Cal Poly Establishes Central Coast Center for Arts Education

Kindergarteners through high school students on the Central Coast will soon benefit from enhanced instruction in art education, thanks to the establishment of Cal Poly’s Central Coast Center for Arts Education (CCCAE).

Approved recently by President Warren J. Baker, the center’s primary function is to provide supplemental professional-development instruction in the four art disciplines -- dance, theater, music and visual arts -- to elementary and secondary schoolteachers.

The center will also provide opportunities for Cal Poly pre-service and credential-track students to attend professional art workshops that address California’s visual and performing arts content standards for kindergarten through high school.

The center formalizes the ongoing work being done by faculty members in Cal Poly’s Liberal Studies Department, who in the last three years received nearly $500,000 in grants to oversee arts education programs in the county.

“The outreach programs, supported by grants from the California Arts Council, the Eisenhower Foundation, and the California Postsecondary Education Commission, among others, have helped increase arts education in San Luis Obispo County schools exponentially,” according to Liberal Studies Department Chair Susan Duffy.

“The need for more professional-development locations on the Central Coast, where teachers, artists and art educators can come together for education and discussion in and of the arts, is critical,” said Duffy. “While we have been working to meet the need for professional development through projects supported by grants and outside funding, the new center allows us to formally establish Cal Poly as a leader in this educational area.”

Center-supported activities will include summer workshops and institutes and workshops at school sites when requested.

“The mission of the CCCAE is to provide professional development for teachers and other educators in comprehensive arts education and to initiate and promote innovative practices through collaborative interdisciplinary research and education,” Duffy said.

Invitations to serve on the center’s board of directors and its advisory board are expected to be sent out soon to educators, artists, administrators and arts activists in San Luis Obispo County.

Contact: Susan Duffy (805) 756-2327