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Teaching artists outline career paths and classroom strategies at South Carolina Arts Commission webinar
Summary
Panelists at the South Carolina Arts Commissionwebinar described routes into teaching artistry, practical classroom strategies and professional-development resources for artists working in schools, museums and community settings.
The South Carolina Arts Commission hosted its ninth professional-development webinar for teaching artists, where five experienced practitioners described how they turned artistic practice into paid teaching work and shared concrete advice for sustaining a career in arts education.
Panelists emphasized that teaching artistry combines ongoing artistic practice with pedagogical skills. Hassan Anderson, coordinator of teaching artistry at the University of South Carolina School of Music, urged participants to "have a workable, moldable definition of the term teaching artist" so they can explain their role to schools and funders. He added that teaching artists must "mind the gaps" in their training and recommended reading and targeted skill-building to remain relevant to districts with specific needs, such as ESL populations.
Susan Woodham, a dance specialist and outreach coordinator at Ballet Spartanburg, described a gradual path from grant work and part-time residencies to a long school career: "I applied for it 3 times and got the job on the third try," she said of a full-time school position she eventually held for more than 20 years. Woodham urged early-career artists to take every available professional-development opportunity and to document teaching experience when seeking certification.
September Krueger, director of lifelong learning at the Cameron Art Museum and an A+ Schools of North Carolina fellow, described museum residencies and district-wide projects that pair visual arts with core curriculum. She recommended building relationships with local arts councils and school teachers so residencies leave a lasting footprint in classrooms and communities.
Kennedy Center teaching artist Mimi Herman described residencies and multi-day writing workshops she runs internationally. Citing a teaching-artist mentor, she passed on a succinct practice guideline: "engagement before instruction," meaning teachers should secure learner interest before formal explanation.
Panelists also discussed common practical matters: how to design short residencies that reinforce classroom standards rather than supplant them, how to offer teachers short professional-development sessions tied to a residency, and how to document results for future funding proposals. Hassan noted some partner organizations are seeking teaching artists willing to commute to rural communities and that logistical supports such as travel stipends or housing vouchers can be part of job talks.
The session closed with an extended Q&A in which panelists answered questions about certification pathways, funding sources such as CLIA grants, and how museums and schools structure pay and program evaluation. Panelists repeatedly urged artists to keep practicing their art while developing pedagogical skills, to seek feedback on teaching (video or rubrics), and to frame short-term residencies as better than no arts access at all for schools.
The webinar and its materials will be posted on the South Carolina Arts Commission YouTube channel for later viewing.
