History

Since 1999, Arts Impact has brought high quality arts education experiences to young people by training classroom teachers to use the arts in day-to-day teaching.

The program was developed in response to a survey conducted by the Cultural Council of Greater Tacoma in 1997, which showed that only 21% of Pierce County teachers felt qualified to teach the arts. Since Washington State will begin requiring students to meet Essential Academic Learning Requirements in the Arts in 2009, the Cultural Council saw a community-wide need for teacher training in the arts.

Arts Impact was launched in partnership with the Tacoma Art Museum and the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts. Current partners include the Puget Sound Educational Service District, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle Children's Theater, and University of Washington World Series.