TAP 2021 Spring Anthology

Presenting the Graduates of the Spring 2021 Teaching Artist Project (TAP) Class. This anthology is a compilation of their work, experiences, and the fun we've all had together this spring.

Community-Word Project's TAP is in its 23rd year and is the longest-standing professional development program open to the Teaching Artist field by a non-profit organization in New York City. TAP is a collective of diversely experienced arts educators training emerging and working teaching artists who are looking for a supportive community to engage in a self-reflective, justice-oriented learning practice in service of their teaching. The program prepares Teaching Artists to provide high-quality arts education to underserved youth in New York City public schools. The rigorous training involves intensive seminars in curriculum design and teaching techniques, led by CWP staff, Teaching Artists, and the TAP Cohort. During this fall training, participants gain invaluable classroom experience interning with mentor Teaching Artists, in both during-school and after-school multi-disciplinary collaborative arts residencies.

This year, like the rest of the world, TAP has been faced with the same difficulties of being in community and doing this work online. Due to the continued outbreak of COVID-19, TAP was held virtually and restructured into two sessions, Fall (Oct-Dec) and Spring (Feb-March). The focus of the spring session was "How can we deepen our teaching artist practice to meet the needs of this transformative moment?" This included workshops on facilitating in a virtual environment, art as a vehicle for liberation, career development, and fieldwork focused on applicable classroom skills, building your portfolio, and administrative skills and experience.

This Spring 2021 Class of 28 visual and media artists, writers, musicians, dancers, and theater artists learned how to transform creative processes into teaching tools, explored inclusivity and accessibility online, investigated their own power and privilege in the classroom, developed co-teaching and partnership skills, incorporated inquiry and reflection in their lessons, and helped students create work, remembering to remain relevant to students' lives and to create community.

Special Thanks

TAP is made possible through the generous support of New York State Council on the Arts, Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, The Wiley Fund, The Dan Paul Foundation, the Altman Foundation, the Seth Sprague Educational and Charitable Trust, the William Talbott Hillman Foundation, the Wells Fargo Foundation, the TD Charitable Foundation, and the Endeavor Foundation.

TAP Staff & Facilitators

Katie Rainey, Director of TAP

Javan Howard, Lead Facilitator of Curricula & Int