Dear Friends,

I reflect on this extraordinary year at Arts for Learning with immense gratitude for the artists, educators, and families that make up this community. Our annual report exists to share data—tangible proof—that this work we do matters, and is effective. Our FY23 data shows: It does matter. It is working. It is together as a community that we nurture and sustain this success.

In this community, we know the arts can transform education. We prove it each time our artists enter classrooms, engaging students through arts-integrated lessons. The arts make learning collaborative, personal, and rewarding, and our data shows: this leads to academic success. This year, Arts for Learning reached 157,247 students with innovative arts programming across Maryland. However, for every student we reach, there are five we don’t. As leaders, we reflect and evaluate. To grow our impact, we must partner with our educational leaders. Districts want arts programming in their schools, but they don’t yet equate the arts with improving educational outcomes. We’re changing that. Our professional development programs train educational leaders to transform their schools with our proven arts integration model, benefiting students and school communities year round.

As artists, we innovate. To ensure that our programming meets the needs of our unique community, we listen and we adapt. This year, we dramatically increased our internal and external race equity initiatives, to support a culture of equity in our work. To advocate for arts-integrated programs, proven to increase school readiness in students 0-6, we partnered with early childhood organizations across MD to secure a state-designated “Month of the Young Child.” We’re working with the US Department of Education to research and strengthen our arts integration model to appeal to district leaders to infuse it into the school year curriculum.

This growth is thanks to our passionate community. I’m proud to share this year’s accomplishments with you.

Stacie Sanders Evans
President & CEO