Open a World of Opportunities for Students with Arts Integration

By Dr. Patricia Relph, Arts Learning Specialist

As a non-profit organization, the revenue from Walton Arts Center programming supports learning and education programs and ensures that the arts remain an essential part of the lives of students, teachers and families in Northwest Arkansas. Through the generosity of our supporters, all of our school programs are offered free for students.

We believe that integrating arts into classrooms is a critical part of the learning process. Research has shown that there is a positive cumulative effect on students who participate in arts experiences and field trips. Students benefit when they can create and express their own knowledge, vision and voice in school projects. The arts provide the platform and skill set to promote student collaboration and creativity. With arts integration, students are empowered!

When students come to Walton Arts Center, they see innovative performances based on literature they already know and also hear new languages and music from around the world. Students respond enthusiastically and are often given the opportunity to meet the artists following the performance, ask questions and reflect on great works. Further, children remember these performances from years past and grow into theater-loving adults.

Additionally, researchers have learned that students have a desire to participate in cultural activities – not just attend them. That’s where we come in with our commitment to putting arts resources and education in the hands of teachers. As an arts venue, we know we are in a unique position to pass learning experiences on to students in Northwest Arkansas and it is a responsibility we take very seriously.

In 2022, Walton Arts Center proudly celebrated 31 years of partnership with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Northwest Arkansas Education Service Cooperative as an arts integration training provider. Walton Arts Center helps public schools by providing arts integration training programs at both the elementary and secondary school levels. We have collaborated with all 17 school districts in our region.

In total, more than 600,000 students and teachers have been served by our arts education programs since 2001. Each season, more than 26,000 students from nearly 90 schools experience a live performance at Walton Arts Center as part of the classroom series. Each year, nearly 100 teachers and teaching artists learn to use the arts to teach core curriculum subjects like literacy, social studies and science. These exemplary educators bring the arts to more than 1,000 students from kindergarten to high school, annually.

Walton Arts Center is proud to serve the students and teachers of Northwest Arkansas through thoughtful programming designed to educate, entertain and engage – and we’re not slowing down anytime soon.