CAPITOL HILL ARTS WORKSHOP
 OUTREACH  & COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

At Capitol Hill Arts Workshop (CHAW), our mission is to build community through the arts.  We expand this mission beyond our Capitol Hill neighborhood location through outreach and community partnerships.  We have many talented teaching artists affiliated with our various programs, and we love to match their specific skills in the arts with a community need for arts education. 

At the core of CHAW’s outreach strategy is project development that promotes high quality artistic experiences, and seeks to engage the arts as a lens of understanding and connector of people and ideas.   Our approach positions the arts as an essential, transforming and fully integratable component of any education. 

Click here for SAMPLE PROGRAMMING (PDF)

Outreach Partners

Some of our past and present outreach programs include:

The Higher Achievement Program  CHAW began its partnership with the Higher Achievement Program in 2006 and has continuously provided elective arts classes at all  Higher Achievement’s five centers located throughout the District of Columbia and the city of Alexandria, Virginia.  This program features arts instruction that mirrors the values and themes of the Higher Achievement curriculum.  (Middle school students)

Ludlow Taylor Elementary School, District of Columbia Public School. In the Spring of 2009, CHAW teamed up with Ludlow Taylor Friends (neighborhood boosters), Ludlow Taylor ES and Capitol Hill Art League to paint a mural in the staircase of the school. This project brought together the entire student body with professional artists to design and execute a mural reflecting the students' hopes and dreams for the future. (Head Start Classes, Special Education Classes, Elementary School Students)

Brent Elementary School, District of Columbia Public School.  CHAW was vetted and served as an official Out of School Time provider through DCPS developing a variety of art and dance classes for Brent Elementary’s after school program. We worked with the school PTA to provide additional visual arts instruction during the school day.  (Elementary and Pre-K school students)

Townhomes, Capitol Hill.  This organization, as a part of the District of Columbia’s Housing Authority, receives small grants to provide educational experiences for its residents.  When the Townhomes organization is looking to provide visual arts classes, they call on CHAW for its well-regarded outreach program.   CHAW also partnered with Capitol Hill Village, a non-profit organization dedicated to keeping seniors in their homes, to fund the most recent class at the Townhomes.  (Adults and Seniors)

Kenwood Country Club, Maryland.  Every summer since 2006, CHAW has provided two full weeks of drama teaching for their summer programming. (High School Students)

Building a Partnership

CHAW provides partner organizations and programs with curriculum, staffing, materials, evaluation  and payroll services.   We also seek to facilitate third party networking for greater community impact when possible. From our partner programs, we expect a shared vision of the integrated arts education experience and full cooperation with the terms of the project.

When analyzing the cost/benefit of outreach, we suggest  potential partners consider the high quality of programming that CHAW provides as well as the price of not providing meaningful arts education to students.  The Wallace Foundation www.wallacefoundation.org has excellent resources available to help in this assessment including an easy to use cost of quality calculator:  www.wallacefoundation.org/cost-of-quality

CHAW works on a sliding scale and seeks joint grant writing opportunities as an outgrowth of unique partnerships.  

For more information or to getting started on an outreach partnership with CHAW for your organization or school, please contact Amy Moore, Director of Education and Programs at 202-547-6839 or amy@chaw.org

Teaching Opportunities

We welcome resumes and class proposals from innovative and enthusiastic teaching artists. Please send a letter of inqiry to meg@chaw.org