The Jacksonville community has a new tool to quickly see which schools offer instruction in specific visual and performance arts – and which have an absence of such programs.
The interactive online feature is being touted for its ability to identify funding and partnership opportunities that could result in greater support and increased resources for arts education in Duval County schools.
Launched Feb. 23 by the Cathedral Arts Project, the user-friendly map is built on the artlook platform created by Chicago-based arts advocacy organization Ingenuity.
By going to jacksonville.artlookmap.com and using the filters, anyone can see a map of the county with pin icons pointing out the schools offering instruction in dance, literary arts, media arts, music, theater and visual arts.
The results are filtered by art type and programs and disciplines within each, school level, number of organization partners, student demographics and more.
The project is an extension of the 2019 Landscape of Education in the Arts in Duval (LEAD) report, an effort to collect information about arts programming and resources. A separate survey gathered data about the arts education offerings of local arts and culture organizations.
The map is updated annually, with data from the 2020-2021 school year to become active by fall.
The Cathedral Arts Project is part of the Any Given Child Jacksonville program, which initiated a collaboration between Ingenuity, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to launch the project.
In addition to the map portion of the tool, school and partner portals help to identify funding and partnership opportunities that could lead to greater support and resources in the schools.
“For nearly three decades, (Cathedral Arts Project) has worked to make sure every child has access to an arts-rich education with tremendous progress,” said the Rev. Kimberly L. Hyatt, Cathedral Arts Project president and CEO. “Now, with the launch of the LEAD artlook map, it will be easier than ever for our community – rich in quality arts learning resources – to come together on behalf of our children.”
“We are so excited to engage with the LEAD artlook map, as it will be an invaluable tool in helping us enhance arts education in our schools and expand how we serve Team Duval students, teachers and parents,” said School Superintendent Diana Greene. “Arts education plays a critical role in the development of children, and we are fortunate that multiple community partners have come together to provide this new resource that will lead to greater access and equity.”
She said the tool would give parents a way to navigate arts education opportunities in schools and the community.
“It also gives educators the ability to engage with art providers and find pathways of bringing arts resources into the classroom,” she added.
