Gateway to the Arts offers, “Creative teaching. Lifelong learning.” They do this the unconventional way as they’re partnered with professional visual and performing artists for an experience unlike any other. Currently, more than 100 professional artists are enriching the lives of students, educators and fellow artists in the western Pennsylvania area. Read on to know more about their workshops and other projects.
-What is your organization's name?
Gateway to the Arts
-What is your name and what is your affiliation with the organization?
Carly V. McCoy, Marketing and Development Manager
-Please tell us little bit about you.
You can check the Bio Link for the information.
-How / why did your organization start? (Background, History)
Gateway to the Arts was founded in 1957 by a string quartet from the Pittsburgh Symphony
Orchestra who performed in Pittsburgh Public Schools and other public venues throughout the
region. Over the years, we expanded to include professional performing and visual artists in all
of the arts disciplines. In 1990, Gateway identified a need to provide professional development
in the arts for educators in our region and artists-in-residence in classrooms and community
settings to model the value of the arts in education and children's lives. More recently,
Gateway has begun providing professional development for artists to prepare them to work in
school and community settings. While Gateway is known for its diverse roster of performing
artists and arts integration models for K-12 settings, in recent years we have been working
closely with the Pittsburgh Public Schools Early Childhood Education Program ("ECEP") and in
August 2008 we became the only Pennsylvania affiliate of the prestigious Wolf Trap Institute
for Early Learning in the Arts. You can also check out our Historical Timeline.
-What is your organization's objective? (What does it do?)
Gateway to the Arts partners with professional performing and visual artist from our
community to integrate quality arts experiences into the lives of Western Pennsylvania
students, educators and families.
-How long has the organization been around?
Since 1957
-What kind of events / activities does your organization do?
Dedicated to serving students, educators and artists, Gateway to the Arts focuses on delivering
quality artistic experiences by professional performing and visual artists to students and youth
in schools, libraries and community centers. We provide artists and educators with the necessary
skills to help students use the arts as a tool for learning.
We offer programming for the pre-kindergarten through 12th grade audience via performance
programs, artist residencies and arts learning partnerships. We also have a Family
Performance Series that brings performance programs from the school auditoriums into venues
across the city so that parents can share in exploring the arts with their children. Additionally,
we offer professional development training to artists and educators on ways to integrate the
arts into the classroom.
Our organization is quite literally a gateway to the arts. Through our efforts, students can
experience through performances: modern, traditional and diverse cultural dance forms; folk,
rock, classical, hip-hop, vocal, world and fusion music; storytelling; theater-Shakespeare to
interactive; opera; pantomime; spoken word and more. Through our arts integration
in-services, residencies and partnerships with schools, students are able to meet
cross-curricular goals through experiences with works of arts.
The value of this work goes beyond exposure to and participation in the arts. It results in
critical thinking, creative expression, self-confidence, a larger world view, an appreciation of
diversity, and ultimately a lifelong passion for learning. You can also check out our
-How can people get in touch with your organization (or you)? (website, email, telephone
etc.)
Gateway to the Arts
6101 Penn Avenue
Suite 301
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
tel. 412.362.6982
fax 412.362.6986
-Any messages to Greater Pittsburgh?
An arts-in-education non-profit, Gateway to the Arts serves approximately 100,000 students,
families and educators in 16 counties in western Pennsylvania each year.
Through participation in the arts, students not only become active learners, They also
improved cognition, as well as creativity and innovation skills that are valued in the
workplace. The leaders of tomorrow are the students who are exposed to the arts today.
Parents are the best advocates for their children to demand exposure to the arts. They can
contact their parent teacher associations and school board to show their support of arts in
education. They can stay informed of what's happening with Gateway to the Arts via our
Facebook page or by signing up for our monthly e-newsletter Artswire.
