The Cathedral Arts Project (CAP), as part of the Any Given Child Jacksonville
program (AGC Jacksonville), has announced the launch of the Landscape of
Education in the Arts in Duval (LEAD) artlook® map. This launch is part of a
collective national effort to affect systemic change for arts education through
partnerships with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and
Ingenuity, the Chicago-based arts advocacy organization that created the
artlook® platform.
The LEAD artlook® map provides a real-time snapshot of arts resources and
services on a school-by-school basis in Duval County, using data from schools,
funding resources and cultural service providers, such as local museums and
arts organizations. This cutting-edge tool allows community stakeholders to
identify funding and partnership opportunities that will lead to greater
support and resources for arts education in Duval County schools.
Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the U.S. Department of
Education and the PNC Foundation, AGC Jacksonville is working to assess the
state of the arts and advocate for increased equity and access to high quality
arts education for all students enrolled in Duval County Public Schools (DCPS)
— goals that took on even more significance as a result of the pandemic.
AGC Jacksonville initiated a collaboration between Ingenuity, the Kennedy
Center and the NEA to launch the artlook® Project, a three-year initiative to gather
comprehensive data to improve equitable access to arts education. Jacksonville
is one of eight cities nationally, and the only city in Florida, to participate
in the artlook® Project. Other communities selected for the initiative include
Baltimore, MD; Chicago, IL; Houston, TX; New Orleans, LA; Portland, OR;
Sacramento, CA; and Southwestern PA.
LEAD began in 2019 with surveys to all Duval County Public Schools to collect
information about arts programming and resources. A separate survey was created
for local arts and culture organizations to gather information about their arts
education offerings. The map will be updated annually; data from the 2020-2021
school year will be active on the map by fall 2021.
LEAD is the first artlook® map to launch outside of Ingenuity’s original
Chicago map and provides a template for other school districts seeking to use
data to strengthen teaching, learning, whole-child education and strategies to
address equity gaps. Locally, Assessment Technologies Group and the University
of North Florida are providing data analysis support to translate the map into
an advocacy plan.
In recent years, DCPS has expanded its arts education opportunities for
students. Recent advancements include the creation of a new arts magnet middle
school, Fort Caroline Middle School of the Visual and Performing Arts; new
digital arts, digital photography and cinematic film programs in multiple
secondary schools; expanded performing arts programs, including show choir,
theatre, band and choral programs; the addition of more than 80
fine arts teaching positions since 2013; and active representation for arts
education in all pandemic planning efforts to keep programs and positions
intact and available as safely as possible.
The LEAD artlook® map can be viewed at jacksonville.artlookmap.com.
