SmartARTS | WhatWorksSC

SmartARTS is Metropolitan Arts Council’s successful arts education/STEAM initiative. Founded in 2002, it provides Greenville County Schools with teaching artists, art supplies, professional development for educators in 83 schools, and mentorship to facilitate arts-integrated units of study in science, math, history, and language arts classrooms. The mission of SmartARTS is to improve academic achievement through arts-rich experiences in the core curriculum to encourage career-ready creative problem solving and greater self-awareness. With 85% of current requests coming from moderate to high poverty schools, SmartARTS helps students re-engage with learning and find hope despite trauma. It also helps build vocabulary and context through dialogue, collaborative learning, and reflection as students explore the curriculum through the lens of the arts.