactful professional learning with a focus on Arts Integration, an educational movement that incorporates the arts with other subject areas to develop deeper learning and mutual benefits in both, with the support and resources of the Kennedy Center. All sessions will provide teachers with earned Continuing Education Units (CEUs) towards recertification, or substitute teachers are provided if necessary. The 3-hour workshops are presented by teaching artists and include as many as 35 teacher participants.
In 2025 the Arts Experience Grants were expanded to include neighboring rural communities, furthering the impact of arts education in the Northern Tennessee region and providing increased opportunities for public school students to engage with the arts.
Residencies are presented by teaching artists and reach hundreds of students each year. The teaching artist residencies include demonstration lessons for teacher professional development and/or in the classroom with students. Teaching artists work collaboratively with grade level/subject area teachers and arts educators to develop impactful workshops and learning units that meet the curricular needs of both students and teachers. Residencies and demonstration lessons will demonstrate key concepts of Arts Integration in the classroom and guide teachers through the instructional strategies and teaching methods that were explored during the related professional learning workshop.
During the 2024-2025 academic year, students and teachers engaged with Theatre & Dance as well as Art + Design faculty in professionalization workshops.
Teachers and administrators from the following counties may apply online for CECA Arts Experiences Grants. Partnership counties include: Montgomery, Dickson, Stewart, Houston, Robertson, and Cheatham.
CECA Arts Experiences Grants provide professional-level arts experiences, such as a live performance or gallery visit, to Pre-K through 12th grade public school students in our region. This includes local and regional organizations like the Customs House Museum, Nashville Opera, Roxy Regional Theatre, and more. CECA Arts Experiences Grants fully fund the cost of transportation and tickets in order to provide equal access to the arts for schools that may not otherwise be able to attend.
Any Pre-K through 12th grade school in qualifying counties is eligible for funding with only one restriction: CECA Arts Experiences Grants cannot be used as a reward for select groups, such as a reward for good grades or perfect attendance, or for an exclusive group within a grade level or school.
Since the start of CECA’s Arts Experiences Grants in the 2018-2019 school year, over 10,800 students experienced a professional-level arts performance, completely free of charge.
Apply online for 2025-2026 CECA Arts Experiences Grants
For more information on CECA Arts Experiences grants, please contact Dr. Andrea Spofford, CECA Director, at spofforda@apsu.edu or 931-221-7869.
CECA Artists In Schools In the News
Click the headlines below to read stories about Artists in Schools:
Barksdale Elementary School students explore the arts at APSU
CECA-CMCSS partnership boosting creativity in local schoolchildren
Kennedy Center hip-hop teaching artist engages through CECA partnership
Grant to bolster CECA’s arts education efforts with local school teachers
Local teachers learn arts integration at CECA professional development workshop
